International HRM — Spain vs. United States

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Comparison:

Using an online country comparison tool that is based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, I found how Spain compares to the U.S. See image below:

As we can see, Spain has a higher score in “power distance”. People accept a hierarchical order where everyone has a place and needs no further justification. The high score means Spain has a hierarchical society. In terms of individualism, Spain is much less individualistic than the U.S. and when compared to European countries, Spain is collectivist. In terms of masculinity, Spain scores much lower compared to the U.S. In contrast to America, polarization isn’t well considered, and competitiveness isn’t appreciated. In Spain, they desire participation from all minorities and avoid dominance from one party. In terms of uncertainty avoidance, Spain in contrast to America, is filled with rules. Furthermore, Spain attempts to avoid confrontation. Lastly, Spain is much different in terms of long-term orientation when compared to the U.S. Spain is a normative country, where people like to live in the moment without concern for the future. Spaniards look for quick results, whereas Americans are quite opposite in this regard.

Additionally, Spain is different in the sense they have a high-context culture. This is because any verbal interaction happens through the lens of who said it, where they come from, how they are saying it, and the emotions and motives behind the words. Whereas the U.S. has a low-context culture, body language holds less importance and verbal messages are direct.

Other factors I’d consider before pursuing a career in Spain would involve what type of global staffing approach they are taking, my cultural awareness, my ability to keep in touch with family, the repatriation process, my post-arrival process, etc. These are the most important factors to me, and ultimately would be what decides if I’m convinced to take the job.