National Cultural Influences on Knowledge Sharing: A Comparison of China and Russia

abstract    This paper presents a set of theoretical propositions regarding knowledge sharing in China and Russia. We argue that there are important national cultural similarities and differences between the two countries that result in certain similarities and differences in individual knowledge-sharing behaviour in Chinese and Russian organizations. We claim that vertical collectivism and particularistic social relations in China and Russia lead to intensive social relations among organizational members, which facilitate knowledge sharing between in-group members in organizations in both countries. We also maintain that differences in the essence of collectivism as well as in the extent of collectivism in the two cultural contexts lead to different intensities of knowledge sharing in Chinese and Russian organizations. Finally, we discuss theoretical and management implications of this research.     

中国文化产品贸易流量及出口潜力测算——基于引力模型的实证分析

本文以1992²010年间中国与26个国家(地区)的双边文化贸易数据为样本,利用引力模型实证分析了中国文化产品贸易流量的影响因素及出口潜力。研究结果表明:中国的经济规模、进口国的经济规模、人均GDP、贸易开放度以及优惠贸易安排对中国文化产品出口有明显的促进作用;空间距离、文化距离与中国文化产品的出口规模负相关。文化距离的影响远大于空间距离的影响,加强对外文化沟通,克服"文化折扣"现象,对促进中国文化产品的出口至关重要。在26个样本中,中国只与7个国家(地区)的文化贸易存在"贸易过度",与其他19个国家(地区)的文化贸易存在"贸易不足",中国文化产品具有较大的出口潜力,但需针对性地开展文化贸易。     

Cultural differences in organizational citizenship behavior: a comparison between Chinese and American employees

The present study examined the differences in the perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) between Chinese and American employees. Survey responses concerning the presence of OCB in their organizations were collected from a total of 393 employees. Analyses showed that Chinese and American employees reported similar levels of personal support and conscientious initiative in their organizations, but Chinese employees reported higher levels of organizational support in comparison with American employees. In addition, results indicated that perceptions of personal support, organizational support, and conscientious initiative were a function of job/hierarchical level such that management reported lower levels on all three dimensions of OCB. Finally, the results showed that country and job/hierarchical level do not interact to influence perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior. Implications and directions for future research on cultural differences in organizational citizenship behavior are discussed.     

Organizational work–family support as universal remedy? A cross-cultural comparison of China,India and the USA

In both industrialized and emerging countries, organizations increasingly seek to support employees’ efforts to maintain a healthy work–family balance. Research has identified two types of organizational support in this context: formal work–family programs and informal work–family cultures. This study examines the relative effects of work–family programs versus work–family culture on employees’ job satisfaction and performance in various cultural environments. Drawing on the individualism–collectivism cultural dimension introduced by Hofstede, it is argued that employees’ cultural background may affect family models, which in turn determine employees’ need for formal organizational work–family support, but are not related to employees’ need for informal support. In line with this notion, the results from comparisons of an industrialized country (the USA) with two emerging countries (China and India) show that work–family culture has positive effects in all three contexts. However, formal work–family programs positively affect job satisfaction and job performance only in India and the USA, whereas they exhibit no significant effect in the more collectivist setting of China.     

A cross-national comparison of cultural value orientations of Indian,Polish, Russian and American employees

This study examines the cultural value orientations (VOs) of employees (managerial and non-managerial) working in three categories of organizations (professional, technical and local services) in India, Poland, Russia and the USA. The analysis is conducted at both the national and organizational levels. The paper hypothesizes cultural differences at the country level and cultural similarities among employees working for professional and technical oriented organizations and divergence in the VOs of employees working for local services organizations. It also hypothesizes differences in the VOs of managerial and non-managerial employees in the four countries. The investigation has been conducted with the help of a questionnaire survey of 1,852 respondents. The outcomes of the analysis show that there are both cross-country cultural differences and similarities among the VOs of employees of the four nations. Further, significant cultural convergence emerges in the VOs of employees working for both professional and technical organizations, however, no significant cultural similarities or differences are observed for employees of service-based organizations in the four countries. There are some similarities emerging between managerial employees in the research countries. The research contributes to the fields of cross-cultural management, international management and international human resource management.     

我国电子政务面临数字鸿沟瓶颈的发展对策

数字鸿沟现象是一个全球化的社会问题,它不仅涉及信息技术,还涉及各国的政治、经济、文化、国情等方面。我国建设电子政务如何有效解决数字鸿沟问题?本文在分析我国数字鸿沟现象和国外建设电子政务成功经验的基础上,探寻适合我国国情的对策和办法,提出了一些独创性思路,包括服务观念的转变、中西部共建、开发低成本信息平台、居民档案网络化等措施,以期建设具有中国特色的电子政务。     

The key performance indicators (KPIs) and their impact on overall organizational performance

