Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context

G Hofstede�- Online readings in psychology and culture, 2011 - scholarworks.gvsu.edu
Online readings in psychology and culture, 2011scholarworks.gvsu.edu
This article describes briefly the Hofstede model of six dimensions of national cultures:
Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Femininity,
Long/Short Term Orientation, and Indulgence/Restraint. It shows the conceptual and
research efforts that preceded it and led up to it, and once it had become a paradigm for
comparing cultures, research efforts that followed and built on it. The article stresses that
dimensions depend on the level of aggregation; it describes the six entirely different�…
Abstract
This article describes briefly the Hofstede model of six dimensions of national cultures: Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Femininity, Long/Short Term Orientation, and Indulgence/Restraint. It shows the conceptual and research efforts that preceded it and led up to it, and once it had become a paradigm for comparing cultures, research efforts that followed and built on it. The article stresses that dimensions depend on the level of aggregation; it describes the six entirely different dimensions found in the Hofstede et al.(2010) research into organizational cultures. It warns against confusion with value differences at the individual level. It concludes with a look ahead in what the study of dimensions of national cultures and the position of countries on them may still bring.
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