Hofstede, Geert (1928–)

Hofstede's work on national culture remains some of the most influential evidence of the existence of national culture. This entry discusses Hofstede's work, specifically his analysis of data from IBM multinational subsidiaries worldwide and his evidence that countries can be distinguished along five national cultural dimensions. Each of the cultural dimensions is discussed. The entry also discusses the many criticisms of Hofstede's work. The entry concludes that, despite serious criticisms and new national culture frameworks, Hofstede's pioneering work will likely for a long time remain one of the most significant contributions to understanding how countries differ based on national cultures. Keywords: cultural diversity; culture; ethnicity