Cultural Dimensions
(Hofstede)

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Investigating five sorts (dimensions) of differences / value perspectives between national cultures. Explanation of Cultural Dimensions of Geert Hofstede. ('80)

Cultural Dimensions According to Geert Hofstede, there is no such thing as a universal management method or management theory, valid across the whole world. Even the word 'management' has different origins and meanings in countries throughout the world. Management is not a phenomenon that can be isolated from other processes taking place in society. It interacts with what happens in the family, at school, in politics, and government. It is obviously also related to religion and to beliefs about science.

The five Cultural Dimensions of Hofstede

The cultural dimensions model of Geert Hofstede is a framework that describes five sorts (dimensions) of differences / value perspectives between national cultures:

Power distance. The degree of inequality among people which the population of a country considers as normal.
Individualism versus collectivism. The extent to which people feel they are supposed to take care for, or to be cared for by themselves, their families or organizations they belong to.
Masculinity versus femininity. The extent to which a culture is conducive to dominance, assertiveness and acquisition of things. Versus a culture which is more conducive to people, feelings and the quality of life.
Uncertainty avoidance. The degree to which people in a country prefer structured over unstructured situations.
Long-term versus short-term orientation. Long-term: values oriented towards the future, like saving and persistence. Short-term: values oriented towards the past and present, like respect for tradition and fulfilling social obligations.

To understand management in a country, one should have both knowledge and empathy with the entire local scene. However, the scores of the unique statistical survey that Hofstede carried out should make everybody aware that people in other countries may think, feel, and act very differently from yourself, even when confronted with basic problems of society. Any person dealing with Management or Strategy is well advised to constantly remember the lessons from Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory. Human beings have a deceiving tendency to think and feel and act from their own experiences, especially when they work internationally.

Book: Geert Hofstede - Cultures Consequences : International Differences in Work-Related Values -

Book: Geert Hofstede - Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind -

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Recent User Comments

    			 
             Jonas Lindgaard Bach Rasmussen - Denmark
  	       
  		     Critique of Hofstede
  	  		 "Does anyone know where to find good academic articles critisising Hofstedes cultural analysis? Any particular models and/or authors?"
  			   
    	  		 3

    			 
             Jayasri Reddy - Australia
  	       
  		     Hofstede vs. Hampden-Turner
  	  		 "Does anyone know the difference between Hofstede's cultural model and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s Seven Cultural Dimensions."
  			   
    	  		 0

    			 
  			   Boitshoko - South Africa
  	       
  		     Validity of Hofstede's Dimensions
  	  		 "It would be interesting to find how organisational culture which supposedly reflects organisational value system compares with broader influences of culture as per Hofstede's dimensions"
  			   
    	  		 1

    			 
  			   Gregory Cooper - USA
  	       
  		     Hofstede - Five Dimensional Cultures
  	  		 "Hofstede made a comparison of the U.S. management theories and applied them to other countries.  I believe we can continue to build on U.S. management theories by learning from other cultures.  Right or wrong is not the issue.  Learning from others cultures enables the U.S. to become well rounded when dealing with other cultures."
  			   
    	  		 0

    			 
  			   P Owen - USA
  	       
  		     Importance of RESPECT in Various Cultures
  	  		 "I believe respect for authority, age, position, has blurred and decreased - over time, sometimes because people have proven themselves unworthy of respect.  Some cultures retain greater respect for adults, males, people in position, older people, etc. and interactions reflect this. Even language choices reflect respect - formally and informally.  How is respect in differing cultures seen in management, business, raising children, coaching executives, managers, leaders, subordinates and children?  Long term vs short term, male vs. female may be easier to define than power distance and uncertainty avoidance."
  			   
    	  		 0

Best User Comments

    			   
    			     Heylen - Belgium
  	         
  				   6th Dimension
  				   "Pride and Self-esteem -- probably should have been added as a 6th dimension. In many cultures the need to retain one's pride and self-esteem can strongly influence the decision of a manager. Managers often prefer to take a bad decision avoiding to loose their face, even when aware of better options."
    			   
        	  		 20

    			   
    			     aggy - Nigeria
  	         
  				   Application of Hofstede's theory
  				   "What are the implications of Hofstede's theory, how can the theory be applied?"
    			   
        	  		 12

    			   
    			     Karen - Australia
  	         
  				   I Need Another Model!!!
  				   "Hi. I am doing a contrast and comparison between Hofstede's model and another... I need to find another model to compare to... Please help me!"
    			   
        	  		 9

    			   
    			     PEDRON SIMONETTA - Italy
  	         
  				   Cross Cultural Communication
  				   "For my research in intercultural communication inside organizations, I am looking for cultural differences between western (better Italian) and eastern Europe, in particularly in Poland, Serbia and Croatia. Who can help me to find out  any important elements of difference?"
    			   
