Four independent research frameworks. One view of any country pair. Built for executives and coaches who need more than instinct when leading across cultures.
HofstedeGLOBEWorld Values SurveySchwartz
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Free to use · Full leadership report available after completing the analysis
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4validated academic
frameworks
40+countries with
full data
11leadership dimensions
in the full report
35+years of cross-cultural
leadership experience
Most cross-cultural tools give you one data source. The Compass combines four independent academic frameworks into a single analysis — showing you where they agree, where they diverge, and what that convergence means for your day-to-day leadership.
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Select any two countries from 40+ in the dataset. All four frameworks update simultaneously. Gaps are ranked by magnitude and flagged by severity.
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The Convergence tab identifies the themes where multiple frameworks independently confirm the same gap — the highest-confidence coaching signals.
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11 practical leadership dimensions — from chairing meetings to building trust — analysed through the specific gap profile of your country pair.
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Each framework tab generates a clean, client-ready PDF with the radar profile, bar charts and gap analysis. The full 11-dimension report is available for purchase.
Each framework captures different facets of cultural difference. Together they eliminate the blind spots of any single model.
01 — HofstedeCultural Dimensions
The most cited cross-cultural framework in management research. Six dimensions validated across 80+ countries between 1967 and 2010.
Power DistanceIndividualismMasculinityUncertainty AvoidanceLTOIndulgence
02 — GLOBEGlobal Leadership & Org. Behaviour
62 societies. Nine societal practice dimensions. Unique because it measures both current practices and desired values — and links directly to leadership effectiveness.
Performance OrientationAssertivenessFuture OrientationHumane OrientationIn-Group CollectivismUncertainty Avoidance
03 — WVSWorld Values Survey
Wave 7 data (2017–2022) from 87 countries. The Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map measures the deepest layer of cultural values — what people believe, not just how they behave.
Traditional / Secular-RationalSurvival / Self-ExpressionInstitutional Confidence
04 — SchwartzCultural Value Orientations
Four dimensions capture cultural variation at the societal level. ESS-validated specifically for European contexts. Includes dimensions with no Hofstede or GLOBE equivalent.
EmbeddednessHierarchyIntellectual AutonomyEgalitarianismHarmony
Country scores are national averages — calibration tools, not personality labels. The Compass is designed for people who need actionable insight, fast.
Executives on international assignmentsStarting a new role in a different culture, inheriting a cross-cultural team, or preparing for a board-level relationship in a new market.
Executive coaches & leadership advisorsPreparing for a cross-cultural coaching engagement. Structuring a development conversation around real framework data rather than instinct.
HR & talent professionalsSupporting an international hire, designing an onboarding programme, or building the business case for cross-cultural development investment.
M&A & integration teamsMapping the cultural distance between acquiring and acquired organisations before the deal closes — not after the friction surfaces.
International project leadersRunning a cross-border project and needing a structured baseline for alignment conversations with the team.
L&D & leadership programme designersGrounding a cross-cultural module in validated research. Giving participants an individually relevant analytical starting point.
Two of Europe’s largest economies, frequent trading partners, and regular collaborators — yet the cultural gap is far deeper than geography suggests.
Spain × Germany — Cross-Framework Gap Analysis
Long-Term Orientation (Hofstede) Δ35The largest single gap in this pairing. German planning horizons are structurally longer — every proposal needs a long-term sustainability argument built in before it reaches a German decision-maker.
In-Group Collectivism (GLOBE) Δ27Spain’s professional culture is built on confianza — personal trust that precedes and enables collaboration. German trust is task-based and institutional. These are not compatible defaults.
Masculinity (Hofstede) Δ24Germany organises professional life around individual achievement and visible performance. Spain prioritises quality of life and collective wellbeing. Every feedback conversation is shaped by this gap.
Power Distance (Hofstede) Δ22Spain is more hierarchical (57 vs 35). Spanish authority is positional and respected through deference. German authority is expertise-based and earned through demonstrated competence.
Institutional Confidence (WVS) Δ20Spain scores 34, Germany 54. Low institutional trust in Spain is rational — personal networks substitute for institutional reliability. This is why Spanish business runs through relationships, not contracts.
Uncertainty Avoidance — the paradox Δ21 / Δ20Spain scores higher on Hofstede UAI (86 vs 65) but lower on GLOBE UA (50 vs 70). Spaniards manage uncertainty through relationships; Germans manage it through documented process. Both are anxious — about different things.
01Select your country pairChoose Country A and Country B from 40+ countries with full four-framework data. The analysis updates instantly.
02Tell us your situationAnswer four quick questions about your background, role, and current challenge. The leadership analysis below adapts to your specific context.
03Explore or downloadBrowse all four frameworks and the convergence analysis. Download tab-specific PDFs free. Purchase the full 11-dimension leadership report for €49.
The full cross-cultural leadership report covers every dimension of professional life in your country pair — from how trust is built to how meetings should be chaired. Written in the second person, calibrated to your role and situation.
Download sample report — Spain × Germany (PDF, 14 pages)
See exactly what you get before you order · No sign-up required
01 Executive Summary~520 words
02 Top 5 High-Priority Gaps~680 words
03 Building Professional Relationships~620 words
04 Team Building~580 words
05 Chairing Meetings~510 words
06 Attending Meetings~490 words
07 Managing Up~560 words
08 Managing Down~575 words
09 Dealing with Peers~530 words
10 Communication~650 words
11 Trust~595 words
⚡Sample — Trust · Spain × Germany
Trust is the most consequential thing you will need to build — and the most likely thing to go wrong without you noticing. The reason is structural: trust in Germany and trust in Spain are built through entirely different mechanisms. If you apply your home culture’s tools in the other’s context, you will invest real time and genuine effort and produce almost no trust at all.
Germany scores 54 on WVS Institutional Confidence. German professionals extend trust to institutional roles: the contract, the credential, the professional track record. The institution provides a reliable framework within which the individual operates.
Spain scores 34 — one of the lowest in Western Europe. Decades of institutional disappointment have produced a culture where personal network trust substitutes for institutional trust. A Spanish professional who trusts you personally will move mountains. A Spanish professional who merely knows your CV will do the minimum required. These are not compatible defaults — they must be named and negotiated explicitly.
Full analysis: ~595 words · Includes day-to-day scenarios, repair strategies, and coaching actions calibrated to your role →
Download the full Spain × Germany sample (PDF)
Jan SalomonsExecutive Coach · salomons.coach
The Cross-Cultural Leadership Compass grew out of 35+ years of management experience and 20+ years as a leadership coach — including a decade as a project portfolio director at ASML, one of the world’s most operationally complex international organisations.
35+ years in senior management, including international programme leadership at ASML
20+ years as an executive coach, working with C-suite and senior leaders across Europe
Member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council
Designed a 4-year cross-cultural leadership programme for 400 operations managers across Europe
Authored VUCA Ready: Leadership Strategies for the Modern Workplace
Based in the Netherlands · Fluent in Dutch and English
The Compass is the tool I wished had existed when I was navigating cultural complexity on the ground. It is not a substitute for genuine curiosity and human relationship-building — it is the analytical foundation that makes both more effective.
— Jan Salomons
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Tab-level PDFs always free · Full 11-dimension report available after analysis