Hofstede's Model Research Articles

Designing a social enterprise: the story of Conflictorium

Theoretical basis The case focuses on the following theoretical basis: • conflict management and its resolution; • multiculturalism and workforce diversity through the lens of Hofstede model; and • the Policies, Legal, Universal, and Self model of ethical of building an ethical organization. Research methodology Field study with the leadership team as well as with the key talent (people). Case overview/synopsis Conflictorium, situated in Ahmedabad since 2013, is a museum which acknowledges and discusses conflict through various art forms. Since its inception, the museum has fostered values like diversity, transparency and care reflecting in how it deals with its people and finances. Now, as the museum plans to reach out to new audiences, it is confronted with a challenge to preserve its cherished values and still expand its activities. Complexity academic level This case study is intended for graduate and postgraduate management students.

The Role of Cultural Values in National-Level Innovation: Evidence from 106 Countries

Innovation constitutes a key factor for the economy and the competitiveness of societies. Using the Hofstede model of national culture, previous studies investigated the influence of different cultural dimensions on national-level innovation. These studies provided for mixed evidence regarding the influence and weight of each cultural dimension in innovation. By considering possible explanations for these inconsistent results, the present study ( N = 106 countries) showed that only two cultural dimensions seem to be consistently associated with innovation. Cultures that view change as necessary (long-term oriented) and are more accepting of norm violations (displaying low uncertainty avoidance) tend to promote innovation. These results shed new light on the way cultural tightness and social regulation processes can affect innovative behaviors.

The Importance of Leadership in Shaping the Safety and Organizational Culture of Hierarchical Units

Nowadays, we can observe the growing role of leadership not only in organizations, but also in hierarchical units. This importance is related to shaping the organizational culture of individuals and teams working in them. The aim of the article is to present the importance of leadership in shaping the security and organizational culture of hierarchical units on the example of the War Studies University. The analysis was made using Geert Hofstede's organizational culture model using participant observation. On the basis of the conducted analysis, it can be indicated that the discussed hierarchical unit is characterized by a high power distance, collectivism, masculinity, a high degree of avoidance of uncertainty and a short-term orientation in time. Such dimensions of organizational culture as: avoidance of uncertainty, collectivism and power distance have the greatest impact on the occurrence of a specific leadership style, and their verification should be an integral element of the exercised power in order to increase the level of structural security of the institution and personal security of members of this organization.

Changing cultural norms through education: voices from Ghanaian women principals

PurposeThis study examined how cultural factors positively or negatively influenced women's access to the principal role and influenced their leadership experiences. The researchers used Hofstede (2011) six dimensions of national culture as a conceptual framework. The Hofstede (2011) model of national culture consists of six dimensions (6D) that the investigators utilized to interpret and code the data. This framework allowed the researchers to comprehend the impact of cultural norms and values on women leaders and how women leaders work within those behavioral patterns. Utilizing this framework to map women educational leaders' experiences provided nuances in the dimensions within this region.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative research paradigm and a phenomenological approach, this study explored the experiences of 12 women principals in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem District (KEEA) of the Central Region of Ghana. The phenomenological approach is represented in cultural and social experiences. It enables researchers to describe the meaning of individuals' experiences (Creswell, 2007). This approach helped the researchers describe the participants' perceptions and experiences as Ghanaian women school leaders. This study sought to answer the following research questions: What are the experiences of women principals in Ghanaian K-12 public schools? What challenges do these women encounter in their work as principals? What support exists for these women to effectively execute their leadership roles? A criterion sampling was used to select principals. Data collection included one-on-one in-depth interviews and field notes.FindingsFindings revealed that these women navigated cultural norms and beliefs in order to exercise their own leadership style and pursue their careers in education. These women leaders were also able to gradually change the teachers' and community members' mindsets on women and leadership.Research limitations/implicationsThis study took place with 12 women within one district in one region of Ghana. While this is a limited sample, this study is significant because it increased one's understanding of how women leaders in patriarchal societies navigate cultural beliefs and norms in order to execute their responsibilities. This study informs educational reforms on gender equity and leadership preparation programmes and sheds light on culturally informed leadership practices unique to women.Practical implicationsBased on the study's findings, the researchers offer some recommendations for practitioners, policy makers and scholars.Social implicationsGiven the global call to promote equity in all aspects of social, economic and public life, the question is not whether we should support women educational leaders but rather how we can better support these professionals navigate cultural norms embedded in patriarchal and traditional societies.Originality/valueCurrently, majority of scholarly articles written on the experiences of women educational leaders come from South Africa (Diko, 2014; Mestry and Schmidt, 2012; Moorosi, 2010). In Ghana, quantitative studies have focused on factors accounting for gender disparity in education leadership in specific districts (Segkulu and Gyimah, 2016) and stereotypical perceptions of women principals (Pwadura, 2016). However, there are a limited number of qualitative studies that explore the experiences of women principals. This study is designed to fill this knowledge gap by employing a qualitative design to explore the experiences of 12 women school principals located in the KEEA municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. Thus, the gap in knowledge that this study seeks to bridge is both methodological – in terms of the use of a qualitative approach – and topical – in terms of exploring the experiences of female principals.

