An excerpt from the diary of a global traveler
The single most important contribution to the scientific study of cross-cultural groups and national cultures comes to us from the Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede. He is Professor Emeritus of organizational anthropology and international management at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s Hofstede was employed at IBM and had the opportunity to collect data about the behaviors of IBM employees in 40 countries. This was important because by comparing people within the same organization but from different nations he was able to get a purer indication of how culture influenced one specific company. This helped him to avoid the risk that by comparing different companies in different countries he would be unable to determine whether the differences were caused by national or organizational culture.
In 1980 he published his groundbreaking book Cultures Consequences in which he laid out the original version of his cultural dimension theory. Since then he has continued to make minor tweaks in the theory. And while some nations may have experienced changes in their culture and the many decades since his original research, his theory of dimensions continues to give us a vocabulary for talking about cultural differences. I will briefly define the six dimensions as he currently presents them.
Power distance (high/low) is an index which represents the importance of hierarchy in a culture. With a score of 95 Guatemalans are much more inclined to accept any orders coming from their superiors then are for example Israelis whose power distance score is only 13. It is said that in cultures where power distance is high, when the boss says jump subordinates ask “how high, sir”. Where power distance is low, subordinates are much more inclined to question why they should perform a task and to openly consider whether it benefits them personally.
Individualism/collectivism represents how much the people in a certain culture honor those who follow their own path and are willing to accept responsibility for themselves and make decisions accordingly. Those with a low-scoring individualism are said to be in a collectivist culture where the needs of the group outweigh the needs of the individual. They are more inclined to makes sacrifices in the group’s interest and expect to be cared for by the group.
Masculinity/Femininity does not refer to gender but to a mindset that places winning, achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards in high regard. Cultures which show feminist traits will give greater importance to modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. (Do not be tempted to relate this index to gender differences.)
Uncertainty Avoidance is a measure of those who put safety and security above risk-taking. They are more cautious about changing jobs and getting involved in new ventures. The opposite behavior might be called risk-taking.
Long-Term Orientation characterizes cultures which give high regard to traditions and time-honored solutions to problems. In contrast, short-term thinkers appreciate change and value “new” as improved.
Indulgence in contrast to restraint refers to a society which prizes gratification, enjoying life and having fun. On the other end of this continuum stands those who live by strict social norms and believe in deferring gratification.
The Hofstede organization has created a wonderful online tool which allows you to see comparative values in each of the above categories for two or even three countries. Visit the site here.
More about the ongoing work of Professor Hofstede can be found in his books, principally in:
Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill USA, 2010, and
Geert Hofstede, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations. Second Edition, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications, 2001
Take-aways: Not only did Professor Hofstede give us the first empirical data for comparing one culture with another, in the process he gave us a terminology for describing those differences. It is much easier to talk about how culture differs from one culture to another using the vocabulary he has given us.
Herb