The Meanings and Dimensions of Culture Understanding the cultural context of a society, and being able to respond and react appropriately to cultural differences, is becoming increasingly important as the global environment becomes more interconnected. In 1980 Dutch researcher Geert Hofstede identified four original, and later two additional, dimensions of culture that help explain how and why people from various cultures behave as they do. Utilizing only the original four dimensions of culture, define them and list a country that fits within each dimension and give an example of how..