Validating GLOBE’s Societal Values Scales: A Test in the U.S.A.
Andrew M. Bertsch

Abstract
Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s seminal work less than half a century ago illustrates the relative Johnny-come-lately nature of cross-cultural research. The last fifty years have been dominated by such cross-cultural giants as Hofstede, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, Triandis, Schwartz, and the GLOBE authors. Each of these authors views cross-cultural studies through differing lenses, seldom agreeing on much, and more often than not disagreeing on concepts, theory, methodology, and application. The latest major contribution comes from GLOBE which Triandis has called the ‘Manhattan Project’ of cultural studies. It has also been said that the GLOBE project was the single most important piece of cross-cultural research in a quarter of a century. This study set out to validate several of the GLOBE cultural dimensions including validity and reliability tests of the GLOBE scales. The final GLOBE dimensions and measures used in this study were Gender Egalitarianism, Assertiveness, Performance Orientation, and Humane Orientation. The positivistic, quantitative methodology employed in this study was used to validate the borrowed GLOBE scales for each of the chosen and respective dimensions. These measures were analyzed using several multivariate analysis techniques. The GLOBE scales proved to be reliable and valid in the context of this study.

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