•Powerdistance is the extent to which the lowerranking individuals of a society "accept and expect that power isdistributed unequally". It is primarily used in psychological andsociological studies on societal management of inequalities between individuals,and individual's perceptions of that management. •Peoplein societies with a high power distance are more likely to conform to ahierarchy where "everybody has a place and which needs no furtherjustification". •Insocieties with a low power distance, individuals tend to try to distributepower equally. In such societies, inequalities of power among people wouldrequire additional justification.

Power Distance This dimension measures asociety's emphasis on human inequalities. A culture high in power distancewould value hierarchicalstatus and authority. Members at the lowerlevels of such a society, or an organization within it, tend to accept theirsubordinate status, and they are expected to conform to authority enjoyed bymembers in superior positions. Figure 1 illustrates a continuum of high and lowpower orientations.•Hofstedefound that Mexico,Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Japan,among others, scored high in power distance. In these societies,people respect formal hierarchical authority, and employees seldom violatechains of command or openly question decisions by their superiors. In contrast,countries that scoredlow on power distance included Australia, New Zealand, the UnitedStates, Denmark, and Finland. Inthese cultures, superiors and subordinates feel relatively comfortable withshared decision making and decentralization. Employees are not expected torigidly conform to authority, and people leave a certain latitude fordisagreement.