Running Heading: MY CV 1 MY CV 8 Trident University International My Cultural Values Cultural values are defined as the commonly held standards of what is acceptable or unacceptable, important or unimportant, right or wrong, workable or unworkable, etc., in a community or society (Cultural values, n.d.). In this journal installment we are going to cover what how my cultural values rack and stack based off my Individual Cultural Value Scale (CVSCALE) results. We are then going to bump my results up against those of America’s cultural values and see what similarities and differences there are. In order to do the aforementioned though, we have to understand what the CVSCALE is and why it is important, and to do this we have to first dive into Geert Hofstede’s five dimensions of cultural values, which is where we will begin. Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of Cultural Values Hofstede’s five-dimensional measure of culture has been by far the most prominent and prevalent method for measuring demographic, geographic, economic, and political societal indicators since its inception in 1980 (Yoo, Donthu, & Lenartowicz, 2011, p. 194). In order to create his work Hofstede carried out his all-inclusive cultural study with IBM employees between ’67-’73 across70 countries (National culture, n.d.). Confining his work within IBM created a smaller control group that also allowed for greater scrutiny of the results. People tend to think that based off your line of work you think and act a certain way, which is far from true. I personally have met several “nerds” (people in the IT and medical fields) who were also some of the most skilled marksman and also some of the most savvy battle buddies with it comes to close-quarters battle (CQB). Getting back on track, while Hofstede’s metric is a staple in cultural research; it is on the national level, not the individual level, which is a minor setback when trying to decipher the wants and/or needs of a select few. This is where the CVSCALE comes into play. Individual Cultural Value Scale The CVSCALE is supposed to take all of the key points utilized by Hofstede on a national level, and scale them down to meet the needs of the individual. Several attempts prior to the CVSCALE have been made to capture at the individual level what Hofstede has at the national level but fell short because they lacked the depth and psychometric properties of all five dimensions (Yoo, Donthu, & Lenartowicz, 2011, p. 196-197). Based off the readings and the CVSCALE I was provided, I have to say that I find there to still be disparities between Hofstede’s five dimensions and the CVSCALE, which will come to light as we move through each section below. My completed CVSCALE can .

1. Running Heading: MY CV
1
MY CV
8
Trident University International
My Cultural Values
Cultural values are defined as the commonly held
standards of what is acceptable or unacceptable, important or
unimportant, right or wrong, workable or unworkable, etc., in a
community or society (Cultural values, n.d.). In this journal

2. installment we are going to cover what how my cultural values
rack and stack based off my Individual Cultural Value Scale
(CVSCALE) results. We are then going to bump my results up
against those of America’s cultural values and see what
similarities and differences there are. In order to do the
aforementioned though, we have to understand what the
CVSCALE is and why it is important, and to do this we have to
first dive into Geert Hofstede’s five dimensions of cultural
values, which is where we will begin.
Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of Cultural Values
Hofstede’s five-dimensional measure of culture has been
by far the most prominent and prevalent method for measuring
demographic, geographic, economic, and political societal
indicators since its inception in 1980 (Yoo, Donthu, &
Lenartowicz, 2011, p. 194). In order to create his work
Hofstede carried out his all-inclusive cultural study with IBM
employees between ’67-’73 across70 countries (National
culture, n.d.). Confining his work within IBM created a smaller
control group that also allowed for greater scrutiny of the
results. People tend to think that based off your line of work
you think and act a certain way, which is far from true. I
personally have met several “nerds” (people in the IT and
medical fields) who were also some of the most skilled
marksman and also some of the most savvy battle buddies with
it comes to close-quarters battle (CQB). Getting back on track,
while Hofstede’s metric is a staple in cultural research; it is on
the national level, not the individual level, which is a minor
setback when trying to decipher the wants and/or needs of a
select few. This is where the CVSCALE comes into play.
Individual Cultural Value Scale
The CVSCALE is supposed to take all of the key points
utilized by Hofstede on a national level, and scale them down to
meet the needs of the individual. Several attempts prior to the
CVSCALE have been made to capture at the individual level
what Hofstede has at the national level but fell short because
they lacked the depth and psychometric properties of all five

