Changing cultural clusters: a research note

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.