Towards understanding the nature and need of delirium guidelines across nations and cultures.

BackgroundDelirium is associated with a variety of adverse healthcare outcomes but is highly predictable, preventable and treatable. For this reason, numerous guidelines have been developed for delirium recognition, prevention and management across different countries and disciplines. Although research is adduced as evidence for these guidelines, a constant finding is the lack of implementation if they exist at all. Implementation is a human behaviour that can be influenced by various factors including culture at a micro- and macro-level. Hofstede’s model proposes that national cultures vary along six consistent dimensions.AimUsing this model, we examined the nature of delirium guidelines across countries in relation to Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions.MethodsData collected for each country on: the six dimensions of Hofstede’s model, number of delirium guidelines approved by a National professional body of each country (through searching databases), the annual old-age dependency ratio for each country.ResultsSixty-four countries had the completed six dimensions of Hofstede’s model. Twenty of them (31%) had one or more delirium guidelines. The total number of different delirium guidelines was 45. Countries with formal delirium guidelines have significantly lower power distance among their members, are more individualistic societies, have lower levels of uncertainty avoidance and higher old-age dependency ratio compared to those without delirium guidelines.Discussion/conclusionThe development and implementation of delirium guidelines vary across countries. Specific combinations of cultural dimensions influence the production of delirium guidelines. Understanding these important cultural differences can facilitate more widespread acceptance and implementation of guidelines.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40520-021-01978-w.

Cross-cultural Study of Teacher Passivity through the Lens of Educational Transactional Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to present the research results based on the concept of passivity in accordance with the assumptions of transactional analysis – one of the psychotherapeutic modalities in the humanistic school of thought. Passivity is defined as behaviors that block constructive and solution-oriented actions. Design/Methodology/Approach: The main research methods included diagnostic surveys and questionnaire techniques. The study used the “Reality of an Educator” questionnaire by Anna Pierzchala (2013). 441 respondents provided their answers from the four countries mentioned above. The differences were identified using the Kruskal–Wallis test, the equivalent of a one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) that is commonly used for independent samples. Findings: The comparative cross-cultural research on teacher passive behaviours indicated significant educational differences between countries. The lowest levels of passivity were reported in Guatemala [1] and the highest in Ukraine. The Hofstede Model of Cultural Dimensions enabled to outline some generic tendencies concerning passive behaviours in the countries studied. Individually reported levels of passivity were bridged with cultural determinants resulting from teachers’ social functioning. Practical Implications: The study offers some guidelines for tackling teacher passivity and identifies strategies of enhancing problem-solving skills. The most common passive behaviour across all countries was overadaptation, which underlined the importance of developing teachers’ awareness of interpersonal phenomena from the point of view of transactional analysis. Originality/Value: The research presented has not been carried out before and at this stage has an exploratory character, indicating certain interculturally declared patterns and at the same time determining areas for further investigation. Transactional analysis appears to be a useful theoretical construct in the design of cross-cultural comparative studies.

