For many managers, the study of culture often begins with a comparison of different cultures or countries using several cultural dimensions (e.g., individualism-collectivism). For example, if a manager from France is traveling to Prague in the Czech Republic, it can be quite helpful to understand differences in cultural trends between the two locales prior to arrival. While such models clearly do not explain everything managers need to know to succeed, they can be a useful starting point.

A number of such models are available and have been widely adopted. These include the works of Clyde Kluckhohn and Florence Strodtbeck, Geert Hofstede, Edward T. Hall, Fons Trompenaars, Shalom Schwartz, and Robert House and his GLOBE project associates. Each attempts to capture the essence of cultural differences through the use of multiple dimensions or measures. In doing so, each model highlights different aspects of societal beliefs, norms, and/or values, and, as such, convergence across the models has been seen as being very limited. However, this may not be the case. Below, we briefly summarize each of the six models. This is followed by a brief comparison across the models in search of commonalities.

Competing models of cultural dimensions

Based on the initial research by Clyde Kluckhohn, cultural anthropologists Florence Kluckhohn and Fred Strodtbeck suggested one of the earliest models of culture that has served as a principal foundation for several later models.