Singapore Sports Hub

1352 Words6 Pages
1. What are the cultural dimensions for Singapore according to Hofstede? Do you think this project was affected by any of these? Which one(s)? Hofstede’s cultural dimensions focus on the power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, pragmatism, and indulgence. According to Hofstede, Singapore scored the following; 74 in power distance, 20 in individualism, 48 in masculinity, 8 in uncertainty avoidance, 72 in pragmatism, and a 46 in indulgence (The Hofstede Center). The Singapore Sports Hub project was plagued with several issues. Delays were accredited to the complex and sophisticated retractable roof and movable seating. Several patrons were complaining of rain coming through the roof during events, while the stadiums pitch was off and sandy patches and poorly growing grass caused issues during a soccer match (The Strait Times). The main cultural dimensions’ that negatively influenced the project were power distance and pragmatism. According to Liu Qiang, Singaporeans value and adhere to a hierarchical relationship in their society (Qiang, 2). Singaporeans are unequal in rank and it influences their daily interactions. Deference and formalities are the norm while subordinates are unlikely to question authority and are less likely to initiate upward communication. This negatively impacted the project since important issues that impacted the stadium roof and chairs were not addressed in a timely manner. Ground level managers did not emphasize the importance of the issues at hand and as a result inadequate information was given to superiors. Qiang acknowledges that Singaporeans “do not like to any responsibility to contribute to the flow of conversation…rather they merely answer the questions asked and no more (Qiang, 5). Pragmatism furthered the problem since Singaporeans are invested in the long term. They over promised and under delivered with their
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