Understanding sense of safety and trustworthiness of tourism information among migrant visitors

PurposeThe migration-tourism discourse has gained attention in global tourism and mobility among scholars because of the vast contributions of migrant visitors to various sectors of the host country's economy, including the tourism and hospitality industry. However, few studies appear to have been undertaken on the subject matter, particularly within the developing country tourism context. The purpose of this research was to assess and understand migrant visitors' sense of safety among five different nationalities (United Kingdom, USA, Germany, China and India) and their perceptions on trustworthiness of tourism information.Design/methodology/approachAnchored on the national cultural dimension of Hofstede model, this study sampled 306 migrant visitors, with the use of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Games–Howell post-hoc test to examine mean differences of nationalities, with regard to trust of tourism information and sense of safety. Finally, the multiple regression analysis was conducted to establish the significant effects of national culture characteristics and trustworthiness of tourism information on sense of safety of migrant visitors.FindingsThe study finds that there were no significant differences in the sense of safety by the five nationalities. However, national culture characteristics (power distance and uncertainty avoidance) and trustworthiness of tourism information were significant predictors of sense of safety of migrant visitors.Research limitations/implicationsThis research adopted only two cultural dimensions of the Hofstede's model, so future studies within the migration-tourism literature should consider adopting other cultural dimensions of the model.Practical implicationsThe research provides, first, insight into sense of safety, trustworthiness of tourism information and national culture characteristics which are relevant for destination marketers, the ministry of tourism and local tourism officials to promote safety tourism.Originality/valueThe study expands the application of the cultural dimension of Hofstede model within the migration-tourism literature and establishes that national cultural characteristics and trustworthiness of tourism information are significant predictors of sense of safety of migrant visitors.

Revisiting the moderating role of culture between job characteristics and job satisfaction: a multilevel analysis of 33 countries

PurposeThis paper aims to address how national culture moderates the relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examine the most recent data collected from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) in 2015 from a group of 33 countries. Hofstede's cultural model is used to represent and measure national culture.FindingsOne of the most significant findings from the authors’ two-level regression analysis is that having an interesting job contributes more to job satisfaction in individualistic countries than in collectivist countries. The authors also find that the newly introduced cultural dimension indulgence vs restraint has some significant moderating effect on the relationship between job security, salary, the perceived interest of a job and job satisfaction. Job security also seems to contribute less to job satisfaction in societies that are long-term oriented.Practical implicationsThis study provides further support for a more careful, nuanced examination of job motivation theories. Multinational companies should understand the needs of their employees and diversify their compensation packages accordingly. More attention should be paid to job design in individualistic or indulgent-oriented countries to create a satisfying job experience.Originality/valueThe authors examine the most recent data from ISSP and extend the literature by incorporating two additional cultural dimensions from Hofstede's model as moderators.

E-Learning in Institute of Higher Education

This paper review to focus the relationship between Generation Y students and Malaysian cultural factors within the context of e-learning application. E-learning is defined as the use of electronic media in learning. Meanwhile, Generation Y is defined by the internet and are a connected global generation. The results of these studies on Generation Y culture may differ from those obtained from research focusing on Generation Y and cultural nuances separately. Hofstede's multicultural model is used in this study to better understand the unique cultural nuances of Malaysian Generation Y students. Every dimension of Hofstede's cultural model has been adapted to the context of e-learning in Malaysia. This review also explores whether both Generation Y and culture influence the student usage of e-learning education. This model can be utilized as a guide for e-learning developers to create an appropriate pedagogy for Generation Y students in higher educational institutes in Malaysia.

Transcreation Strategies of Male-Related Traits from English Online Fragrance Labels into Chinese: From a Cultural Perspective

In recent years, transcreation has been a buzzword in the translation industry and academia. It is defined as a combination of translation and new content creation, with translation used in its traditional sense. Although transcreation strategies have been explored, few studies have addressed whether translation or new content creation predominates in transcreation strategies and the underlying cultural reasons. This study examines the transcreation strategies involved in the Chinese translations of male stereotypes in English online fragrance labels. More specifically, as transcreation strategies can be divided into minimal and marked interventional strategies, this paper examined the cultural reasons underlying marked interventional strategies drawing on the Hofstede model. It adopts a descriptive and interpretive qualitative research method. A non-probability purposive sampling method is used to collect data. Findings illustrate that marked interventional strategies, including addition, substitution and omission, predominate transcreation strategies. Whereas minimal change including direct translation is less. The unveiled cultural reasons suggest the differences of male stereotypes in advertising between China and the US, thus contributing to the research on East-West comparison of male stereotypes. Meanwhile, it will provide implications for translators to deal with male stereotypes in advertising.

