Professor Dr. Geert Hofstede
Gerard (Geert) Hendrik Hofstede was a Dutch social psychologist, IBM employee, and Professor Emeritus of Organizational Anthropology and International Management at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, well known for his pioneering research on cross-cultural groups and organizations
Additionally, Geert Hofstede, assisted by others, created six basic concepts that society, at large, needs to align itself with in order to maintain structure and order. The idea that was borne is the dimensions of culture. Each of the dimensions has been illustrated on a scale that spans approximately from 0 – 100.
For more information about Geert Hofstede, please visit this website.
The Onion Model – Edgar Schein (adapted by Hofstede)
Schein’s model illustrates culture and the way it affects organizations. This interpretation was considered too general, which lead to Hofstede’s 2003 model adaptation.
‘Managing people is difficult when everybody does not share a common personal culture. There is not a common general understanding of what is “right” and what is “wrong”, what is “accepted behaviour” and what is considered “inappropriate” or “unacceptable”. When people in the team have different cultural backgrounds, or the manager’s background differs from the team’s, that is when serious misunderstanding can arise. 2014, Culture and Hofstede in International Business Studies: A bibliometric study in top management journals
The onion model explained
Symbols are words, gestures, pictures or objects that carry a particular meaning which is only recognized by those who share the culture. New symbols are easily developed and old ones disappear.
Heroes are persons, alive or dead, real or imaginary, who possess characteristics which are highly prized in a culture, and who thus serve as models for behavior. Examples are Snoopy in the USA, or Asterix in France.
Rituals are collective activities. They are not actually needed to achieve a goal, but are considered absolutely essential and necessary by the members of a culture. Because of that, they are performed for their own sake. Ways of greeting and paying respect to others, social and religious ceremonies are examples. It is the way you shake hands (if you do), the way you serve tea, the formula at the beginning and end of a letter, how you give a present, a business card, how you invite people and how you visit those who invited you.
Symbols, heroes, rituals can be seen, heard, felt, tasted or smelled. An outsider can observe them by paying attention to the practices of a culture. How do people dress? Who do they talk about? How do they behave?
The core of a culture is formed by values.
Values are ideas that tell what in life is considered important, and they are among the first things children learn. Because they are learned so early in our lives, we are often unaware of our values.
Describing or discussing the layers of the onion can sometimes be difficult, and outsiders cannot directly beyond the first layer. What can be observed, however, are the symbols, heroes and rituals of a culture that will allow one to try to guess what the values – the inner core – are.
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
Collectivism – Individualism
The focus of this dimension is on the question regarding whether people have a preference for being left alone to look after themselves or want to remain in a closely knitted network.
Power Distance
This dimension explains the extent to which members who are less powerful in a society accept and also expect that the distribution of power takes place unequally.
Masculinity – Femininity
Masculinity implies a society’s preference for assertiveness, heroism, achievement and material reward for attaining success. On the contrary, femininity represents a preference for modesty, cooperation, quality of life and caring for the weak.
Uncertainty Avoidance
It is a dimension that describes the extent to which people in society are not at ease with ambiguity and uncertainty.
Short / Long Term Orientation
Long term orientation describes the inclination of a society toward searching for virtue. Short term orientation pertains to those societies that are strongly inclined toward the establishment of the absolute truth.
Indulgence – Restraint
This revolves around the degree to which societies can exercise control over their impulses and desires.