One classroom question leads to global research on culture
Riverside, Calif. (July 2, 2026) — Last spring, a cross-cultural communication class at California Baptist University studied the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Theory, a framework used to understand the differences in culture across countries and the ways business is done across different cultures.
The model is taught in almost every international business and management program, said Dr. Nathan Iverson, director of the industrial-organizational psychology programat CBU.
The theory scores each country on six areas of national culture, including how comfortable people are with hierarchy, whether they think as individuals or as part of a group, how they handle ambiguity and so on. For example, Europe, Australia and the U.S. have an individualistic culture, while most of the rest of the world have a collectivist culture. The theory is based on a survey of IBM employees across more than 50 countries conducted between 1967-1973.
In the CBU’s class in the spring, a student asked about the relevance of the theory, which was created in 1980. Unable to come up with a satisfying answer, Iverson created a survey to determine whether the framework still holds today. The result? A survey of 185 U.S. adults showed poor reliability across all six areas.
“In plain terms, the most widely used tool for measuring cultural differences in the world doesn't appear to be measuring six separate things in a contemporary U.S. sample,” Iverson said.
He went on to explain that it matters because the scores make claims about how Americans, Mexicans, Germans and other groups think and work. These claims shape international hiring, study-abroad preparation, expat training and how organizations equip people heading into global mission.
Iverson is now preparing for a bigger study in 30 nations to determine if Hofstede's model holds true globally in 2026, and what dimensions of culture matter today that were not measurable in 1973. Iverson will target underrepresented nations and lean on his connections with students, and partner with universities or corporations in other countries. He will collaborate with one of the world's leading humanitarian work psychologists, Stuart Carr at Massey University in New Zealand. Iverson also has connected with Gert Jan Hofstede, Hofstede’s son and a professor in the Netherlands.
Chisom Lever (’26) assisted in the initial research by reviewing literature and helping translate complex research into practical organizational applications.
“My goal is to help bridge the gap between academic theory and organizational practice,” he said. “I'm interested in ensuring the research remains both scientifically rigorous and practically useful.”
Lever grew up in the U.S. and Nigeria and works in HR at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside.
“Organizations today are more globally and culturally diverse than ever before,” he said. “Ultimately, understanding culture helps organizations work smarter by improving communication, strengthening relationships and creating workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.”
Wera Agasaro (’26), who is from Rwanda, will help in the bigger study by assisting with East African data collection, supporting translation and helping ensure that the research instruments are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
“Updating models like Hofstede’s with more recent and diverse data helps make global comparisons more accurate,” she said. “Cultures aren’t static. They evolve, especially across generations, so refining these models helps make them more useful in today’s global environment, including places like East Africa.”
CBU's Center for the Study of Human Behavior funded the initial work with $500 and will help fund the bigger study.
“The main implication is for cross-cultural interactions to be healthy,” Iverson said. “Understanding cross-cultural differences is a prerequisite for healthy cross-culture relationships.”