The Impact of Culture on Impulse Buying Behavior in Bangladesh

Objective: The primary aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of culture on impulse buying behavior for an emerging nation, Bangladesh. Methodology: After conducting a detailed literature review, a questionnaire survey was developed. Using a non-probabilistic snowball sampling, a sample size of 351 was attained. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to understand the six cultural dimensions of Hofstede’s model and impulse purchasing behavior, and OLS multiple regression was performed to test the association of the dimensions of culture with impulse buying behavior. Findings: The results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between masculinity and impulse buying behavior. Surprisingly, the results suggest that the other five cultural dimensions do not have any significant association with impulse buying behavior, implying that these specific cultural constructs do not influence consumers' impulse buying behavior in Bangladesh. Novelty: Typically, academic research has focused on the individualism/collectivism or power distance dimensions at the cultural level primarily on the developed countries’ context, therefore, calling for further research including several dimensions of Hofstede's cultural model. The novelty of the paper lies in its consideration of including all six dimensions of Hofstede’s model in the context of an emerging nation. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: M31, M39. Keywords: Impulse Buying Behavior; Culture; Emerging Economy; Bangladesh; Hofstede Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Chowdhury, F; Mehjabeen, M. (2021). The Impact of Culture on Impulse Buying Behavior in Bangladesh, Journal of Management and Marketing Review, 6(1) 73 – 85. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2021.6.1(8)

International Business and Country’s Culture Impact

International business is very important, nowadays. Businesses, now, compete and operate in an international market. Globalization has created new challenges for managers. Different countries have different cultures, and this make culture a challenge for businesses and managers who operate in international business. They have to pay more attention to the differences of countries cultures they operate with. Sometimes, differences may be seen as insignificant, but they can cause troubles if you don’t respect them. Culture’s differences may create misunderstandings, conflict, anger even stress in the workplace. People in different culture have different attitudes and behaviors. Organizations have to pay importance to differences in a) communication, b) attitudes c) workplace etiquette d) language.
 Albania, after 90’, has been an attractive destination for foreign investors. Many investors came in Albania due to her strategic geography position, cheap labor price, informal market, etc.
 In this paper we will analyze culture’s dimensions according to Hofstede model. Then, we will compare Albanian culture to Italian culture, because Italy is the country which has the majority of foreign companies in Albania.

Organizational Culture in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico: A Comparative Study in the Automotive Industry.

This research aims to compare the cultural dimensions of the automotive industry in three countries, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and discuss Hofstede model. Were using two techniques of analysis, the first being described in the model of Hofstede and Minkov (2013) and the second using the statistical technique indicated by critics of the model (McSweeney, 2013). The results found in regions of Brazil and Mexico indicate that in the same country there may exist different values of cultural dimensions. Regarding the critics indicated in the literature on the model used, this study found evidence in line with the critics that the model, although pointing to cultural differences are not supported by statistically significant differences, to measure and compare cultures between countries. As a contribution, this study indicates the need for the proposed model to consider robust statistical techniques, probabilistic sampling and comparative statistical analysis techniques to prevent misdiagnosis.

