ABSTRACT
Geert Hofstede, the author of Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations across Nations was born in the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands in 1928. Experiences in his early life influenced his interest in national cultures—the system of values and practices that serve to distinguish one nation from another. He strongly supported the study of national cultures arguing that "the survival of mankind will depend to a large extent on the ability of people who think differently to act together". Using the IBM survey data, he identified and studied four "dimensions" of national cultures: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, the opposition of individualism and collectivism, and the opposition of masculinity and femininity. The goal of the survey was to gather information to study national values across many nations. Results from these studies can suggest better ways to manage multinational businesses, and Hofstede's work has been influential in the fields of management and psychology.
