Hofstede Model and my experience with it

The cultural dimensions according to Hofstede go back to the Dutch expert in cultural studies Gerard Hendrik Hofstede, known as Geert Hofstede. Hofstede's research and results, which can be traced back to a survey of IBM employees in over 60 countries, are among the most elaborate and recognised of the cultural comparative research. In the following, five dimensions derived from Hofstede are presented and explained.
These are the following dimensions:
- Power Distance
- Individuality
- Masculinity
- Uncertainty avoidance
- Long-term orientation

During my stay I was able to see different differences between different cultures.

Individualism: Compared to my friends from Indonesia, I often noticed that I have a much more sophisticated individualistic way of thinking. My friends, on the other hand, thought more about approaches and solutions for the general public and made almost all trips only as a group. I was impressed by how good the group cohesion was with them and how each group member took care of the others.

Long term orientation: In this category, I noticed the biggest differences between me and my two friends from the USA. My planning for the semester, exams, travel and other activities always started early and I even had the end of my stay in sight. In contrast, my friends were very open to the stay. Neither trips nor the return flight were planned or booked. For me, this was very surprising, but my friends said that it was completely normal for them.

I was never aware before that the Hofstede model really applies, but the encounters with the American and Indonesian students opened my eyes here.

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