Hofstede's Six Cultural Dimensions—and Why They Matter

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWho Is Geert Hofstede?The Six Cultural DimensionsThe Significance of Hofstede’s Cultural DimensionsReal-World Applications and ExamplesFinal Thoughts

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Who Is Geert Hofstede?

The Six Cultural Dimensions

The Significance of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

Real-World Applications and Examples

Final Thoughts

Close

Then, with the help of Michael Harris Bond,a Canadian social psychologist working in Hong Kong, he added Long-term Orientation versus Short-Term Orientation in the 1980s. And in 2010, through his work with Michael Minkov,a Bulgarian linguist, Indulgence versus Restraint was added.

Let’s dive into the six dimensions that make up the theory, their significance in psychology, and take a look at some real world examples.

He did a PhD in organizational behavior and landed a job at IBM International where he first started conducting his research on the company’s culture in the late 1960s. That led to his first book, 1980’sCulture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values, which was the beginning of cross-cultural psychology as a serious discipline.

Hofstede’s research helps people understand thedifferences between world culturesalong six dimensions. The dimensions are as follows:

Power Distance

Low Power Distance cultures see inequality as needed sometimes, but their goal is for relationships to be as equal as possible. In High Power Distance cultures, on the other hand, inequality is the basis of society.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

This is the degree to which people focus on their groups.Individualisticsocieties, like the United States, strongly value personal achievement and focus on individual needs, whereas in collectivist societies, achievements and decisions are made with the group in mind.

“How focused is the culture on ‘I’ instead of on ‘we?’” says Nassar. “Do individuals look out for themselves (‘it’s every person for themselves’), or do we look out for each other (‘we’ll rise together and we’ll fall together’.)”

Masculinity vs. Femininity

This is the preference for masculine versus feminine traits in a society.

In Hofstede’s theory,masculine traitsinclude assertiveness, competitiveness, power, and material success, while feminine traits include nurturing relationships, a good quality of life, and caring for others.

As Nassar observes, “It’s no surprise to learn the [United States] has a low femininity score.” In masculine cultures, differences in gender roles are very dramatic, whereas in feminine cultures, the roles are fairly fluid.

Uncertainty Avoidance

This dimension deals with how much a society can cope with uncertainty of the future.

While every culture must deal with this, cultures with high uncertainty avoidance rely on their set rules and structures about the way things are done to deal with it, whereas those with low uncertainty avoidance are more relaxed.

As Nassar shares, this dimension boils down to, “Are you willing to take risks and deal with the anxiety this causes, or do you prefer to create structures that keep things organized but also reduce risk and opportunity?”

Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation

“The [United States], like its stock market,” Nassar says, “tends to be all about making it now and letting tomorrow take care of itself.” This makes the [United States] a culture with a short-term orientation.

Indulgence vs. Restraint

This dimension deals with how much your culture satisfies human needs or desires versus how much you hold back on your desires to satisfy societal norms. As Nassar puts it, “How’s your impulse control? Do you tend to go for instant gratification, or do you hold off, in part through social norms, deferring gratification…”

For instance, indulgent cultures tend to focus more on individual well-being and personal freedom, whereas happiness and freedom are not given the same level of importance in restrained cultures.

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory continues to be the go-to theory forunderstanding culturesaround the globe. As Alyssa Roberts, a practicing psychologist, researcher, and writer atPractical Psychologyshares, “Hofstede’s research is so incredibly relevant to this day that it continues to be the basis for assessing how a culture behaves and what kind ofcultural adaptationpeople from different countries need to undergo in order to fully adapt [to a new country].”

Hofstede’s dimensions ask the questions: Did a modern culture retain its village values? Did it instead embrace the consumer culture? Or did it walk a middle road?—CARL NASSAR, PHD, LPC

Hofstede’s dimensions ask the questions: Did a modern culture retain its village values? Did it instead embrace the consumer culture? Or did it walk a middle road?

—CARL NASSAR, PHD, LPC

Roberts has spent a lot of time in different places around the world, and that has driven home the value of Hofstede’s Six Cultural Dimensions. She’s provided examples of each dimension in action here:

While these dimensions are a popular tool forcross-cultural psychologistsand businesses, it’s important to remember that these dimensions are generalizations. Therefore, they may not describe everyone from a specific culture.

Nonetheless, Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory has stood the test of time to show the six dimensions that affect the ways people from different cultures interact.

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gerlach P, Eriksson K.Measuring cultural dimensions: External validity and internal consistency of Hofstede’s VSM 2013 scales.Front Psychol. 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662604Michael Harris Bond.Geert Hofstede.Michael Minkov.Geert Hofstede.Biography.Geert Hofstede.Professional Life.Geert Hofstede: An Engineer’s Odyssey.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Power Distance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Individualism and Collectivism.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Worthy LD, Lavigne T, Romero F.Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. In:Culture and Psychology: MMOER; 2020.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Uncertainty Avoidance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Indulgence versus Restraint.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gerlach P, Eriksson K.Measuring cultural dimensions: External validity and internal consistency of Hofstede’s VSM 2013 scales.Front Psychol. 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662604Michael Harris Bond.Geert Hofstede.Michael Minkov.Geert Hofstede.Biography.Geert Hofstede.Professional Life.Geert Hofstede: An Engineer’s Odyssey.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Power Distance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Individualism and Collectivism.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Worthy LD, Lavigne T, Romero F.Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. In:Culture and Psychology: MMOER; 2020.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Uncertainty Avoidance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Indulgence versus Restraint.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Gerlach P, Eriksson K.Measuring cultural dimensions: External validity and internal consistency of Hofstede’s VSM 2013 scales.Front Psychol. 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662604Michael Harris Bond.Geert Hofstede.Michael Minkov.Geert Hofstede.Biography.Geert Hofstede.Professional Life.Geert Hofstede: An Engineer’s Odyssey.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Power Distance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Individualism and Collectivism.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Worthy LD, Lavigne T, Romero F.Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. In:Culture and Psychology: MMOER; 2020.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Uncertainty Avoidance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Indulgence versus Restraint.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.

Gerlach P, Eriksson K.Measuring cultural dimensions: External validity and internal consistency of Hofstede’s VSM 2013 scales.Front Psychol. 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662604

Michael Harris Bond.Geert Hofstede.

Michael Minkov.Geert Hofstede.

Biography.Geert Hofstede.

Professional Life.Geert Hofstede: An Engineer’s Odyssey.

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Power Distance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Individualism and Collectivism.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.

Worthy LD, Lavigne T, Romero F.Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. In:Culture and Psychology: MMOER; 2020.

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Uncertainty Avoidance.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.Indulgence versus Restraint.Center for Global Engagement: James Madison University.

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?