Work Related Values in a Non-Profit Organization Essay

Work Related Values in a Non-Profit Organization - Essay Example Hofstede has identified 4 dimensions for classifying values with national culture and has emphasized that these 4 dimensions are only a framework and there are no rules attached to these dimensions. Power distance Uncertainty Avoidance Individualism and collectivism Masculinity and Femininity According to Hofstede, any organization is made of up to 2 cultural elements- internal elements of culture that are invisible, associated to a particular organization and external values of culture which are usually the general rules, regulations, values and practices. Power distance index: How an organization handles inequalities According to Dutch Sociologist Geert Hofstede, power distance index refers to the distribution of power and money between people in an organization and this helps in understanding and analyzing the extent people in the organization submit to authority. It is usually low in organizations where people work with each other that are not in authority and high in organizatio ns where there is more of a hierarchy involved. In any nonprofit organization, the power distance index is usually very low as the main objective of a non-profit organization is to address issues and promote interests of the poor, provide community development infrastructure and provide basic social service to the people. Since the organizations are by and large nonprofit in nature, most of the people working are volunteers and there is no hierarchy followed is such organizations. The people working for the organization are treated equally despite the difference in power, status or wealth. Privileges, status symbols and power is less evident in any non-profit organization as all the people work together for a single cause. Uncertainty Avoidance: Uncertainty avoidance means the organization’s tolerance to indistinctness and vagueness. Some organizations have a very relaxed attitude towards uncertainty and it doesn’t affect them. The behavior of the people is directly re lated to the work/organization. Some organizations/people would prefer security to a job structured approach to work with written rules and regulations. Low uncertainty avoidance is usually seen in non-profit organizations as the people in this organization are used to handling unknown events and there are also no specific strict rules or regulations that need to be followed. Individualism or collectivism- Behavior towards a group This represents and defines the degree to which individuals of a particular group or organization are collective and integrated as a group. Individualism refers to organizations where individuals look after themselves whereas collectivism refers to people integrated into strong groups who would help each other attain goals... In a social organization, the members are usually very cohesive in nature they usually help each other and the society. In any other organization, employees stress for personal achievement, success and individual rights as they have t o fulfill their needs and dreams. Non-profit organizations are usually collective in nature. The aim and vision of any NGO organization is to provide assistance and support to the poor. Masculinity and Femininity According to Hofstede, masculine society refers to fewer women in hobs and there is vast value difference between men and women in the same job profile. There would be more job stress, earnings, challenges and stronger motivation factors to perform better on the job. In a feminine society, managers are relatively less interested at leadership and they usually have no job stress. In a non-profit organization, there is more of a feminine dimension as the people at work have more of a service role. There is more stress on relationships, society and social responsibility rather than earnings and recognitions by the