The concept of performance management is used by most of the organizations to ensure that either they are going on the right path or not. For managing the performance the organizations are required to know about the performance indicators. This paper explores the key performance indicators (KPIs) and impact of these KPIs on the overall organizational performance in manufacturing sector in Pakistan. The data for present study collected from the top level management of the 84 best manufacturing organizations in Pakistan by using a structured questionnaire and the impact of KPIs on the overall performance of the manufacturing organizations were evaluated. The results show that the manufacturing organizations put more focus on the customer satisfaction and Delivery reliability in terms of performance measurement. And measuring the performance in terms of cost, financial, quality, time, flexibility, delivery reliability, safety, customer satisfaction, employees’ satisfaction and social performance indicators have positive significant impact on the overall organization’s performance. This paper puts together all important performance indicators used by organizations in a single list and check their impact on the overall performance indicator index of the Organizations. As Pakistan is among the developing countries, this study will serve as a valuable guideline for several manufacturing organizations operating in other developing countries of the world.     

No man is an island: Social and human capital in IT capacity building in the Maldives

In many developing countries, lack of IT skills and human capital impede the potential of IT investments in organizations in developing countries [Lee, J. (2001). Education for technology readiness: Prospects for developing countries. Journal of Human Development, 2(1), 115–151]. This paper draws upon theories of human and social capital, and knowledge, to explain enablers/obstacles for knowledge creation and transfer for IT capacity building in a tourism organization in a developing country – the Maldives. IT capacity building is intimately linked to knowledge and skills at the level of human resource development. Using the Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998) [Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23, 242–267] framework for the role of social capital in knowledge creation and transfer, we examine the major issues of IT capacity building for the case organization. We conclude that the role of cognitive capital is the most important for the tourism sector of the Maldives, and may play a vital role in accumulating structural and relational capital, together with appropriate government policies on ICT.     

Relationships between organizational justice,organizational trust and organizational commitment: a cross-cultural study of China,South Korea and Australia

In an increasingly globalized world, organizations that operate in more than one country are a substantial part of the world economy. It is therefore beneficial to understand the attitudes of employees in different countries and their impact on the organization. One important area is organizational justice and its relationships with organizational trust (OT) and organizational commitment. This empirical study collected survey data from university employees across China, South Korea and Australia. We proposed that OT would mediate the relationships between affective organizational commitment (AOC) and both distributive justice (DJ) and procedural justice (PJ) in all three countries. In Australia, we found that PJ and AOC were significantly related, and OT fully mediated the PJ-AOC relationship. In China and South Korea, both DJ and PJ were significantly related to AOC, and OT fully mediated the PJ-AOC relationship. OT partially mediated the DJ-AOC relationship in China but fully mediated this relationship in South Korea. Implications for theory and for management practitioners are discussed, and areas for future investigation are identified.     

中国企业跨国经营中的文化整合——基于区位因素的分析

中国对外投资的日益增长,将使中国与世界的经济交往突破以贸易为主导的现行模式,逐步转向以投资加跨国经营为特征的新模式。在很多跨国投资与经营的案例中,尽管技术、市场、生产、财务等方面的整合非常成功,但由于双方在价值观、行为规范和思维方式等文化上的碰撞与冲突,整个项目的进程受到影响,甚至有时会导致项目的彻底失败。因而,文化整合是跨国经营的关键所在,而在整合过程中,区位因素又成为文化整合的出发点。同时,在企业跨国经营的文化整合中,要想与世界文化相融合并不断输出中国的文化,就不能忽视语言沟通的重要作用。     

How culture-sensitive is HRM? A comparative analysis of practice in Chinese and UK companies

There has been some concern about the extent to which models and practices of HRM are capable of being transferred from one country to another. This emerged in the late 1970s as concern that Japanese ideas might be adopted uncritically by US companies, and during the 1980s as concern that these ideas, after recycling within the US, might not be totally appropriate for consumption in other parts of the world. Further urgency is added to the question by the pressures on many organizations to develop their businesses internationally, or globally – since this increasingly means they have to consider and establish HRM policies which can span different national systems and cultures.

This paper considers the problem through a direct comparison of practices in matched Chinese and UK companies in order to establish where variations occur both within and between countries. It is evident that there are considerable variations in the form of HRM in different settings, but also some surprising similarities. Thus, for example, there are more similarities in manpower planning systems between Chinese companies and some of the UK companies than there are between all the UK companies. In this case it can be concluded that these elements are not greatly affected by national (and assumed cultural) differences. On the other hand, there is a sharp difference between the UK and Chinese companies with regard to pay and reward systems, but much consistency within each country. This suggests that there may be deep-seated differences between the two countries with regard to attitudes towards rewards which will limit the transfer-ability of HRM ideas in this area.     

Employee voice viewed through a cross-cultural lens

Employee voice may have positive outcomes for organizations, however, encouraging employees to speak out is not guaranteed unless the organization signals that it is safe and effective for employees to do so. In this conceptual paper, we identify core variables that constitute the norms for voice created in organizations across national cultures. Developing a multilevel conceptual framework of employee voice, we explore how organizational norms related to different voice channels provide signals to employees about voice consequences, namely voice safety and effectiveness. Given organizations do not operate in contextual vacuums, we also apply a macro-level consideration of national culture values that influence organizational voice norms to affect safety and effectiveness signals. A conceptual framework and propositions for future research are presented.     

