Step 4 | Check Your Biases

Use Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory to make estimations about cultural values. Hofstede’s theory groups several patterns found across cultures into six categories (or dimensions):

• Power Distance:
  the extent to which members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally
• Social Dependence:
  the extent to which members of a society are dependent upon others and are obligated to maintain social connections
• Gender Roles:
  the differences in emotional meanings and societal expectations between those born male and those born female
• Uncertainty Avoidance:
  the extent to which members of a society tend to feel threatened by ambiguous and unknown situations
• Time Orientation:
  the extent to which a society fosters pragmatic virtues oriented toward short-term or long-term rewards and obligations
• Indulgence:
  the extent to which societies encourage or discourage the gratification of basic and natural human desires

For each of these dimensions, make a list of any assumptions you have about stakeholder values. These should be purely speculative and should be written down before conducting deeper research into the lives of stakeholders. The idea here is to clearly and concisely outline any preconceptions you are bringing to your design process so that you will not be unduly influenced by them.