3. dimensions (Yoo, Donthu, & Lenartowicz, 2011, p. 196-197).
Based off the readings and the CVSCALE I was provided, I
have to say that I find there to still be disparities between
Hofstede’s five dimensions and the CVSCALE, which will come
to light as we move through each section below. My completed
CVSCALE can be found in Appendix A for referencing while
reading this paper.
Power Distance
Based off the CVSCALE provided to me my Power
Distance (PO) total is only five out of thirty-five. I personally
cannot stand hoarding information, I see little to no value in
keeping people in the dark on things that directly impacts them.
I also know from firsthand experience that when decisions are
made in a vacuum by higher ups things like morale,
productivity, and employee buy-in fall which leads to
dissention, disciplinary issues, and in sometimes employee’s
quitting out of frustration. Additionally, leaders that implement
a high PO having difficulty successfully negotiating because of
their overwhelming need to compete instead of cooperate and
complete (Ramping up your skills for cross-cultural negotiation,
2010, p. 60).
Hofstede’s finding for America as a whole in this category
show that I am not alone when it comes to loathing PO. The
difference here lies in that my feelings towards the issue are
based on common courtesy and ensuring mission success,
whereas America as whole dislikes PO because it hinders
people’s ability to be self-sufficient, which we will delve into
more a little later (Country comparison, n.d.).
Uncertainty Avoidance
Based off the CVSCALE provided to me my Uncertainty
Avoidance (UN) total is 35 out of 35. To me this portion of the
CVSCALE and Hofstede’s five dimensions should be called
communication, because that is what it refers to. Lack of
meaningful communication i.e. guidelines, feedback, detailed
instructions, etc. leads to things like chaos, shortcuts, errors,
laziness, etc. There is a major difference between telling

4. someone “move that box over there” and “take this box and
place it on the third shelf of the shelving unit in the corner with
the label facing out.” Communication like that of the later
removes any uncertainty of what the task is and is just good
business.
According to Hofstede, America as a whole scored low in
this section, but the way it is explained in the reading differs
greatly from the questions contained within the CVSCALE. The
CVSCALE focuses on task understanding, rules, standardized
procedures, etc. but the reading describes this section as “the
way that a society deals with the fact that the future can never
be known” (Country comparison, n.d.). This massive disparity
between the two creates an inability, in my opinion, to properly
correlate results between the two matrices.
Collectivism
Based off the CVSCALE provided to me my Collectivism
(CO) total is 25 out of 42. As a senior leader, I believe that
group success trumps individual success and rewards because I
see them as interconnected. If the group is successful then as a
result the individuals that make up the group will be successful
and at the very least receive some form of praise. However, it is
entirely possible for and individual to be successful while the
rest of the group isn’t, so for me success as a whole is more
impactful and more important than success as an individual.
This is where I greatly differ from the culture of America as a
whole.
As Hofstede put it, America is “one of the most individualist
cultures in the world” (Country comparison, n.d.). As I alluded
to earlier, I think this is based off convenience in that we as
American’s are always on the move, so even in the work setting
most of us have to become self-sufficient, taking away from the
importance of group success. I see this more and more in the
military and I find it very concerning because our sub-culture of
camaraderie and esprit de corps, our military collective based
on shared values and common goals, is being replaced by
individualistic tendencies (Earley & Gibson, 1998, p. 266).

5. Masculinity
Based off the CVSCALE provided to me my Masculinity
(MA) total is 12 out of 28. This is another category where the
disparity between the CVSCALE and Hofstede’s five
dimensions creates an inability, in my opinion, to properly
correlate results between the two matrices. On the CVSCALE
the questions are worded in a fashion that speaks directly to a
belief that men are better than women (should one agree with
the statements). However, Hofstede uses this section to mean
either high competition or success, i.e. masculine, or high
caring for others and quality of life, i.e. feminine (Country
comparison, n.d.). I can see where there might some confusion
though, because it is implied in the writing that caring for
others is more womanly than manly, but ask anyone who’s
talked someone off the ledge, or patched up a wounded battle
buddy, caring for people isn’t feminine at all, its human.
Long Term Orientation
Based off the CVSCALE provided to me my Long Term
Orientation (LT) total is 29 out of 42. I gave myself low marks
here because I tend to be impulsive and focused more on the
here and now than on the future. This is evident by the fact that
saving for retirement didn’t come into my sight picture until the
twilight of my military career. With that though, I find that yet
again there are inconstancies between the two matrices utilized
in this lesson, which makes creating a conclusive comparison
impossible. The CVSCALE speaks more to saving money,
planning ahead, and choosing success over fun but Hofstede
utilized this section to speak more to either maintaining
traditions or looking towards future ideas (Country comparison,
n.d.).
Final Thoughts
My overall thoughts upon completing this journal
installment is that there is still some work that needs to be done
in order to create true harmony between Hofstede’s five
dimensions and the CVSCALE. Additionally, I have gained
some insight into how my collective and “feminine” nature can

