Please note that the characteristics presented on the right hand side, closed system, describe cultures which are positioned around 70. This is done because only in this dimension do the scores in our data bank run from around 0 to 70 and not to 100. This happens because organisations with a very closed culture will, in all likelihood, not invite outsiders to measure their culture, but they definitely do exist.
This dimension is called open versus closed system and not open versus closed communication. The reason for this being that the degree of open versus closed communication is not only a reflection of the scores on this dimension but also of the scores on dimension D1: means- versus goal-orientation. In other words, “open versus closed communication” is not an autonomous or semi-autonomous dimension. It is a sub-dimension, also called topic, which can be calculated by combining scores on two or more of our eight dimensions. This will be fully covered in level 3.
Most people have preferences about many work situations. They normally have a preference for a goal-oriented culture over a means-oriented culture. These preferences, however, are comparatively speaking not all that strong. In the case of dimension D5 and also in the case of the next two dimensions, people’s preferences are very strong. Thus, most people prefer very much to work in an open culture. From a perspective of labour satisfaction, it would therefore be best to have cultures which score very open. Nevertheless, it may well be that management opts for a less open culture for strategic reasons which may outweigh the emotional preference of their employees.