Critical analysis of Hofstede’s model of cultural dimensions

To what extent are his findings reliable, valid and applicable to organisations in the 21st century?

Thèse de Master , 2011 , 148 Pages , Note: 1,0

Gestion d'entreprise - Direction d'entreprise, Management, Organisation

Global markets are changing faster than ever and increasing international competition makes it necessary for managers to understand not only the domestic culture but also the host country’s culture.

Derived from globalisation, successful cross-cultural management is gaining in importance and its need for understanding of cultural differences becomes essential. Because of this it is argued that, with the increasing importance of a cross-cultural understanding, Hofstede’s (1980) model of cultural dimensions gains proportional importance and attracts notice at the same time. His study is widely used in global operating organisations within trainings and workshops. The first step of effective cross-cultural management is the awareness that cultural differences exist and domestic strategies might fail in host countries.

Even though, Hofstede’s (1980) cultural study is the most important one and widely known, there are many other cultural studies, which are only partly supporting his study. For each and every model of cultural identifications arouse praise and criticism and Hofstede was not spared by criticism. The main criticism refers to the methodology Hofstede used and many authors questioned its validity and reliability. Another major critique is that the nearly 40-years old survey findings are out-dated and not of any modern value anymore. Addressing the elaborated criticisms from the literature, a personal replication study within the two countries of Germany and the UK is undertaken in order to evaluate the validity, reliability and applicability in the 21st century. This study has developed own dimension scores for Masculinity/ Femininity (MAS) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) for Germany and the UK and compared and evaluated these with Hofstede’s findings. The findings of this study vary from Hofstede’s findings, as according to this study the UK is more masculine and has a higher Uncertainty Avoidance score than Germany. These findings do not support Hofstede’s findings and further cultural research is recommended.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• ABSTRACT
• CHAPTER 1.
• INTRODUCTION....
• GLOBALISATION.......
• CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
• NEED FOR CONTEMPORARY APPROACH..\n
• RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES.......
• Aim..........\n
• Objectives\n
• OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTERS..\n
• CHAPTER 2.
• LITERATURE REVIEW....
• CULTURE DEFINED..\n
• National culture\n
• Organisational culture......\n
• HOFSTEDE'S STUDY OF CULTURAL DIMENSIONS.\n
• Research data.....\n
• Cultural dimensions.\n
• Other cultural studies and comparison with Hofstede's dimensions..\n
• ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF HOFSTEDE'S FINDINGS........
• Arguments in support of Hofstede's study\n
• Arguments against Hofstede's study\n
• Discussion.....\n
• HOFSTEDE'S FINDINGS IN PRACTICE..\n
• CHAPTER 3......
• RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ....
• RESEARCH PROCESS\n
• Philosophy of research.\n
• Research Approach........\n
• Research Strategy.\n
• Research Choices\n
• Time Horizon.....\n
• Data collection method\n
• DATA VALIDITY, RELIABILITY AND GENERALISIBILITY..............
• Validity..........\n
• Reliability..\n
• Generalisability..\n
• RESEARCH ETHICS...\n
• LIMITATIONS.\n
• CHAPTER 4.\n
• ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS...........
• INTRODUCTION.\n
• CALCULATION OF DIMENSION SCORES..\n
• MASCULINITY\n
• MAS Index Score\n
• Further Analysis\n
• UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE\n
• UA Index Score ..........\n
• Further Analysis\n
• DISCUSSION.........\n
• CHAPTER 5...........
• CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..\n
• CONCLUSION\n
• FUTURE RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATION\n

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This dissertation critically analyses Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions, investigating its reliability, validity, and applicability to organisations in the 21st century. It aims to evaluate the model's relevance in today's globalised business environment, considering the criticisms levelled against it and conducting an empirical study to compare its findings with contemporary data.

• The evolving nature of global markets and the increasing importance of cross-cultural management.
• The reliability, validity, and applicability of Hofstede's cultural dimensions model.
• The limitations and criticisms of Hofstede's model, including its methodology and the potential for outdated findings.
• The impact of cultural differences on organisational practices and strategies.
• The need for contemporary research and analysis to assess the continued relevance of cultural dimension models.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1 introduces the research topic, highlighting the significance of cross-cultural management in a globalized business context. It presents the study's aim and objectives, outlining the specific areas of investigation. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive literature review, defining culture and exploring Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions. It examines the research data, cultural dimensions, and other relevant studies, critically analyzing Hofstede's findings and discussing both supporting and opposing arguments. Chapter 3 details the research methodology employed in the study, including the research process, approach, strategy, choices, time horizon, and data collection method. It also addresses issues of validity, reliability, generalisability, ethics, and limitations. Chapter 4 presents the results of the empirical study conducted, analyzing the calculated dimension scores for Masculinity/Femininity and Uncertainty Avoidance in Germany and the UK. It compares these findings with Hofstede's original data and discusses the implications of the observed differences. Chapter 5 concludes the dissertation, summarizing the findings and offering recommendations for future research. It emphasizes the need for ongoing research and analysis to understand the evolving dynamics of cultural dimensions in a rapidly changing world.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Hofstede's cultural dimensions, cross-cultural management, globalisation, cultural differences, organisational culture, research methodology, validity, reliability, applicability, empirical study, Masculinity/Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance.

• Université: Oxford Brookes University
• Note: 1,0
• Auteur: Kristin Piepenburg (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2011
• Pages: 148
• N° de catalogue: V169716
• ISBN (ebook): 9783640881765
• ISBN (Livre): 9783640881574
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Hofstede, Culture, Cultural Differences, Trompenaar, Cultural dimensions, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity, Germany;, UK, cross-cultural management, diversity, globalisation, 21st century, cultural study, dimensions, survey