Introduction
There were several attempts to identify the culture and single out its dimensions before Hofstede’s research. Hofstede conducted his study in 1980 and this research involved 60,000 people from about 50 countries (Hofstede, 2011). The participants of the research were employed at IBM.
The main findings of Hofstede are six major cultural dimensions. The power.
Distance dimension is related to the relationship between the more powerful group and the less powerful members. Thus, it focuses on the extent to which the more powerful members exercise their authority and the less powerful ones are submissive. In small power distance societies such principles as democracy, equality, and pluralism reign while in large power distance societies there is a strict hierarchy and autocratic governance.
Uncertainty avoidance is based on people’s readiness for novel and unexpected situations. Societies with weak uncertainty avoidance feel comfortable in rapidly changing circumstances while societies with strong uncertainty avoidance tend to plan and set rules.
Individualism versus collectivism is the dimension that focuses on people’s desire to be integrated into groups. Thus, individualist societies focus on principles of private property, personal opinion and task prevail over the relationship. Collectivist societies concentrate on harmony within the group and relationship prevails over tasks.
The dimension masculinity versus femininity relates to male and female values. Feminine societies focus on the balance between work and home and equality in gender roles distribution. In masculine societies, work prevails over family and inequality in the distribution of gender roles.
The dimension of time orientation relates to the way people plan. Thus, short-term-oriented societies focus on short-term goals and one of the major ideas, which persist in this society, is that the most important things in life have already happened or are happening now. In a long-term-oriented society, people value changes and contribute a lot of effort to succeed; they are also ready to wait for certain results.
The dimension of indulgence and restrain is related to people’s ways to express themselves and express their emotions. In indulgent societies, people are more positive and are eager to rest more while in restrained societies people are more reserved and less likely to value leisure time.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
The study provides an in-depth analysis of the cultural peculiarities of societies but it also has its strengths and weaknesses. Thus, the study was the first of its kind and highly needed at the time of its development (Jones, 2007). Hofstede’s research was based on an in-depth analysis of data and coherent theory. Major Hofstede’s findings have been confirmed in several studies that followed.
Weaknesses
At the same time, it is possible to identify certain weaknesses in the study. The definition of the culture is still subject to interpretation and it is not easy to identify the boundaries of culture (Jones, 2007). Hofstede’s research is based on an ethnocentric pattern but it needs a broader approach. Most nations are diverse and people are affected by numerous factors that were not mentioned in the study. The results of the study may be biased as the research was conducted during a period of certain political instability. The study may be somewhat outdated as societies have become highly diverse.
Conclusion
The study has numerous weaknesses and it can seem that the research is irrelevant. However, the strengths of the study suggest that it is still reliable and can be regarded as a basis for further research. Societies have evolved since the study was completed. Therefore, it is necessary to implement new research that will base on Hofstede’s study. It is also important to extend the boundaries of the previous study and involve people in several companies and countries. Hence, the new research will also be free from any political bias.
Reference List
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). Web.
Jones, M.L. (2007). Hofstede – culturally questionable? Web.