Dutch Sociologist, Author of the Theory of Cultural Dimensions and the Honorary Doctorate of the University of Economics, Prague Geert Hofstede Passed Away

On Wednesday, February 12, Geert Hofstede, a Dutch sociologist and psychologist, passed away at the age of 91 examining the differences and interactions between different national and organizational cultures.

The professor Geert Hofstede was the world’s leading expert in organizational anthropology and intercultural management. Its identification of the five basic cultural dimensions is still valid and at the same time the most used model in the field of cultural studies. He published his results in 1980 in Culture’s Consequences, which made him famous worldwide. During the 1980s and 1990s, Hofstede gave lectures at Dutch and foreign universities.

In 2016, the University of Economics awarded Professor Hofsted with the honorary title of “doctor oeconomiae honoris causa”. The award ceremony was held in the Vencov Aule of the University of Economics, Prague, attended by nearly 350 guests, including rectors, vice-rectors and other representatives of twenty Czech and Slovak universities and five ambassadors. Professor Hofstede gave a short lecture on “Developing an international perspective: how to become a World Citizen” during the award ceremony at the Vencov Aule of the University of Economics. Hofstede focused his lecture on the influence of culture on our minds and personality. At the end of his speech, he said: “Society is like a puzzle, individuals represent individual pieces and each piece is different, but together they form one whole.”