        	  		 4

    			   
    			     Rocio Dextre - Peru
  	         
  				   Sharing Knowledge in Multicultural Teams
  				   "Sharing knowledge (tacit and learned) between human beings from any part of the world with a simple and sincere converstation can eliminate differences on ways of thinking. Because a total agreement can be reached from their own opinions, even when they have different cultures and believes."
    			   
        	  		 1

    			   
    			     Ilonka Sargent - Bahamas
  	         
  				   Cuktural Dimensions still Valid?
  				   "Hofstede cultural dimensions are over 30 years old. Are they still valid.. that can be questioned."
    			   
        	  		 0

    			   
    			     Supriya - India
  	         
  				   Cross Culture Management Success Factors
  				   "What are essential ingredients of success as per "Hofstede"?"
    			   
        	  		 -1

    			   
    			     Gunnar - Norway
  	         
  				   Application areas of Hofstede
  				   "If you think about it, there are lots of areas and levels where Hofstedes cultural dimensions model can be applied:
+ Concretising / discussing any (vague) culture.
+ Comparing current versus future (desired) cultures
+ Comparing cultures of countries / regions
+ Comparing cultures of companies / divisions / departments
+ Managing multicultural teams
+ Analysing / coaching behavior of managers or leaders"
    			   
        	  		 -10

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                      └► Ardian Thaci (Kosova)
                      
                    Critique of Hofstede
                    "Please have a look for McSweeny, he has 4 or 5 assumptions, since these dimensions from Hofstede came from a study made in IBM offices around the world and he disagrees with it."

└► Alex (America)	RE: 6th Dimension	"I think that the idea of the 6th dimension is valid. However, that aspect could possibly be covered in Individualism vs Collectivism."
└► K.H. (USA)	Pride and self-esteem as 6th D.	"How you mean, Alex?"
└► Jasmine (Singapore)	6th Dimension	"Yup i agree with Alex. Where people generally have a strong pride, refuse to admit shortcomings of themselves or their decisions, its pretty alike to being high in individualism. Cultures that value collectivism will have individuals who put the group or team before self. In that case, I think pride wouldn't be as strong."
└► Noel (Australia)	6th dimension	"The 6th dimension you are refering to, falls in the individualistic cultural dimension"
└► Micdaddy (Australia)	Wrong Heylen	"In my opinion pride and self esteem is already covered with masculinity and femininity."
└► Timothy Platt (USA)	Cultural Dimensions	"Pride and self esteem are expressions of the individual over the collective. These emotions are rightly included within the individual vs collective dimension."
└► Dmitry (Russia)	To Timothy	"What about collective pride and individual pride?"

└► Radaniarisoa Tantely (Madagascar)	Cultural dimensions	"I suggest Hall or Strodtbeck, they have their own point of view... that can be compared with Hofstede's."
└► Karen (Australia)	I Need Another Model!!!	"Thanks, I've gone with Hall"
└► Editor (Netherlands)	Hall Model	"Please summarize the model by Hall for other visitors to find out about it?"
└► Huska (Holland)	Comparable Models	"You can compare it with the Schein model."
└► Dardenne Claire (France)	I need an other Model "Karen"	"You can compare with Hall or Trompenaars"
└► Mfanaz (South Africa)	Other Culture Models	"@Karen: you can compare Hofstede with the ff other models: - Hall & Hall - Trompenaars - Lewis"

└► Henri de Jongste (Germany)	Cultural Dimensions	"Dear Ilonka, To my mind the standard answer would be that cultural core values are slow to change, so in that respect the answer is yes. On the other hand, the dimensions are no more than a necessarily coarse framework that can only indicate general preferences, as Hofstede says himself. In that respect it may be that stronger claims are sometimes made than are warranted by the master himself."
└► Eleazar Guillen Valle (Mexico)	Cultural Dimensions are still valid	"The five dimensions of Hofstede are still valid even though the idea was developed more than 30 years ago. One thing is for sure. Culture is a constantly changing and perhaps, a country that was classified at one level of any of the cultural dimensions may not be in that spot now. Other dimensions might have to be added now that we have a better understanding of the issue. Still, the basic framework is excellent to study culture but knowing that we have to update countries classifications."
└► Jim Mumper (Sweden)	Cultural Dimensions	"In reality, these cultural dimensions ARE 30 years old and much has emerged in the field of intercultural education. That Hofstede has contributed greatly to the field is not questioned, however, there has been quite a bit of critique of the research over time, especially related to his 5th dimension on Long-term/short-term orientation. Hofstede's contribution cannot be overlooked, but it also needs to be looked at as part of the paving of a road that leads us further into more precise models."