Cultural Differences Nigeria - Hungary

Intercultural
Communications
Cultural differences between
Nigeria
And
Hungary
Bognár Alexandra
2010.12.02.

Intercultural Communications Bognár Alexandra
This study is going to highlight cultural differences between Nigeria and

Hungary. These differences are the causes of how we raise our children, what
things we pay more and less attention to, how we are taught at school etc. That is
to say, our life is organized by cultural guessing and speculations that we mostly
learn from our environment. This essay will examine 5 basic topics that a Dutch
anthropologist, Geert Hofstede developed and he established his theories of
intercultural communication through interviews. Learning from him, this study
is based on a long talk and discussion between a Nigerian guy and me, thus these
“facts” are rather opinions and personal observations how we see and feel in our
environment in the particular country.

“Armed with a large database of cultural statistics, Hofstede analyzed the results
and found clear patterns of similarity and difference amid the responses along
these five dimensions. Interestingly, his research was done on employees of IBM
only, which allowed him to attribute the patterns to national differences in
culture, largely eliminating the problem of differences in company culture.”
(http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm)

Hofstede thinks that there are 5 dimensions in culture.
“Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful
members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect
that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus
less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a society's level of
inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power and
inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and
anybody with some international experience will be aware that 'all societies are
unequal, but some are more unequal than others'.”
(http://www.geert-‐hofstede.com)

The actual case in Hungary is that, as a democratic country tries to avoid people
to realize that there is an existing “caste-‐system” in a sense of their positions.
2

People at work try not to be aware of the differences in like salary and even the
boss-‐employee circumstances, employees and employers are considered nearly
as equal parties. There is an extreme effort towards democracy, balance and
respecting each other no matter what job we do.
The situation is not the same when thinking of Nigeria – they respect power. In
other words when observing the interaction between bosses and employees it
would be obvious that one person was higher ranked than the other due to body
language or the spoken language used between them, that is their would be
element of respect in a way they would speak to each other. However, from a
distance they might seem like colleagues (just think of clothing) but on closer
observation it would be clear who was boss and who was subordinate, the
companies are therefore centralized. In case of negotiations the differences are
extreme. In a democratic society it is usual that you “chat” when trying to reach a
consensus, everyone’s opinion is interesting (or at least listened…) and people
decide according to all party’s need – find the “aurea mediocritas” the golden
mean in philosophy which means finding compromise or balance. In Nigeria
seemingly there is a discussion part of the negotiation but at the end the solution
is what the boss says. Whatever the boss says goes, this is due to the fact in
Nigeria people respect rank and power a great deal so in order not to contradict
a higher positioned employee people will tend to agree no matter if it is a good
or bad solution. Thus, in Nigeria hierarchy does determine the cultural
differences and on the other hand, it is hierarchy which establishes large gaps in
compensation, while in Hungary it does not or rather – not that much.

“Individualism (IDV) on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is
the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist
side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone
is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the
collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are
integrated into strong, cohesive in-‐groups, often extended families (with uncles,
aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for
3

unquestioning loyalty. The word 'collectivism' in this sense has no political

meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state. Again, the issue addressed by
this dimension is an extremely fundamental one, regarding all societies in the
world.”

It is about how much a member of the group define himself apart from the group
membership. In other words, those who like working together (in a team) are
collectivists while those who prefer working on their own are individualists. In a
collectivist society people are not expected to develop their own personalities
but to work in a long-‐term team, everyone shall share in what he/she is good at
(their affiliations). Long ago people in Hungary thought that being a follower of
the same religion or living in the same town means belonging together but it can
be seen among the younger generations that they do not pay much attention to
it. Most students are atheists and with the establishment of Erasmus, they can
travel all across Europe so living in the same place is no longer and issue. But,
there is a high valuation of time and freedom. Hofstede states that the richer the
country is the more it tends to be individualist. A good example for this is of
course the USA but now Hungary also tends to become more and more
individualist, thus the need of freedom also rises. On the other hand, Hungary is
part of the European Union. The term “union” suggests that the countries
belonging to it are collectivists, since they develop together. The richer helps the
poorer, therefore the poorer countries benefit from the membership. Hungary in
this sense belongs to the poorer countries. We always get loans for example that
we (the government) shall invest in constructions, (like the underground
system).
Nigeria seems to be a collectivist nation where people are defined by a certain

group. Family, age and religious groups play a large part in the consciousness of
Nigerians in order to provide harmony instead of facing with newer and newer
challenges. It is also interesting that 60% of Nigerians are deeply Muslisms and
only the 40% of them are Christians. We know that Muslisms are more
4

“aggressive”, therefore have greater impact. However, it is changing with the

new generation where individualism is promoted among parents (“rewards” for
hard work like high grades at school) and now we see a slight change in the way
they are taught to display their individual characters that is the children.

