The Relationship between National Culture, Organizational Culture, and Occupational Safety Culture: A Review of Turkey from the Perspective of Hofstede’s Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance Dimensions

Abstract

National culture, which is the dominant and decisive factor behind the behavior of individuals who make up the society, is an integrative structure that helps to live together. National culture not only manifests itself in social life but also plays an important role in working life and affects organizational culture. Occupational safety culture, which is a sub-system of organizational culture, is similarly shaped in the light of these effects. Thus, with the idea that both organizational culture and occupational safety culture reflect national culture, in this study, the effects of national culture on occupational safety culture were examined in terms of power distance and uncertainty avoidance dimensions, which are high in Turkey according to Hofstede’s Theory of Cultural Dimensions. In this context, by adopting literature review method, studies in national culture, organizational culture, and occupational safety culture were set forth and Turkey was examined in terms of power distance and uncertainty avoidance. The study concludes that high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance in Turkey have negative effects on occupational safety culture.

Keywords

• national culture
• organizational culture
• occupational safety culture
• power distance
• uncertainty avoidance