ABSTRACT
Th is dimension of culture deals with an orientation to deference to authority in a hierarchical structure or to more equality in an egalitarian structure. Th ose from cultures that expect large distances between managers and subordinates will respect titles and status and will accept direction from those higher in the structure. Country cultures that tend to be hierarchical include China, Mexico and Japan, as well as others in Asia and Latin America. Th ose from cultures that feel everyone has a role to play will tend to feel free to participate in decisions and to lead activities when they have the most relevant expertise. Country cultures that tend to be egalitarian include the U.S., UK and most of the countries in Western Europe and the Scandinavian region. Implications for Performance Management Th e degree to which deference to authority is expected will have an impact on whether employees are expected to participate in setting their goals and in determining how to achieve those goals. In cultures where power is expected to be concentrated at higher levels, employees may have very limited autonomy and may feel their role is to carry out the directions given to them. Performance appraisal
will tend to be a very top-down process, with the manager establishing performance criteria and standards and evaluating how well a subordinate did relative to those standards. And in this type of culture, the subordinate would not be expected to contest the judgment of the manager.