“Masculinity (MAS) versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of
roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to
which a range of solutions are found. The IBM studies revealed that (a) women's
values differ less among societies than men's values; (b) men's values from one
country to another contain a dimension from very assertive and competitive and
maximally different from women's values on the one side, to modest and caring
and similar to women's values on the other. The assertive pole has been called
'masculine' and the modest, caring pole 'feminine'. The women in feminine
countries have the same modest, caring values as the men; in the masculine
countries they are somewhat assertive and competitive, but not as much as the
men, so that these countries show a gap between men's values and women's
values.”

Hungary, as being a country which was under the rule of the huge imperial
powers (like the Soviet Union or the Habsburgs), therefore the country got used
to “fighting for freedom”. During the socialist period there were no difference
between the work of a woman and a man (because the only task was to work),
the quality of work was at a low level. But, since we stepped into a capitalist
world, the tradition: “fight for success” is so intensive that people usually do
anything for money, success and fame, no matter who they step on to get to the
top. In this fight, Hungarian people forget how to respect each other, and even,
women. Although we are moving towards femininity (the model seems to be the
US where a woman could nearly become the president), there is still a distinction
between men’s and women’s work. Women are paid less in their salaries and the
majority of the society still thinks that there are high positions which will never
fit a woman. On the other hand there is the upside-‐down discrimination when
5

we walk through a shopping center and in every shop-‐window we see an ad that
they are looking for young women for “salesgirl”. The situation is so confused
that the nation does not really know what the aim is…
In Nigeria the society is pretty much masculine. Nigerian men are quite driven to
succeed. And its men who earn the money. It is a society where wealth is greatly
respected which in a sense could be a good or bad thing. For instance, bad in the
sense that Nigeria is one of the most corrupt nations in the world this is due to
this respect of wealth where embezzlement, fraud and just outright stealing of
funds by government officials is seen as the norm. The masculinity of the society
is obvious, absolutely no president has stolen less than 5 million or more pounds
while in government or while on the seat of power. This gross acquisition of
wealth by any means necessary is also why it is the fraud capital this includes
identity theft, credit card fraud etc. In Hungary, the “leading minority” is also
focused on how to get more and more money while not working at all. The only
task of women is to give birth to as many children as possible while most men
steal from the people either directly or indirectly. By direct I mean robbery of
course, indirectly is that they live from the money that they got from the state
(which is from our tax payments). For money they do everything including the
mayhem of their embryos, children etc, we always hear the terrible stories on
the news…

“Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) deals with a society's tolerance for
uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man's search for Truth. It
indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either
uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured
situations are novel, unknown, surprising, different from usual. Uncertainty
avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws
and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious
level by a belief in absolute Truth; 'there can only be one Truth and we have it'.
People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated
by inner nervous energy. The opposite type, uncertainty accepting cultures, are
6

more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have
as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are
relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within these
cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not expected by their
environment to express emotions.”

It is about how sure we are about our future, like how long will ‘this’ job last.
This also implies how flexible our jobs are and how we tolerate, if we get
guidelines, the activities are structured or informal etc. In Hungary, our past was
about strong avoidance, our grandparents had only job for their whole life, while
our parents are now working at their second or third workplace. Well, we after
graduation expect at least 10 workplaces before we celebrate our 65th birthday.
The world is now rushing, we do not have much time, we always run therefore
we need a constant change. More relationships are needed in less time and we
are rather informal with each other. While a human relationship lasted for ages
in the past with a long “getting to know each other” period, classic courtesy etc.
now it is an instant process, we jump into relationships instantly and we escape
from them in the next moment… And this need of constant change is true for our
jobs. Perhaps this is why nowadays more and more people have degrees and
second degrees and other qualifications. This was not a trend two generations
ago. We want to live on more “feet” because we accept the risk of the future. This
process is true for most of the continents, Asia, Europe, most part of North
America, but Africa is an exception.
In Nigeria people usually have 1 or 2 jobs, usually the first one is for at most 10
years while the second one seems to last until they retire. People have an exact
structure of future and they know what they expect. They always plan and
prepare in details, thus they are clear and concise.

“Long-‐Term Orientation (LTO) versus short-‐term orientation: this fifth
dimension was found in a study among students in 23 countries around the
7

world, using a questionnaire designed by Chinese scholars It can be said to deal
with Virtue regardless of Truth. Values associated with Long Term Orientation
are thrift and perseverance; values associated with Short Term Orientation are
respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting one's 'face'. Both
the positively and the negatively rated values of this dimension are found in the
teachings of Confucius, the most influential Chinese philosopher who lived
around 500 B.C.; however, the dimension also applies to countries without a
Confucian heritage.”