ANALYSIS OF MODERN MODELS OF EMPLOYEES MOTIVATION IN INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES IN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURAL FEATURES

Globalization and integration have had a profound impact on the development of business communities in different countries. Thus, cultural conflict is inevitable. However, this should not be a problem for international business and communication. A manager in an intercultural organization must understand the most important motivating factors and effectively use the most powerful ones in different contexts. Creating appropriate incentives for the employee is an essential part of human resource management in enterprises. They are designed to mobilize the enthusiasm and initiative of employees in different ways to complete tasks and achieve the goals of enterprises with high performance and quality. An effective incentive mechanism can increase employees' enthusiasm and stimulate their inner potential to make significant and continuous efforts to achieve the company's goals. The study examines the impact of cultural differences on motivational factors in the context of human resource management. The authors analyzed the features of the American and Japanese human resource management styles. Based on a combination of Hofstede's 5-D model application to these countries and GWS surveys, they concluded that the model effectively identifies business culture characteristics. The largest number of significant factors influencing employee motivation refers to those ones in Hofstede's model that scored the highest points. Therefore, it makes sense to use them as a basis for developing incentives and compilation of compensation packages. This approach gives only approximate estimates. To obtain the most relevant motivation model, the HR department needs to design additional questionnaires to identify the individual characteristics of employees in international companies.

Consumer reactions to unsustainable luxury: a cross-country analysis

PurposeThis paper investigates why and when messages regarding unsustainable luxury products lead to negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) through a focus on the role of guilt, need to warn others and consumers' cultural orientation.Design/methodology/approachThree experiments test whether messages describing unsustainable versus sustainable luxury manufacturing processes elicit guilt and a need to warn others and whether and how the need to warn others affects consumers' NWOM depending on their cultural orientation.FindingsConsumers experience guilt in response to messages emphasizing the unsustainable (vs sustainable) nature of luxury products. In turn, guilt triggers a need to warn other consumers, which leads to NWOM about the luxury company. Furthermore, the results suggest that two dimensions of Hofstede's model of national culture – namely individualism/collectivism and masculinity/femininity – moderate the effect of the need to warn others on NWOM.Practical implicationsLuxury managers should design appropriate strategies to cope with consumers' different reactions to information regarding luxury brands' unsustainability. Managers should be aware that the risk of NWOM diffusion may be higher in countries characterized by a collectivistic and feminine orientation rather than an individualistic and masculine orientation.Originality/valueConsumer reaction to unsustainable luxury, especially across different cultural groups, is a neglected area of investigation. This work contributes to this novel area of research by investigating NWOM stemming from unsustainable luxury manufacturing practices in different cultural contexts.

The Impact of Culture on Impulse Buying Behaviour

Beatty and Ferrell (1998) define impulse buying as a sudden and immediate purchase without pre-shopping intention to either buy a specific product or fulfill a task. Several studies have been conducted to understand the factors that encourage/ affect impulse buying (Lim and Yazdanifard, 2015). Muruganantham and Bhakat (2013) state impulse buyers are influenced by several factors that could be either related to the shopping environment, shoppers' traits, situational factors, or cultural factors. Cultural aspects of impulse buying can help both practitioners and researchers to develop a better understanding of impulse buying (Muruganantham and Bhakat, 2013; Park and Choi, 2013; Kacen and Lee, 2008). Typically, the focus of marketers has been only on the individualism/collectivism or power distance dimensions at the cultural level (Zhang et al., 2010; Shoham et al., 2015); therefore consumer behavior researchers call for further research that includes several dimensions of Hofstede's cultural model which may reveal essential insights about the understanding of consumers' impulse buying behavior (Park and Choi, 2013; Shoham et al., 2015). This paper fulfills this gap and explores the impact of culture on impulse buying behavior in an emerging economy like Bangladesh. The study also expands the understanding of the insights gained by considering all six cultural dimensions of Hofstede, which has not been previously conducted in the context of an emerging economy. Bangladesh, with a GDP growth rate of more than 6% over the last decade along with an increasingly growing affluent middle-class consumers, has become a hotspot of global companies as more and more of these companies are expanding to the Bangladesh market. Thus marketers need to have some comprehension of the cultural context of the target market to formulate the right marketing strategies. Keywords: Impulse Buying Behaviour, Culture, Emerging Economy

Investigating the Links Between Cultural Values and Belief in Conspiracy Theories: The Key Roles of Collectivism and Masculinity

