Cultural norms play a large part in interpersonal relationships at work. When you grow up in a certain culture, you take the behavioral norms of your society for granted. You don’t have to think about your reactions, preferences and feelings, provided that you don’t deviate too much from your society’s central tendency.
However, when you step into a foreign culture, things suddenly seem different, and you don’t want to cause offense. By using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimnsions as a starting point, you can evaluate your approach, your decisions, and your actions – based on a general sense of how people in a particular society might think and react.