Indulgence and Restraint in School
Anyone who has ever had a “Sunshine Club” at work has had an experience like this…
A department was having their weekly staff meeting and the topic of personal celebrations and condolences was discussed. Several employees brought this topic forward and said that they wanted to make sure that the people on the team felt included and welcomed, and acknowledging birthdays, funerals and other important personal moments should be part of team meetings. Other members of the team said that they didn’t want their birthdays and other personal moments publicly acknowledged. The conversation spiraled into a long debate about whether the department should spend work time with personal celebrations and condolences and how the group would decide how much time, planning and money is appropriate for work. Most members of the team left frustrated, feeling like they were misunderstood and disregarded.
Hofstede’s cultural dimension of indulgence and restraint may not seem to be an important part of work life, but it manifests itself in people “getting a feel” for someone as either friendly or cold. This dimension has a lot to do with how attitudes and emotions are shown and what personal gratifications are allowed. Indulgence orientation is expressed with multiple friends, emphasizing free time and hobbies, and the mantra “smiling is the norm.” Look at any realtor sign in the US—that’s “smile is the norm".” A restraint orientation, on the other hand, can show up as the mantra with “smiling is suspect.” Seriousness is a sign of credibility, especially at work. Emotions are not displayed, people don’t feel the need for many friends, and there are many rules and expectations for behavior and free time. You can clearly see how behaviors could be easily interpreted as cold and uncaring on the one side, or frivolous and unprofessional on the other. In education, for example, a teacher could meet a parent with bubbly energy. A parent from a restraint orientation may not take this teacher seriously. The teacher, oriented to indulgence, may find an unsmiling and serious parent hard to work with. This is a crucial dimension to understand in first impressions and 1:1 interactions.