Research suggests that belief in conspiracy theories (CT) stems from basic psychological mechanisms and is linked to other belief systems (e.g., religious beliefs). While previous research has extensively examined individual and contextual variables associated with CT beliefs, it has not yet investigated the role of culture. In the current research, we tested, based on a situated cultural cognition perspective, the extent to which culture predicts CT beliefs. Using Hofstede's model of cultural values, three nation‐level analyses of data from 25, 19, and 18 countries using different measures of CT beliefs (Study 1, N = 5323; Study 2a, N = 12,255; Study 2b, N = 30,994) revealed positive associations between masculinity, collectivism, and CT beliefs. A cross‐sectional study among U.S. citizens (Study 3, N = 350), using individual‐level measures of Hofstede's values, replicated these findings. A meta‐analysis of correlations across studies corroborated the presence of positive links between CT beliefs, collectivism, r = .31, 95% CI = [.15; .47], and masculinity, r = .39, 95% CI = [.18; .59]. Our results suggest that in addition to individual differences and contextual variables, cultural factors also play an important role in shaping CT beliefs.

Bidirectional Relationship Between Cash Holdings and Financial Performance for Banks in the MENA Region

This study examines the interrelationship between cash holdings and financial performance by firstly investigating whether the existence of an optimal cash level maximizes financial performance and secondly measuring the impacts of financial performance over the optimal level of cash holdings. This study uses a sample of 400 financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region across 18 different countries over 15 years (2003–2017). The results support the hypothesis about the positive impact of cash holdings over the financial performance as well a positive influence for financial performance over the existence of an optimum level of cash holding. The analysis supports this association through a robustness test by controlling the culture variables based on Hofstede's model as well as through using different alternative measures for cash holdings. This study is one of the original empirical studies that measure the interrelationship between holding cash and the level of financial performance through the banking sector in the MENA context.

A test of Hofstede's model of culture following his own approach

PurposeRecent studies exposed serious issues with Hofstede's popular model of culture, especially his uncertainty avoidance (UA) and masculinity-femininity (MAS–FEM) dimensions. However those studies did not focus on work-related issues as in Hofstede’s research.Design/methodology/approachWe followed Hofstede’s approach to his dimensions more closely than anyone before in a large cross-cultural study. We used data from the nationally representative International Social Survey Program (over 50,000 respondents from 47 countries), measuring work goals and work-related stress in a way similar to Hofstede's.FindingsUA and MAS–FEM, as measured and described by Hofstede, did not replicate. They lack internal consistency and the items that target them are not associated with Hofstede's UA and MAS–FEM indices. Instead, some of those items follow a very different and sound logic, invalidating Hofstede's UA and MAS–FEM theories. Our study provides additional evidence that UA and MAS–FEM are misleading artifacts of Hofstede's IBM database, with no analogues outside IBM. An improved, recently reported version of individualism-collectivism (IDV-COLL) replicated nearly perfectly, solidifying the validity of that dimension of national culture. A revised version of long-term orientation, called flexibility–monumentalism (FLX–MON) also replicated well.Research limitations/implicationsWe discuss lessons for the cross-cultural field, including cross-cultural management, as well as policy-making by national governments, to be drawn from the controversial story of Hofstede's model. We advise a stronger focus on empirical confirmation and replication rather than excessive faith in fascinating, yet unproven theory.Practical implicationsTo avoid further confusion, we advise researchers, consultants and managers to reconsider the use of Hofstede's UA and MAS–FEM and focus on the valid dimensions in the revised Minkov-Hofstede model.Social implicationsA number of national governments recently launched large-scale studies of their national cultures, based on Hofstede's model. The goal of those studies was to involve culture in the design of social and economic development policies. Studies of this kind should be founded on empirically sound models or else they can result in the formulation of flawed policies.Originality/valueThis is the first study of large samples from many nations showing that even when Hofstede's method is followed closely by focusing on work-related issues, UA and MAS–FEM do not emerge from the data, and this is not because of data deficiencies but because the logic of UA and MAS–FEM is demonstrably flawed. Our study also demonstrates new methods for the replication of IDV-COLL and FLX–MON, though without claiming that they are superior to existing ones.

An Empirical Study of National Culture Based on Hofstede Model and its Effect on the Inequal Distribution of Income and Wealth

An Empirical Study of National Culture Based on Hofstede Model and its Effect on the Inequal Distribution of Income and Wealth