Measuring Cultural Dimensions: External Validity and Internal Consistency of Hofstede's VSM 2013 Scales.

Philipp Gerlach,Kimmo Eriksson

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662604

Abstract

Cross-cultural comparisons often investigate values that are assumed to have long-lasting influence on human conduct and thought. To capture and compare cultural values across cultures, Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory has offered an influential framework. Hofstede also provided a survey instrument, the Values Survey Module (VSM), for measuring cultural values as outlined in his Cultural Dimensions Theory. The VSM has since been subject to a series of revisions. Yet, data on countries have been derived from the original VSM — and not on one of the revised versions of VSM. We tested three scales (indulgence, power distance, and individualism) from the latest version, the VSM 2013, as part of a larger survey across 57 countries. Two main findings emerged. For one thing, country scores based on the VSM 2013 scales correlated only weakly with country scores of the same cultural dimensions obtained in a large previous study. Thus, the validity of the VSM 2013 is in doubt. For another thing, the internal consistency of the VSM 2013 scales was overall poor, indicating that the scales did not reliably measure well-defined constructs. We discuss implications for cross-cultural research.

Highlights

Geert Hofstede (b. 1928, d. 2020) has been a towering figure in the empirical research of culture
Our first research goal was to examine the internal consistency of the Values Survey Module (VSM) 2013 scales because reliability is commonly seen as a prerequisite for validity
For individualism and power distance it may be preferable to stick to other instruments that have been used in prior research, as reviewed by Taras et al (2012)

Summary

Introduction

Geert Hofstede (b. 1928, d. 2020) has been a towering figure in the empirical research of culture. 2020) has been a towering figure in the empirical research of culture. He famously defined culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another” At the core of these beliefs are cultural values, such as views on equality, justice, and liberty that are more or less shared among the members of a society. Since its seminal publication in 1980, Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory has been widely recognized and inspired cross-cultural research across a range of academic disciplines—from sociology to international administration (Orr and Hauser, 2008).

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