Geert Hofstede quotes

Geert Hofstede was a Dutch psychologist renowned for his pioneering research on cross-cultural differences. His work on cultural dimensions theory transformed the study of how national cultures impact organizations and societies. He became one of the most frequently cited social scientists in the field of intercultural studies. Here are 11 of his quotes:

What Machiavelli did not write but what the association between political systems and citizens' mental software suggests is that which animal the ruler should impersonate depends strongly on what animals the followers are.

Geert Hofstede

Individualism implies a loosely knit social framework in which people are supposed to take care of themselves and of their immediate families only.

Geert Hofstede

Collectivism stands for a society in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, which throughout people's lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.

Geert Hofstede

Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.

Geert Hofstede

In most collectivist cultures, direct confrontation of another person is considered rude and undesirable. The word no is seldom used, because saying "no” is a confrontation; "you may be right” and "we will think about it” are examples of polite ways of turning down a request. In the same vein, the word yes should not necessarily be inferred as an approval, since it is used to maintain the line of communication: "yes, I heard you” is the meaning it has in Japan.

Geert Hofstede

Individualism denotes the relationship between the individual and the collectivity which prevails in a given society.

Geert Hofstede

Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family.

Geert Hofstede

Values are a broad tendency to prefer certain states of affairs over others.

Geert Hofstede

All societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others.

Geert Hofstede