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Are National Cultural Traits Applicable To Senior Firm Managers?
Author(s) -
Thompson Edmund R.,
Phua Florence T. T.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
british journal of management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.407
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1467-8551
pISSN - 1045-3172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00430.x
Subject(s) - hofstede's cultural dimensions theory , collectivism , categorization , individualism , construct (python library) , dimension (graph theory) , cultural diversity , psychology , homogeneous , social psychology , sociology , marketing , business , political science , computer science , mathematics , anthropology , pure mathematics , law , programming language , combinatorics , artificial intelligence
Researchers have applied Hofstede's categorization of national cultural traits not only in studies of ‘average’ employee samples, from which the categorization was originally derived, but also to élite senior executives, and even to firms, on the assumptions that top management teams (i) are culturally homogeneous with average employees and (ii) directly reflect cultural characteristics in strategic decision‐making. Such assumptions are questioned by research finding that country sub‐populations are culturally heterogeneous and that individuals' cultural characteristics are moderated by organizational and task contexts. Using the construct of collectivism/individualism, this study tests the applicability of Hofstede's generic national cultural norms to senior executives using Anglo‐Saxon and Chinese samples. Results cast doubt on the applicability of Hofstede's classifications to senior manager populations and suggest several avenues for further research.