Outliers, Malcom Gladwell´s well-known book, takes a provocative look at secrets of the successful. Using real life case studies and subjects, Gladwell draws sociological, genealogical, cultural and religious comparisons from their lives. At one point, the author references a series of studies done throughout the 1960s and 1970s by Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede.
Hofstede is renowned for a group of studies known as the ¨Cultural Dimensions¨ or ¨Hofstede Dimensions¨ surveys, which are a fascinating analysis of international identities. During his time as a global recruiter for IBM computers, the psychologist traveled the world compiling employee profiles for the newly emerging computer industry. Throughout his travels, Hofstede discovered that each country and culture he tested had differing aptitudes for characteristics such as individuality, masculinity, conflict management, tradition and authority. Due to his extensive research, he was able to create rankings that determine how the majority population of any country could be expected to act, feel and think.
Reading through the studies got me interested in testing Hofstede´s analysis of Peru with some of my own cultural insights. I found that a lot of the difficult idiosyncrasies we experienced in the beginning of our youth classes were directly echoed in Hofstede´s evaluation. Challenges such as shyness, issues with autonomous thinking, subversiveness and difficulty in critical analysis are all conclusions covered in the summary of Peru´s cultural dimensions.
Of course, the Hofstede study can´t soley explain the actions of an entire population. Within the small village in which I work, as anywhere, there are a plethora of sociological and individual factors that define people and their communities. Nonetheless, I do find Hofstede´s data intriguing as well as relevant. Anyone interested in working with cultures outside of their own would be smart to take a look at this study.
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