Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind, Third Edition

The revolutionary study of how the place where we

grew up shapes the way we think, feel, and act—

with new dimensions and perspectives

Based on research conducted in more than seventy countries over a forty-year span,

Cultures and Organizations examines what drives people apart—when cooperation

is so clearly in everyone’s interest. With major new contributions from Michael

Minkov’s analysis of data from the World Values Survey, as well as an account of

the evolution of cultures by Gert Jan Hofstede, this revised and expanded edition:

• Reveals the “moral circles” from which national societies

  are built and the unexamined rules by which people think,

  feel, and act

• Explores how national cultures differ in the areas of inequality,

  assertiveness versus modesty, and tolerance for ambiguity

• Explains how organizational cultures differ from national

  cultures—and how they can be managed

• Analyzes stereotyping, differences in language, cultural roots

  of the 2008 economic crisis, and other intercultural dynamics

The international bestseller on managing cross-cultural workforces—expanded and updated!

Named one of the top 20 most influential business thinkers of 2008 by The Wall Street Journal, business anthropologist Geert Hofstede has fully updated his classic work on how the place where we grew up shapes the way we think, feel, and act.

Since its original publication in 1991, Cultures and Organizations has been helping business leaders understand how people think as members of a group—which dramatically increases managers’ effectiveness leading and developing cross-cultural workforces. This groundbreaking work reveals:

• The unexamined rules behind the thoughts and emotions of people of different cultures
• Ways in which cultures differ in the areas of collectivism/individualism, assertiveness/modesty, tolerance for ambiguity, and deferment of gratification
• How organizational cultures differ from national cultures, and how they can be managed

New material in this expanded third edition includes the latest data from the author’s ongoing field research and new insight into how cultural factors contributed to the current economic situation.

Cultures and Organizations offers managers practical solutions for solving conflict between different groups and turning cultural differences to their advantage.

Geert Hofstede (Maastricht, the Netherlands) is professor emeritus of Organizational Anthropology and International Management at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands. He is also is the founder and director emeritus of the Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation (IRIC). He is a world-renowned business anthropologist, and founded and managed the Personnel Research Department of IBM Europe. He is a consultant to business and government organizations in Europe, Asia, and North America. He recently became the first Dutch author elected as Fellow of the Academy of Management, an award shared by some of the most influential management authors of the last 50 years, including Peter Drucker, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Henry Mintzberg, and Michael Porter. Hofstede is also Distinguished Scholar of the Academy of International Business, Fellow of the Academy of Management and Doctor Honoris Causa of Nyenrode University in the Netherlands.

Gert-Jan Hofstede (Wageningen, the Netherlands), is a Ph.D. and a Professor at Wageningen University with extensive hands-on experience in teaching Intercultural Communication.

Michael Minkov (Sofia, Bulgaria) is a Ph.D. and Principal Lecturer at International University College in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Geert Hofstede (Maastricht, the Netherlands) is professor emeritus of Organizational Anthropology and International Management at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands. He is also is the founder and director emeritus of the Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation (IRIC). He is a world-renowned business anthropologist, and founded and managed the Personnel Research Department of IBM Europe. He is a consultant to business and government organizations in Europe, Asia, and North America. He recently became the first Dutch author elected as Fellow of the Academy of Management, an award shared by some of the most influential management authors of the last 50 years, including Peter Drucker, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Henry Mintzberg, and Michael Porter. Hofstede is also Distinguished Scholar of the Academy of International Business, Fellow of the Academy of Management and Doctor Honoris Causa of Nyenrode University in the Netherlands.

Gert-Jan Hofstede (Wageningen, the Netherlands), is a Ph.D. and a Professor at Wageningen University with extensive hands-on experience in teaching Intercultural Communication.

Michael Minkov (Sofia, Bulgaria) is a Ph.D. and Principal Lecturer at International University College in Sofia, Bulgaria.