I first encountered Hofstede’s work, Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values, during my university years. Although his study has received and continues to receive criticism at certain points, the results it presented were notable for anyone attempting to understand different cultures. While the global trend might seem to focus on transforming differences into poor imitations of the original, rather than valuing them, reflecting on what could be better and offering critique is undeniably important. This tendency towards standardization has a logic that serves and sustains itself. However, what’s crucial here is maintaining the effort to critique and explore what could be better, contrary to the system’s expectations. With that in mind, I will attempt to highlight a few key points.
Let’s start with the criticisms directed at Hofstede’s work:
- Generalization Issue: This criticism argues that making generalizations about a country’s culture might not sufficiently reflect the situation of multicultural societies.
- Evolving Cultures: Cultural values can change and develop over time
- Individual Differences: It doesn’t account for individual differences within a country (which is similar to the generalization issue mentioned in the first critique).
Of course, it’s essential to consider the changes occurring in the world. If we cannot understand the current situation, it becomes challenging to discern what should or should not be preserved. In the context of globalization, some argue that cultural differences are decreasing globally, especially among younger generations, as cultural closeness increases. We must acknowledge the logic behind the presence of the same brands, clothing styles, and foods in many parts of the world. However, this doesn’t negate the fact that each culture still retains unique characteristics and that cultural diversity remains a critical factor. We observe that companies consider the concept of ‘localization’ when entering specific markets, offering products and services that are adapted to the conditions and cultures of the target market.
Nevertheless, in the medium and long term, these efforts may be viewed as costs by companies, and the drive for standardization could become more dominant, especially as the desire for greater profits intensifies.
So, why should we protect local elements, and what might their impact be on management processes? Let’s leave that for the next article.