South Africa is located at the southern tip of Africa, bordered by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is a diverse country with many different peoples, climates, and landscapes, earning it the nickname of "Rainbow Nation." The document then provides some key facts about South Africa's population, land area, capital cities, ethnic groups, languages, religions, industries, and other statistics.

1. SOUTHAFRICA
On the southern point of the African continent, flanked on either side by the Atlantic
and Indian Oceans, you will find a uniquely distinctive country. South Africa is
affectionately named the “Rainbow Nation”, and for good reason: with diversity in its
people, climates and geography it offers a wide variety of experiences.
GEERT HOFSTEDE & RICHARD R GESTELANDS
Model on
Submitted By –
Jastinder Pal Singh (15421163)
School of Management Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala

2. Facts and Stats
• Population: 55.909 million
• Land Area: 1.21 million km²
• Capital: Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town
• Ethnic Groups: African (80.7%), Coloured (8.8%), White (8.1%),
Asian (2.5%)
• Languages: English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Afrikaans,
Tswana, Zulu, Xhosa, Tsonga, Venda, Swazi
• Religion: Christian (86%), Traditional African (6%), Non-affiliated
(5.2%), Muslim (1.9%), Hindu (0.9%).
• Key Industries: Manufacturing, Mining, Tourism
Source : www.brandsouthafrica.com

3. • Power Distance
The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and
organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed
unequally.
South Africa scores 49 on this dimension which means that
people to a larger extent accept a hierarchical order in which
everybody has a place and which needs no further justification.
Hierarchy in an organization is seen as reflecting inherent
inequalities, centralization is popular, subordinates expect to
be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat.
GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

4. Individualism
The degree of interdependence a society maintains among its
members.
South Africa, with a score of 65 is an Individualist society. This
means there is a high preference for a loosely-knit social framework
in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves and
their immediate families only. In Individualist societies offence
causes guilt and a loss of self-esteem, the employer/employee
relationship is a contract based on mutual advantage, hiring and
promotion decisions are supposed to be based on merit only,
management is the management of individuals.
GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

5. The fundamental issue here is what motivates
people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or
liking what you do (Feminine).
South Africa scores 63 on this dimension and is thus a Masculine
society. In Masculine countries people “live in order to work”,
managers are expected to be decisive and assertive, the emphasis is
on equity, competition and performance and conflicts are resolved
by fighting them out.
GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

6. Uncertainty Avoidance
The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by
ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions
that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance.
South Africa scores 49 on this dimension and thus has a low preference for
avoiding uncertainty. Low UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in
which practice counts more than principles and deviance from the norm is
more easily tolerated. In societies exhibiting low UAI, people believe there
should be no more rules than are necessary and if they are ambiguous or do
not work they should be abandoned or changed. Schedules are flexible, hard
work is undertaken when necessary but not for its own sake, precision and
punctuality do not come naturally, innovation is not seen as threatening.
GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

7. Long Term Orientation
How every society has to maintain some links with its own
past while dealing with the challenges of the present and
future,
A low score of 34 on this dimension means that in South
Africa the culture is more normative than pragmatic.
People in such societies have a strong concern with
establishing the absolute Truth; they are normative in their
thinking. They exhibit great respect for traditions, a
relatively small propensity to save for the future, and a
focus on achieving quick results.
GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL

8. GEERT HOFSTEDE MODEL
Indulgence
The extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses
With a high score of 63 it is clear that South Africa has a culture of
Indulgence. People in societies classified by a high score in Indulgence
generally exhibit a willingness to realise their impulses and desires
with regard to enjoying life and having fun. They possess a positive
attitude and have a tendency towards optimism. In addition, they
place a higher degree of importance on leisure time, act as they
please and spend money as they wish.

9. Deal-focused vs. Relationship-focused
• In deal-focused business cultures, people tend to value directness and going
straight to business. Usually a person from a DF culture do not have time for
a lot of small talk in a business meeting. It is not necessary to know the
person or company on a personal level to get business done. DF people tend
to value straightforward and direct language. Examples of DF cultures are
USA, Norway, UK, Germany, and France (moderately deal-focused).
• In relationship-focused business cultures, people tend to value relationships
before doing business. Not knowing the other part before doing business,
makes a person from an RF cultures nervous. Therefore, it is common to
spend some time getting to know each other before deciding on rather to do
business or not. It is also common to do business with friends and family. RF
people tend to value a more indirect approach while speaking to maintain
harmony. They say what you want to hear, rather than the truth. Examples of
RF cultures are Japan and China
• South Africans are relationship focused
RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL

10. Hierarchical (formal) vs. Egalitarian (informal)
• Formal cultures tend to be organized in hierarchies reflecting major differences
in status and power. It is not common to interact or do business with someone
from a different ranking than yourself, and it is very important to show respect
to people higher up in the hierarchy. Dressing formal is a sign of showing
respect. Age, gender, rank, whether one is buying or selling, education and
family background are the key determinants of status and power in most
hieratical societies. Examples of formal/hierarchical business cultures are
China, Japan, France, Germany, and England
• Informal cultures value egalitarian attitudes and smaller differences in status
and power. An open-door policy is common, and people tend not to be too
concerned about other people?s status and titles while doing business, or
simply just interacting.Examples of informal/egalitarian business cultures are
USA and Norway.
• South Africans follows formal culture.
RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL

11. Expressive Vs Reserved
Reserved people tend to be more soft-spoken, they feel at ease
with silence during a conversation to not overlap someone that is
talking. Appreciate silence during a conversation.
Expressed people are often loudly enough to be heard clearly and
often raise their voice to emphasize important points. They tend to
be uncomfortable with more than a few seconds of silence. Tend to
overlap other speakers.
• South Africans are Expresive people.
RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL

12. RICHARD R GESTELANDS MODEL
Time and scheduling :- Rigid (monochronic) - vs fluid (polychromic) time
• In monochronic cultures, punctuality is critical, schedules are set in concrete, agendas
are fixed, and business meetings are rarely interrupted. Being late is considered rude
and disrespectful. It can seem like the further north you get, the more punctual and
monochronic the culture is. Examples of rigid-time (monochronic) cultures are
Germany, Japan, Norway, England and USA
• People in polychromic cultures pays less emphasis on strict punctuality, are more likely
to miss deadlines and tend to value loose scheduling as well as business meetings
where several meetings-within-meetings may be taking place simultaneously. A positive
effect of this is that the meetings are more flexible and it is more room to be innovative
and creative. Examples of variably fluid-time (polychromic) cultures are France and
China.
Africans are monochronic
• Schedule business appointments as far in advance as possible, preferably a month or
two before the intended visit. Always confirm the appointment by calling the day
before.
• Formal meetings and appointments usually begin and end on time. However, you may
be kept waiting a few minutes by certain groups of South Africans who are more
relaxed in their time keeping. Whichever the case, you should always aim to arrive
promptly.

13. THANK YOU