Cultures vary in how much they tolerate and accept unpredictability, known as uncertainty avoidance. As scholar Geert Hofstede explains, “The fundamental issue here is how a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: Should we try to control the future or just let it happen?” (Hofstede, 2009a). In high-uncertainty-avoidance cultures (such as Mexico, South Korea, Japan, and Greece), people place a lot of value on control. They define rigid rules and conventions to guide all beliefs and behaviors, and they feel uncomfortable with unusual or innovative ideas. People from such cultures want structure in their organizations, institutions, relationships, and everyday lives (Hofstede, 2001). For example, a coworker raised in a high-uncertainty-avoidance culture would expect everyone assigned to a project to have clear roles and responsibilities, including a designated leader. In his research on organizations, Hofstede found that in high-uncertainty-avoidance cultures, people commit to organizations for long periods of time, expect their job responsibilities to be clearly defined, and strongly believe that organizational rules should not be broken (2001, p. 149). Children raised in such cultures are taught to believe in cultural traditions and practices without ever questioning them.
In low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures (such as Jamaica, Denmark, Sweden, and Ireland), people put more emphasis on “letting the future happen” without trying to control it (Hofstede, 2001). They care less about rules, tolerate diverse viewpoints and beliefs, and welcome innovation and change. They also feel free to question and challenge authority. In addition, they teach their children to think critically about the beliefs and traditions they’re exposed to rather than automatically follow them. There is, however, some middle ground. Both the United States and Canada are considered moderately uncertainty avoidant.