The great British statesman, Winston Churchill, once famously described Russia as a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Churchill’s statement reflects the difficulty that Westerners often have in understanding Russian culture, which is different in important ways from the Anglo-Saxon traditions that underpin Western culture, as found in countries such as Britain and the United States.
Russia has a rich culture that reflects a long and unique history dating back to the founding in 882 of the proto-Russian state, Kievan Rus, by Viking invaders of territory long occupied by Slavic tribes. Over time, the minority Viking military aristocracy merged with the local Slavic population. Kievan Rus was particularly important for its introduction of Eastern Orthodox religion, creating close ties between the state and the church, a relationship that was to color much of the next 1,000 years of Russian history. Crucially, Kievan princes kept the Church dependent upon them, even for revenues, turning the church into an instrument of the ruling class, something that seems to be reemerging today despite the fact that the country was governed by the officially atheist Communist Party for much of the twentieth century.
The modern Russian state dates back to the establishment of the Grand Dutchy of Moscow in 1283. Over its history, Russia has had very limited experience with democracy, having been ruled by autocratic tsars for hundreds of years and then, between 1917 and 1991, by a centralized and repressive communist regime. Although Russia experimented with democracy between 1991 and 2000, it has shifted back toward a centralized authoritarian state under the rule of Vladimir Putin, a development that a significant segment of the Russian population seems to accept with characteristic Russian stoicism.
Academic research has suggested that the values held by the typical Russian differ from those held by Americans and British in important ways. Reflecting its history of autocracy, Russia is characterized by high acceptance of the unequal distribution of power in society. Social status is important in all spheres of life, including business relationships, and Russians accept this to a much greater degree than, for example, the British or Americans.
Similarly, while individualism is a highly valued cultural attribute in Britain and the United States, it is seen as less important in Russia, where conformity and community are highly valued. The emphasis on community over individual is argued to date back to the fact that, for generations, Russian life was centered on the agricultural village commune, where the land was held in common and decision making was the preserve of an assembly of the heads of households.
Russians also have a greater tendency than Westerners to avoid uncertain or ambiguous situations, which are seen as threatening. This is perhaps not surprising, given that for generations under communist rule, behaving the wrong way could get one sent to the Gulag, or worse. Not conforming could also be a problem in Tsarist Russia. One way in which Russians seek to avoid uncertainty is by adhering to the formal and informal rules of society, which tell them how to behave in certain situations. A sign of this is Russian government bureaucracy, which is highly complex and rule driven. The tendency to avoid uncertainty may make Russians less innovative and entrepreneurial than Westerners; thus, the culture of Russia may have an impact on the business environment. At the same time, Russians have a tendency toward pessimism and cynicism, a feeling that social norms and rules restrict people’s actions and behaviors and that they cannot influence this.
On a lighter note, it is often noted that Russians do not seem to smile as readily as Americans. This is often attributed by outsiders to Russian stoicism, which is itself seen as a consequence of how hard life has often been in Russia. However, Russians themselves are often perplexed by how much Americans smile. A Russian will smile when something funny has happened, but smiling when nothing funny has occurred, as Americans often do, is seen by Russians as rather odd. This difference in behavior can lead to some confusion. Americans visiting Russia are often perplexed and somewhat concerned by the lack of smiles on the faces of people they interact with and wonder what they might have done wrong. Russians can be just as confused by a grinning American when nothing funny has been said, and they might wonder, “Why is this person laughing at me? What have I done wrong?”
Case Discussion Questions 1. How do you think the lack of experience with democracy in Russia—and a long history of authoritarian rule—have shaped that country’s culture?
2. How do you think Russians, on average, would score on Hofstede’s four original cultural dimensions:
power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism, and masculinity versus femininity? What does this tell you about Russian culture?
3. Given what you know about Russian culture, how do you think it might impact business activity within the country?
4. If a group of managers in an American company were about to visit Russia for the first time to negotiate a business deal, what advice would you give the managers about the cultural differences between America and Russia?