What is Uncertainty Avoidance?

Uncertainty avoidance is a cross-cultural phenomenon that describes how different cultures or societies react to and tolerate uncertainties. More specifically, it refers to how communities cope with unpredictability and uncertainty that are evident in the major aspects of governance. 

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What is the Uncertainty Avoidance Index?

The Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) ranks countries based upon the cultural tolerance for uncertainty. 

Some countries have strong or high UAI, these are countries with conventional behaviors and standards approaches. 

Countries with weak UAI on the other hand embrace unconventional practices and are comfortable with uncertainty. 

Examples of Uncertainty Avoidance

Countries or companies that have a high degree of uncertainty avoidance develop and implement rules or laws driven towards sustainable development and prevention of uncertainty. 

Individuals or countries with high uncertainty avoidance come up with effective measures and ideas to combat or reduce the occurrence of the unknown and make changes and step by step by planning to mitigate uncertainty. 

Many countries are in the high Uncertainty Avoidance index (UAI), these countries include Mexico, Germany, Finland, Russia, Belgium, Italy, Korea, Greece, Portugal and Guatemala. Greece, Guatemala, and Portugal are however the highest uncertainty avoidance countries. 

Although, quite a number of countries fall in the category of low uncertainty avoidance countries, Jamaica, Denmark, and Singapore are regarded as the lowest uncertainty avoidance countries.