Understanding hofstede's cultural dimensions theory in social work with children and youth: Insights from Lithuania

Abstract

In an increasingly globalised world, cultural competence is essential for social workers. This competence is particularly important for social workers specialising in working with children and young people. For this reason, this thesis aims to explore how Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory can be applied to understand the non-formal working methods used by social workers in Lithuania in their daily work. The study examines whether the cultural dimensions identified by Hofstede, which were originally developed in a corporate context, are relevant and applicable to social work. It also investigates whether social workers share the same cultural characteristics as the general population. After analysing the qualitative data of social workers, it became clear that not all the Hofstede cultural dimensions were relevant in this case. The most important matrices in this case were collectivism–individualism, power distance and uncertainty avoidance, which, according to the results of the research, are connected to social workers' approaches towards their clients. The results also showed that the methods used by social workers in their work partially depend on their field of study. This was one of the first studies in this field, meaning that a better understanding of how cultural understanding shapes the understanding of social work requires more extensive research.