Geert Hofstede | |
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Born | Gerard Hendrik Hofstede 2 October 1928 Haarlem, Netherlands |
Died | 12 February 2020 Ede, Netherlands | (aged 91)
Nationality | Dutch |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Social psychology, cross-cultural psychology, anthropology |
Gerard Hendrik (Geert) Hofstede (2 October 1928 – 12 February 2020) was a Dutch social psychologist, IBM employee, and Professor Emeritus of Organizational Anthropology and International Management at Maastricht University in the Netherlands,[1] well known for his pioneering research on cross-cultural groups and organizations.[2]
He is best known for developing one of the earliest and most popular frameworks for measuring cultural dimensions in a global perspective. Here he described national cultures along six dimensions: Power Distance, Individualism, Uncertainty avoidance, Masculinity, Long Term Orientation, and Indulgence vs. restraint. He was known for his books Culture's Consequences and Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, co-authored with his son Gert Jan Hofstede.[3][4] The latter book deals with organizational culture, which is a different structure from national culture, but also has measurable dimensions, and the same research methodology is used for both.