Fresh off a study that identified key factors for comparing national cultures, organizational psychologist Geert Hofstede and his team set off to determine whether similar constructs could be deduced for organizational cultures. The success of this research is detailed in Hofstede’s classic 1990 paper, “Measuring Organizational Cultures: A Qualitative and Quantitative Study Across Twenty Cases,” published in Administrative Science Quarterly. Through surveys and interviews among members of twenty units within ten large organizations, Hofstede’s team proposed six distinct determinants of organizational culture that could be compared and contrasted across all organizations.

In Part 1 of this episode, veteran TAOP podcasters Tom and Ralph welcome two of our newest cast members Jarryd and Frithjof. Together they review the article, its methodology and results, and its significant in the study of organizational behavior. Then in Part 2, the podcasters look at how much has changed in organizations from 1980s to the present day. To what extent do Hofstede’s six factors still hold up? How salient is his model of socializing cultures between societies (“nations”) and organizations? To what extent is the construct of organizational culture being misused, such as suggested in our Episode 49 where we explored Gideon Kunda’s study of “tech culture?” Are there dangers to conflating organizational culture with climate?

Part 1. Studying Culture — From Societies to Organizations (released 2 May 2019)

Part 2. Value and Pitfalls of Treating Culture Like a Rheostat (released 8 May 2019)

Read With Us:

Hofstede, G., Neuijen, B., Ohayv, D.D. and Sanders, G., 1990. Measuring organizational cultures: A qualitative and quantitative study across twenty cases. Administrative science quarterly 35(2), pp. 286-316.

Related Episodes in Tom’s podcast Reflections on Management

Episode 3-6. Can One Really Plan Culture Change?

To Know More:

Schein, E. H. (2010) Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kunda, G. (2006). Engineering culture: Control and commitment in a high-tech corporation, Revised Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.