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Abstract

This article analyses some of the major attributes of Pakistans contemporary administrative culture. The article uses Hofstedes famous four-dimensional model of national cultures as an analytical framework. Hofstedes fourfold typology power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/ femininity is used as a point of departure for a more elaborate description and analysis of the traditions, values and norms that characterize Pakistans governing system. The author uses secondary data from official documents, newspapers, magazines and scholarly literature to support Hofstedes initial findings. A brief account of the colonial antecedents and post-colonial evolution of the administrative institutions is given to provide the context in which the system operates. The main conclusion is that Pakistans relatively high collectivist orientation, high propensity toward uncertainty avoidance, high power distance and masculinity largely account for many traditions and practices including strict adherence to hierarchy, centralization, corruption, nepotism and gender differentiation in administrative roles. Culture is learned and shared ways of thinking and acting among a group of people or a society. Hofstede refers to the concept of culture as the software of the mind, a sort of mental programming.1 Kroeber and Kluckhohn define culture in terms of human orientation to fundamental modes of actions, leading to value assumptions that form the core of human cultures.2 Culture influences our daily lives in the way we eat, dress, greet and treat one another, teach our children, manage organizations and solve problems. Humans are not born with culture but rather born into a society that teaches us the collective ways of life we call culture.

genetically transferred. Culture is learned behaviour. It is a shared way of doing things. It helps human beings adapt to their ever-changing environment. It represents deeply ingrained influences on the way people from different societies think, behave and solve problems. As a group learns, adapts and integrates, the practice is validated and taught to new members as a way of thinking, perceiving, feeling and behaving. Consequently, the pattern of shared basic assumptions continues to be shared and developed among a given group a corporate entity, a region or a country. To many sociologists, culture consists of the shared products of human society. These ways or products are of two basic kinds, material and non-material. Material culture consists of the artefacts or physical objects individuals or groups create and give meaning to such as wheels, clothing, schools, books, computers and spacecraft. Non-material culture consists of more abstract creations such as language, ideas, beliefs, rules, customs, family patterns, political systems and institutions.4 Material culture seems to be shared between societies and/or organizations more readily and with greater ease than non-material culture. The latter tends to lag behind mainly because non-material components are more difficult to change as they are more likely to be ingrained within individuals. In between, there is a third category of cultural markers: the symbols. Human beings often take material objects, shapes, numbers or concepts and impregnate them with special meanings. Brand logos, titles, medals, lapel pins, lucky (or unlucky) numbers are all examples of this. The non-material elements of culture consist of norms, values and symbols. Norms refer to standards of behaviour. They emerge as the ordinary ways of everyday life, habits, conventions and customs. They are sometimes referred to as folkways.5 Dress codes, keeping appointments, wearing matching socks and shoes, regularly mowing your front lawn and not picking your nose in public are some examples of folkways. Violators of these informal norms are not considered immoral but eccentric. However, mores are stronger norms that have formal sanctions attached. Norms are formalized through state institutions as laws. Infraction of legal norms brings punishment. For instance, theft, murder, rape, sexual harassment are all considered punishable with varying degrees of severity. There are also certain activities that are taboo such as incest and eating human flesh. Today, many societies are experiencing changing mores such as the sanctions or laws around divorce, unwed mothers, same-sex marriages, dress code and food are removed. Even in the corporate world, it is now a common fact that successful organizations are those which have changing and adaptable cultures. The impact of such changes can be significant given that the ways in which a society/organization controls its outcomes are rooted in its sanctions. The use of formal and informal rules and regulations serves to reinforce positively or negatively certain behaviours. Societal norms are derived from values. Values can be seen as shared ideas about what is good, right and desirable. The difference between values and norms is that values are abstract whereas norms are behavioural rules or guidelines for people in a particular kind of situation. The values of a society are important because they influence the content of its norms. If a society values small populations, it prescribes a small family. If a society values human life, it abolishes capital punishment. In principle, all norms can be traced to basic social values. The norms that prescribe corporate downsizing, for example, reflect the high value placed on productivity and efficiency.