6. make me successful in this growingly individualistic culture.
For starters, when it comes to cross-cultural negotiating I have
a leg up on because my intentions are not win-lose, but win-win
(Earley & Gibson, 1998, p. 266). Additionally, I have found that
no matter the team I lead or am a part of, even though focus is
placed on collective success, a byproduct is individual success
and reward, and as a leader I know how to make people see this
and understand this.
Conclusion
In this journal installment we learned the definition of
cultural values. We then covered Geert Hofstede’s five
dimensions of cultural values and how they influenced the
development of the CVSCALE. We then covered how my
cultural values racked and stacked based off my CVSCALE
results and bumped them up against those of America’s cultural
values and discussed the similarities and differences between
my cultural values and those of America as a whole. Lastly, we
covered some additional insights into how feel my collective
and feminine nature can be successful in America’s individual
culture.

7. References
Country comparison. (n.d.). Hofstede Insights. Retrieved from
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/the-usa/
Cultural values. (n.d.). Business Dictionary. Retrieved from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/cultural-
values.html
Earley, P., & Gibson, C. (1998). Taking stock in our progress
on individualism-collectivism: 100 years of solidarity and
community. Journal Of Management, 24(3), 265–304. Retrieved
from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.519.7
02&rep=rep1&type=pdf
National culture. (n.d.). Hofstede Insights. Retrieved from
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/models/national-culture/
Ramping up your skills for cross-cultural negotiation. (2010).
Leader to Leader, 2010(56), 60–61. doi:10.1002/ltl.417
Yoo, B., Donthu, N., & Lenartowicz, T. (2011). Measuring
hofstede’s five dimensions of cultural values at the individual
level: Development and validation of cvscale. Journal of
International Consumer Marketing, 23(3/4), 193–210.
doi:10.1080/08961530.2011.578059
Appendix A: My CVSCALE Scores
The CVSCALE: Five-Dimensional Measure of Personal Cultural
Values
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with

8. each statement. There are no right or wrong answers—just give
us your honest opinion. Score 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7
(Strongly Agree)
1
People in higher positions should make most decisions without
consulting people in lower positions.
1
People in higher positions should not ask the opinions of people
in lower positions too frequently.
1
People in higher positions should avoid social interaction with
people in lower positions.
1
People in lower positions should not disagree with decisions by
people in higher positions.
1
People in higher positions should not delegate important tasks
to people in lower positions.
5
Power Distance (PO) Total
7
It is important to have instructions spelled out in detail so that I
always know what I’m expected to do.
7
It is important to closely follow instructions and procedures.
7
Rules and regulations are important because they inform me of
what is expected of me.
7
Standardized work procedures are helpful.
7
Instructions for operations are important.
35
Uncertainty Avoidance (UN) Total
3
Individuals should sacrifice self-interest for the group (either at

9. school or the workplace)
3
Individuals should stick with the group even through
difficulties.
5
Group welfare is more important than individual rewards.
7
Group success is more important than individual success.
3
Individuals should only pursue their goals after considering the
welfare of the group.
4
Group loyalty should be encouraged even if individual goals
suffer.
25
Collectivism (CO) Total
1
It is more important for men to have a professional career than
it is for women.
1
Men usually solve problems with logical analysis; women
usually solve problems with intuition.
3
Solving difficult problems usually requires an active, forcible
approach, which is typical of men.
7
There are some jobs that a man can always do better than a
woman.
12
Masculinity (MA) Total
3
Careful management of money (thrift)
7
Going on resolutely in spite of opposition (persistence)
7
Personal steadiness and stability

10. 4
Long-term planning
3
Giving up today’s fun for success in the future
5
Working hard for success in the future
29
Long Term Orientation (LT) Total