
What is Hofstede insights?
What is Hofstede insight? Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory, developed by Geert Hofstede, is a framework used to understand the differences in culture across countries and to discern the ways that business is done across different cultures. ... The aim of the study was to determine the dimensions in which cultures vary.
What are the 8 dimensions of Culture?
Eight Dimensions of American Culture by Marcia Carteret, M. Ed. | Oct 19, 2010 Cultural aspects of everyday life are often difficult for people of dominant cultures to discern because their practices, traditions, values, and understandings are taken for granted as the norm.
What is masculinity and femininity Hofstede?
What did Geert Hofstede define as a feminine value? femininity (MAS): In this dimension, masculinity is defined as "a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success". Its counterpart represents "a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life".
How to cite Hofstede insights?
Hofstede Insights analytical and data-driven approach enables a very hands-on, pragmatic and strategic approach to culture. It enabled us to transform our bank into a new direction by understanding the cultural tendencies in the various groups of our bank, and surgically choose follow up actions respectful of the various nationalities within the bank.

What does Hofstede's cultural dimensions show?
Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is a framework for cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert Hofstede. It shows the effects of a society's culture on the values of its members, and how these values relate to behavior, using a structure derived from factor analysis.
Why cultural dimensions are important?
So far as international business is concerned, the dimensions of culture form an important facet. Knowledge of the manner in which different features of a business are viewed in different cultures, can help a manager in understanding and sailing successfully across the international business market.
What are the main findings of Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory?
The original theory proposed four dimensions along which cultural values could be analyzed: individualism-collectivism; uncertainty avoidance; power distance (strength of social hierarchy) and masculinity-femininity (task-orientation versus person-orientation).
Why is Hofstede's cultural dimensions important in intercultural communication?
The Hofstede model is useful for expatriate managers who when they work in the East find it easy to understand the cultural differences in the work environment. Using this model, the expatriate managers can be trained to adjust to the different cultures.
Why is Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory relevant to business today?
Why is Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory relevant to the business market today? Because it helps the market rid itself of cultural prejudices. Because working effectively with others is not possible without cultural norms. Because businesses must be effective in the global market.
Can Hofstede's cultural dimensions lead to effective organizational management?
Being based on Hofstede cultural dimensions it helps determine the ways to achieve effectiveness within an organization. 123 responses were received and evaluated. Significant results have been determined and concluded that culture has a significant impact on organizational effectiveness.
How does Hofstede view masculinity in a given society?
The Masculinity side of this dimension represents a preference in society for achievement, heroism, assertiveness, and material rewards for success. Society at large is more competitive. Its opposite, Femininity, stands for a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life.
What is the meaning of cultural dimension?
Definition. Cultural dimensions summarize the extent to which cultural groups are found empirically to differ from one another in terms of psychological attributes such as values, beliefs, self- construals, personality, and behaviors.
What are the three aspects that we can use to unpack individual or collective cultural dimension?
These are: Power Distance Index (high versus low). Individualism Versus Collectivism. Masculinity Versus Femininity.
What is the focus of Hofstede's power distance dimension?
Hofstede's power distance dimension focused on how a society deals with the fact that people are unequal in physical and intellectual capabilities.
What is Hofstede's model?
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory, developed by Geert Hofstede, is a framework used to understand the differences in culture across countries and to discern the ways that business is done across different cultures.
When did Hofstede do his research?
He developed the Hofstede cultural dimensions during a survey study within IBM in the 1960s. National and regional differences that influence the functioning of institutional organizations (such as authorities, families, companies, schools, ideas) were made clear and measurable because of his work.
What is Hofstede's cultural dimension?
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. Cultures around the world are getting more and more interconnected and the business world is becoming increasingly global. For managers this means that they should be able to work with a large variety of people from different countries and cultural backgrounds. However, since most people are so strongly immersed in ...
Which countries have a high power distance index?
In societies with low Power Distance, people strive to equalise the distribution of power and demand justification for inequalities of power. China and Saudi Arabia are countries with a high Power Distance index.
What is individualism and collectivism?
The Individualism/Collectivism dimension is about the relative importance of individual versus group interests. The high side of this dimension, called individualism, can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of only themselves and their immediate families. Its opposite, collectivism, represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. A society’s position on this dimension is reflected in whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “we.” The USA is considered as one of the most individualistic countries in the world.
What is Hofstede's work?
Hofstede’s work is a major resource in fields like cross-cultural psychology, international management, and cross-cultural communication.
What is individualistic society?
Individualistic societies stress personal achievement and individual rights, focus on personal needs and those of immediate family. In individualistic societies, people choose their own affiliations and groups and move between different groups.
