power distance index (PDI)

A measure of how a culture, such as a country, business or team, recognizes hierarchy. A totalitarian regime has a high power distance index, while a democracy has a low index. An entrepreneurial startup likely has a lower PDI than a well-established decades-old company, although companies like Apple and Google attempt to maintain a low PDI. The index was conceived by Geert Hofstede, Emeritus Professor of Maastricht University.