Research into Hofstede’s Thesis

A paper which looks at research that suggests how ICTs are a possible source of global homogenization of “culture” in light of Hofstede’s thesis that persons, organizations and theories of management, are everywhere framed by their primary culture even as they profess to transcend it (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2010, pp. 4–25, 309–310). Hofstede’s work is proposed as a knowledge management tool to establish a baseline metrics for analysis of behavioral and situational awareness of global socio-economic change. It can be suggested that socio-economic events and the resulting change , particularly since the 2008 global financial crisis, is manifested in the cultural dimensional indices as developed by Hofstede. After a brief discussion of Hofstede’s hypothesis and framework, a case study of a convenience sample taken over a four year time period (2008-2012) in the Slovak Republic will be used as medium to talk about change as evidenced through the indices, the possible explanation, and possible role of ICT as a driver in the knowledge transfer and awareness process that facilitated a change in cultural dimension indices.