What is Hofstede's cultural dimension?
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are often used when addressing the topic of culture and interactions between cultures. It is also rather controversial to put entire countries into certain categories and to expect the same values and behaviors from all the individuals who are from that country.
How many dimensions are there in Hofstede's model?
It has since been refined to include additional elements. The current Hofstede model of national culture consists of six dimensions.
What is cultural framework?
The cultural framework can be seen as the learned code which triggers a certain emotion. For instance, someone who is raised to believe that uncertainty is negative and should be avoided at all costs will feel fear and anxiety automatically when faced with uncertainty.
What is cultural dimension?
The cultural dimensions represent independent preferences for one state of affairs over another that distinguish countries (rather than individuals) from each other. The country scores on the dimensions are relative, in that we are all human and simultaneously we are all unique.
Why is Hofstede's work important?
Because Hofstede’s work is considered to be so important in the field of culture and intercultural studies, I felt it should be included in the intercultural competence. However, I also look at it critically and can think of situations where this model could be very helpful, as well as situations where it wouldn’t be helpful at all.
What is the high side of individualism?
The high side of this dimension, called Individualism, can be defined as a preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of only themselves and their immediate families.
What is Hofstede's third cultural dimension?
Hofstede’s third cultural dimension is uncertainty avoidance, the degree to which people in a society are comfortable with risk, uncertainty, and unpredictable situations. People in high uncertainty avoidance societies tend to want to avoid uncertainty and unpredictability.
Why is Hofstede's framework important?
Hofstede’s framework is especially useful because it provides important information about differences between countries and how to manage such differences.
What is the second cultural dimension?
The second cultural dimension we consider here is individualism/collectivism. Individualism refers to the degree to which a society focuses on the relationship of the individual to the group. Collectivism refers to the degree to which a society focuses on the relationship of the group as a whole.
What is the fourth dimension of masculinity?
The fourth and final dimension we consider is masculinity, the degree to which a society emphasizes traditional masculine qualities such as advancement and earnings . In high masculinity societies, work tends to be very important to people, gender roles are clear, and work takes priority over other aspects of a person’s life, such as family and leisure. In addition, masculine societies emphasize earnings and achievements, and employees tend to work very long hours and take very little vacation time.
What is the cultural dimension of power?
The first cultural dimension is power distance, the degree to which members of a society accept differences in power and authority. In societies with high power distance, people are more likely to accept that power inequality is good and acceptable.
Why is it important to understand culture in international management?
All of these trends mean that during your career you are likely to encounter someone from a different culture and that the potential for cross-cultural tension s is high. It is therefore important for any international management student to understand culture to better prepare for dealing with such tensions.
Who developed the Hofstede model?
The most popular cultural framework, the Hofstede scheme, was developed by Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social scientist who surveyed over 88,000 employees in 72 countries in which IBM had subsidiaries. He developed this cultural model primarily on the basis of differences in values and beliefs regarding work goals.

Power Distance Index
Individualism vs. Collectivism
- The individualism vs. collectivism dimension considers the degree to which societies are integrated into groups and their perceived obligations and dependence on groups. 1. Individualism indicates that there is a greater importance placed on attaining personal goals. A person’s self-image in this category is defined as “I.” 2. Collectivism indicates that there is a grea…
Masculinity vs. Femininity
- The masculinity vs. femininity dimension is also referred to as “tough vs. tender,” and considers the preference of society for achievement, attitude towards sexuality equality, behavior, etc. 1. Masculinity comes with the following characteristics: distinct gender roles, assertive, and concentrated on material achievements and wealth-building. 2. Femininity comes with the follo…
Long-Term Orientation vs. Short-Term Orientation
- The long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation dimension considers the extent to which society views its time horizon. 1. Long-term orientation shows focus on the future and involves delaying short-term success or gratification in order to achieve long-term success. Long-term orientation emphasizes persistence, perseverance, and long-term growth. 2. Short-term orientati…
Indulgence vs. Restraint
- The indulgence vs. restraint dimension considers the extent and tendency for a society to fulfill its desires. In other words, this dimension revolves around how societies can control their impulses and desires. 1. Indulgence indicates that a society allows relatively free gratification related to enjoying life and having fun. 2. Restraint indicates that a society suppresses gratification of nee…
Country Comparisons: Hofstede Insights
- Hofstede Insights is a great resource to understand the impact of culture on work and life. It can be accessed hereto understand how the different dimensions differ among countries under the Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory.
Related Readings
- Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. To keep learning and advancing your career, the following CFI resources will be helpful: 1. Demographics 2. Emotional Intelligence 3. Interpersonal Skills 4. Supportive Leadership