Hofstede's Culture Value Survey in Croatia: Examining Regional Differences

Abstract

he purpose of this paper is to apply Hofstede's value survey in Croatia and examine regional differences in the cultural dimensions of power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation. Based on the large national survey data (N = 1,500), the scores for five dimensions were analysed at the national and sub- -national regional levels. This study contributes to Hofstede's theory of culture by using the general population sample and examining regional differences. The results show that Croatia scores lower on power distance, is a moderately high individualistic country, has a tendency towards "feminine" culture and has a lower level of long-term orientation, which are all characteristics of developed countries. However, the value of uncertainty avoidance is high, which is a characteristic of post-transition economies. The analysis at regional level in Croatia reveals that Croatia is homogeneous with respect to Hofstede's dimensions of national culture. The cluster analysis was performed using dimensions of national culture for Croatia. Among the identified clusters differences exist in gender and age, while there are no significant differences related to the level of education. Implications for managers and policy makers are discussed in the paper.