what is cultural dimension

Cultural dimensions refer to a framework used to understand the differences in culture across countries and their impact on a business setting. The most well-known cultural dimensions theory was developed by Geert Hofstede, a Dutch management researcher, in the 1960s and 1970s. Hofstedes theory identifies four primary dimensions of national cultures: power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity. Later research refined some of the original dimensions and introduced the difference between country-level and individual-level data in analysis. Finally, Minkovs World Values Survey data analysis of 93 representative samples of national populations led Hofstede to identify a sixth last dimension: indulgence versus restraint. These dimensions are social constructions that can differ between different groups and change over time. Other factors on which culture can be analyzed include levels for assessing culture besides the level of the nation-state.