The central questions of the GLOBE study focused on whether leadership is
culturally contingent and whether there are universally accepted attributes; Dickson et al.
studied the "extent to which specific leader attributes and behaviors are universally
endorsed as contributing to effective leadership, and the extent to which attributes and
behaviors are linked to cultural characteristics" (2004, p. 2). The concept of cultural
contingency is similar to Hofstede and Hofstede's (2005) concept of mental
programming by the culture, implying that the accepted practice of leadership is
contextual and specific to the country.