Welcome to the site of Geert and Gert Jan Hofstede. This is Geert's only website.

Geert Hofstede (1928): I am a Dutch social psychologist who did a pioneering study of cultures across modern nations ( read more under “culture” and/or under "Geert" ) .

 Or if you want to know what's on my mind at present, click on my photo:  

Gert Jan Hofstede (1956):  I am a Dutch population biologist interested in the interplay of the contrasting forces of cultural evolution, societal change and cultural stability (read more under “Gert Jan”).

Why is culture so important?  Every visitor of this site, from wherever in the world, has her or his unique personality, history, and interest. Yet all people share a common human nature. Our shared human nature is intensely social: we are group animals. We use language and empathy, and practice collaboration and intergroup competition. But the unwritten rules of how we do these things differ from one human group to another. "‘Culture" is how we call these unwritten rules about how to be a good member of the group.  Culture provides moral standards about how to be an upstanding group member; it defines the group as a"‘moral circle". It inspires laws, religions, taboos, and all kinds of practices – but its core is hidden in unconscious values. We tend to classify groups other than our own as inferior or (rarely) superior. This applies to groups based on national, religious, or ethnic boundaries, but also on occupation or academic discipline, on club membership, adored idol, or dress style. In our globalized world most of us can belong to many groups at the same time. But to get things done, we still need to cooperate with members of other groups carrying other cultures. Skills in cooperation across cultures are vital for our common survival. The authors of this page are committed to the development of such intercultural cooperation skills.