Brandon Ching
3/17/09

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Hofstede, G. (2004). Cultures and Organizations: Software of
the Mind. McGraw-Hill.

Geert and Gert Hofstedeʼs book, Cultures and Organization: Software of the Mind, is an incredibly thorough and thought provoking analysis of cultural differences
and behavior within the contexts of organizations and groups. Based on original and associated research in a number of countries around the world, the Hofstedeʼs
addresses the impact of five core measures of cultural dimensions and uses them as explanatory means of national behavior and relations.

The book is broken up into three parts: the first introducing the five dimensions of national cultures; the second introducing cultures in organizations; and the third
overviewing the implications of these findings. However, the core of the book is rooted in the first section with the introduction and elucidation of the five dimensions of national
cultures. These dimensions are termed: power-distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation.

The five dimensions were arrived upon as a result of research done by Geert at IBM and corroborated by followup research by Geert and others. Each country was
scored on a relative basis within each category depending on the strength of that countryʼs cultural tendencies toward the category characteristic. For instance, in the
Individualism Index, the United States scores a 91; the highest ranking country in this category and thus having the strongest cultural tendency towards being individualistic. It
is important to remember that the scores in each category are not on an absolute scale but are relative to other nations.

The five dimensions of national culture form the foundation and central theme of the book. This theme being that culture, the learned values, rituals, heroes, symbols,
and practices of a society (location 173), can be used as an explanatory and relative measure of intercultural and international relations. This explanatory facility is well
detailed by the Hofstedes throughout the remainder of the book with particular emphasis placed on how each of the dimensions impact and are impacted by family,
school, work, and public/government life.

Particular respect is paid to the meaning of the five dimensions and individual and group behavior within organizations. By using the five index scores in combination
for a given culture, one can reasonably predict the behavioral tendencies of individuals within that national culture in relation to others. The importance of this research should
be immediately realized by managers, both public and private, when trying to design organizations and policies that span cultural and/or national boundaries.

As the world becomes ever more interconnected and organizations both public and private expand their global reach, being cognizant of cultural relativism is
paramount to success; even within oneʼs own country. The five dimensions of national culture allow us to assess decision making and management from a cultural context; it
helps explain why forcing capitalism or democracy onto certain societies is destined to fail just as it helps explain why certain organizational management theories and
practices can never be universal in their applicability.

Geert Hofstedeʼs work (including his original publication of the four dimensions of national culture in Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work, of which
this book is based upon) has been cited numerous times in fields as disparate as psychology and philosophy (Markus, 1997; Uslaner, 2002; Berry et al., 2002),
organization and management theory (Triandis, 1995; Meyer & Allen, 1997; Bolman & Deal, 2008), and business & information technology (Deshpande & Jr., 1989; Ghoshal & Bartlett, 1990; Olson & Olson, 2000; Leiss et al., 2005).

References
Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Y. H., Segall, M. H., & Dasen, P. R. (2002). Cross-Cultural Psychology:
Research and Applications. Cambridge University Press.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership
(JOSSEY-BASS BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT SERIES). Jossey-Bass.
Deshpande, R., & Jr., F. E. W. (1989). Organizational Culture and Marketing: Defining the
Research Agenda. The Journal of Marketing, 53(1), 3-15.
Ghoshal, S., & Bartlett, C. A. (1990). The Multinational Corporation as an Interorganizational
Network. The Academy of Management Review, 15(4), 603-625.
Hofstede, D. G. (2001). Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and
Organizations Across Nations. Sage Publications, Inc.
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Hofstede, G. (2004). Cultures and Organizations: Software of
the Mind. McGraw-Hill.
Leiss, W., Kline, S., Jhally, S., & Botterill, J. (2005). Social Communication in Advertising:
Consumption in the Mediated Marketplace. Routledge.
Markus, H. R., Kitayama, S. (1997). Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion,
and Motivation. In I. C. King, Arnold, K. (Ed.), College Student Development and
Academic Life: Psychological, Intellectual, Social, and Moral Issues (p. 338). Garland
Publishing.
Meyer, D. J. P., & Allen, D. N. J. (1997). Commitment in the Workplace: Theory, Research, and
Application (Advanced Topics in Organizational Behavior). Sage Publications, Inc.
Olson, G. M., & Olson, J. S. (2000). Distance matters. Hum.-Comput. Interact, 15(2), 139–178.
Triandis, H. C. (1995). Individualism and Collectivism (New Directions in Social Psychology).
Westview Press.
Uslaner, E. M. (2002). The Moral Foundations of Trust. Cambridge University Press.