Title: Changing cultural clusters: a research note

Authors: Amir Shoham, Ilan Alon

Addresses: School of Business Administration, The College of Management, Rishon le Zion, Israel. ' Department of International Business, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, USA

Abstract: This research note investigates the changes that occurred in cultural clusters between the studies of Hofstede in the 1970s and the GLOBE consortium in the 1990s, using similar measures and overlapping countries. Based on two leading methods for cluster analysis, we examined four common cultural dimensions: individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity. The results suggest diverging cultural typologies that transcend geography, language and religion. Countries are engaged in selective cultural borrowing that leads to new and changing global cultural structures. Cultural clusters also allow researchers to test theories in different contexts and extend their applicability and explanatory boundaries. Clustering allows companies to design regional strategies and to identify commonalities and differences among countries. Classifications representing the 1970s and 1990s cultural periods show that cultural values have changed and that new grouping of countries have emerged.

Keywords: Geert Hofstede; GLOBE consortium; cultural values; cultural clusters; clustering; culture; change; cluster analysis; cultural dimensions; individualism; power distance; uncertainty avoidance; masculinity; typologies; geography; language; religion; cultural borrowing; global structures; explanatory boundaries; regional strategies; commonalities; differences; country groupings; classification; business; globalisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2010.035026

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2010 Vol.5 No.3, pp.328 - 342

Published online: 01 Sep 2010 *

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