Appendix
C. Hofstede Score Tables
Full six-dimension Hofstede scores for Canada and Nigeria, with operational implications named for each. Data sourced from Geert Hofstede's country comparison tool.
Scores by dimension
| Dimension | Canada | Nigeria | Gap | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Distance | 39 | 80 | +41 | Largest gap. Decisive for management structure. |
| Individualism | 80 | 30 | –50 | Largest gap. Decisive for HR and reward design. |
| Long-term Orientation | 36 | 13 | –23 | Meaningful. Decisive for negotiation pace. |
| Masculinity | 52 | 60 | +8 | Small. Not meaningful for the strategy. |
| Uncertainty Avoidance | 48 | 55 | +7 | Small. Not meaningful for the strategy. |
| Indulgence | 68 | 84 | +16 | Small. Not meaningful for the strategy. |
Dimension-by-dimension implications
Power Distance (39 vs 80)
Canada sits among the lower-power-distance OECD societies. Nigeria sits well above the OECD median.
Operating implications. Lagos office hierarchy is explicit. Decision rights documented, not assumed. Country head is a senior Nigerian executive with title and authority commensurate with role. Toronto interventions in Lagos operations route through the country head, not directly to staff.
Individualism (80 vs 30)
Canada is among the most individualist societies measured. Nigeria is strongly collectivist.
Operating implications. Performance management uses team KPIs at operating level and individual KPIs at executive level. Compensation includes group-based components. Extended family obligations are not treated as performance issues. Onboarding for trusted hires runs longer than Toronto convention; references and personal vetting matter.
Long-term Orientation (36 vs 13)
Both societies score low on this dimension, but Nigeria sits at the global floor.
Operating implications. PPA negotiations build trust before settling terms. Multiple meetings before first formal commercial discussion. Reference visits to Malawi serve relationship purpose as much as technical purpose. Contracts cement relationships rather than substitute for them.
Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Indulgence
Gaps are too small (under 20 points) to drive operating-model differentiation. Standard JCM practices transfer.
Methodological caveats
Hofstede national-culture scores describe average tendencies. Individual variation within Canada or Nigeria is larger than between the two countries. The framework is most useful when applied to operating defaults (the structure of management, reward systems, negotiation pacing) rather than to specific interactions with specific individuals. Recruitment and management of specific people should rely on direct assessment, not on inferred national tendencies.
The data is also dated (Hofstede's original work is from the 1970s with updates through 2010s). The structural patterns are stable; specific scores should be treated as directional rather than precise.