Translating the above quoted explanation, it is about how much our decisions
are based on the events of the past, present or future. When talking about long
term orientation we usually think towards the future, while short term
orientation people value actions that are affected by the past or the present.
Hungary is very homogenous in this sense, you can find both kind of people and
the difference is mainly in our political orientation. Now, there are two extremes:
the one who focuses on the country’s past including all the losses in wars (like
Trianon). They respect the nation and our traditions but deny the past… they are
loyal to the basic values of the society or the idealized country that they are
dreaming of. But, they also pay much attention to family values and thank
everything to the elder generation. The other group is usually the young
generations, university students who think towards the future, they focus on
their own creativity, want individual success, they are “extravagant” in the sense
of self-‐actualization. They give what they get – they treat others as they are
treated. The two categories are extremes, that is why we can not speak about
balance, the situation is contradictory, there are only a few people inbetween.

Nigeria is a more short term oriented society this, of course is why we tend to
dive whole heartedly in to government funds, this notion of ‘we don’t know
tomorrow’ perpetuates this stealing as one is not sure of the future – let us steal
as much as we can today. As such immediate stability is extremely vital. This is
not only just due to corruption and greed but also due to the fact that in the
8

history of Nigeria political instability was always an issue, the notion of not
knowing what will happen next year or the year after also lends to the fact that
Nigerians are short-‐term oriented people. They strongly deal with their close
environment – mostly thinking of family. As a result of this Nigeria thinks mostly
of today and not tomorrow. But it has been economically proved that those who
think towards future are more successful while those who can not get over the
past are less.

In conclusion, although Deda and I are living in the same country and studying at
the same university, we came from two very different cultures. We all have
different opinions, goals, values in and about life… but, we can get on well which
means that tolerance plays an important role. Culture, traditions and habits are
all issues that can not or should not be judged as if it was good or bad, they only
have to be accepted. This essay was mostly a result of the long-‐lasting discussion
that helped us to understand each other in the dimensions analyzed above. And
these are actually the most important approaches towards life.

9

References
Hofstede’s official website, Geert Hofstede -‐ itim, accessed 18th November, 2010:
http://www.geert-‐hofstede.com/

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, MindTools.com, accessed 17th November, 2010:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm

Discussion with Deda :)
Tables used from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm
Characteristics Tips
High PD • Centralized companies. • Acknowledge a leader's power.
• Strong hierarchies. • Be aware that you may need to go to the top for
• Large gaps in compensation, authority, and respect. answers
Low PD • Flatter organizations. • Use teamwork
• Supervisors and employees are considered almost as • Involve as many people as possible in decision making.
equals.
High • High valuation on people's time and their need for freedom. • Acknowledge accomplishments.
IDV • An enjoyment of challenges, and an expectation of rewards • Don't ask for too much personal information.
for hard work. • Encourage debate and expression of own ideas.
• Respect for privacy.
• Emphasis on building skills and becoming masters of • Show respect for age and wisdom.
Low IDV something. • Suppress feelings and emotions to work in harmony.
• Work for intrinsic rewards. • Respect traditions and introduce change slowly.
• Harmony more important than honesty.
High • Men are masculine and women are feminine. • Be aware that people may expect male and female
MAS • There is a well defined distinction between men's work and roles to be distinct.
women's work. • Advise men to avoid discussing emotions or making
emotionally-based decisions or arguments.
Low • A woman can do anything a man can do. • Avoid an "old boys' club" mentality.
MAS • Powerful and successful women are admired and • Ensure job design and practices are not discriminatory
respected. to either gender.
• Treat men and women equally.
• Very formal business conduct with lots of rules and policies. • Be clear and concise about your expectations and
• Need and expect structure. parameters.
High • Sense of nervousness spurns high levels of emotion and • Plan and prepare, communicate often and early,
UAI expression. provide detailed plans and focus on the tactical
• Differences are avoided. aspects of a job or project.
• Express your emotions through hands gestures and
raised voices.
Low • Informal business attitude. • Do not impose rules or structure unnecessarily.
UAI • More concern with long term strategy than what is • Minimize your emotional response by being calm and
happening on a daily basis. contemplating situations before speaking.
• Accepting of change and risk. • Express curiosity when you discover differences.
• Family is the basis of society. • Show respect for traditions.
High • Parents and men have more authority than young people • Do not display extravagance or act frivolously.
LTO and women. • Reward perseverance, loyalty, and commitment.
• Strong work ethic. • Avoid doing anything that would cause another to "lose
• High value placed on education and training. face".
Low • Promotion of equality. • Expect to live by the same standards and rules you
LTO • High creativity, individualism. create.
• Treat others as you would like to be treated. • Be respectful of others.
• Self-actualization is sought. • Do not hesitate to introduce necessary changes.
10

Cultural Differences Nigeria - Hungary

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Cultural Differences Nigeria - Hungary

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Intercultural

Cultural differences between

This study is going to highlight cultural differences between Nigeria and

unquestioning loyalty. The word 'collectivism' in this sense has no political

Nigeria seems to be a collectivist nation where people are defined by a certain

“aggressive”, therefore have greater impact. However, it is changing with the

You might also like