中外少数民族经济发展模式比较研究

不同国家由于历史的不同,其国内民族结构也是不一样的,由此导致少数民族经济发展模式的不同。少数民族经济发展是影响民族内涵的一个重要诱因。纵观民族国家发展史,中国的少数民族经济发展模式与其他国家存在明显的不同。国外一般是强调地域而忽视民族,以地区代替民族;中国则不同,我们是先组成了多元的国家,然后通过一体的精神文化逐渐培育出了统一的中华民族,借由各民族之间的经济发展实现文化交融,最终形成中华民族共同体意识。经济动因在中国少数民族经济发展模式形成过程中,一直发挥着至关重要的作用。     

Declared versus actual organizational culture as indicated by an organization's performance appraisal

This study examines the incompatible aspects of the declared and actual organizational norms as cultural aspects. Data were drawn from a performance evaluation conducted in a large multinational pharmaceutical organization. The selected evaluation dimensions are based on the publicly articulated behavioral norms stated by top level management. The empirical model partially supported the hypothesis. Two predictors, intrinsic normative motivation dimensions and professional behaviors, showed some overlap between the declared and the actual evaluative behavior norms. One implication of this study is that organizations should make a substantial effort to instil their desired vision and norms among their members.     

Influences on students attitudes toward entrepreneurship: A multi-country study

Entrepreneurship has been emphasized in many countries as a way of boosting economic growth and job creation. As entrepreneurship is becoming popular around the world, its education should be customized according to each country’s unique cultural context. The purpose of this paper is to identify differences among the selected nations in terms of factors that are important to enhance the pedagogical effect of entrepreneurship education. This is an empirical study based on the data collected from university students in the US, Korea, China and Fiji representing nations with significantly different cultural contexts. The results imply that customized approaches based on unique cultural context are needed for effective entrepreneurship education in each country.     

The antecedents of direct management communication to employees in Mauritius

We measure whether, in a developing country, existence of a ‘hard’ strategic human resource management (SHRM) strategy developed at high organizational levels or one designed to enhance employee knowledge inputs and thereby promote employer–employee interdependence (EEIN) is a stronger antecedent of direct communication to employees. We use data from a comprehensive survey of HR practices in Mauritius, one of Africa's most open and successful economies. We find that both SHRM and EEIN are antecedents, but that the latter is stronger in public organizations and in smaller and older companies. We conclude that EEIN is a significant analytic category for explaining management practices especially in a historic sense in this and possibly other developing country contexts.     

Patterns of power distribution in managerial decision making in Chinese and British industrial organizations

This article is one of three reports about the results of a Sino-British joint research project on managerial decision making in eleven Chinese companies and ten British companies. Forty managers and twenty trade union leaders from both manufacturing and service industries participated in the study. Data about decision-making patterns in eighteen different decision tasks in the organizations were collected. The results showed that there were interesting organizational and cultural differences in decision-making patterns in the two countries between manufacturing and service industries, between management and trade union groups, among short-, medium- and long-term decisions and across organizational levels. There were clear shifts of the decision-making power across organizational levels depending upon the type of decision tasks. A model of decision power shift was proposed in terms of the effects of organizational and cultural factors on patterns of organizational decision making. The implications of the decision power shift model to the management practice in the international context were highlighted.     

Inpatriate managers: how to increase the probability of success

Developing multicultural management teams has gained increasing importance in many global organizations. One global staffing option — inpatriate managers — has the potential to provide a more multicultural management frame-of-reference when developing global strategies. Inpatriates have social knowledge of global operations and countries facilitating the modification of organizational strategies to local competitive/market conditions while ensuring their consistency and coordination with the existing global strategic thrust. This paper addresses the need to provide an effective mechanism for increasing the success rate of inpatriate managers thus improving the global performance of the organization. To achieve enhanced organizational performance the need for a proactive inpatriate program is critical to engender long-term commitment and loyalty of inpatriate managers.     

Who Controls the Controller? People Reaction to Social Control Agent's Decisions about Organizational Misconduct

Social control agents (SCAs) discipline organizations and draw the line between appropriate organizational behaviour and misconduct. While prior research focuses on the SCA-organization relationship, we theorize how a key audience (people) interacts with an SCA depending on its decisions to sanction or not organizational misconduct. Building on sociological and organizational research on social norms and their enforcement, we expect that people are more likely to agree with an SCA that sanctions a behaviour that violates rule-based as opposed to value-based norms. Violations of rule-based norms generate more agreement because such norms are less ambiguous and ascertaining when they are violated is easier to establish. As people agree more with SCA decisions to sanction rule-based violations, we expect that the propensity of people to resort to the SCA increases. We find support for our hypotheses with a survey, a series of experiments, and the analysis of complete data on complaints by UK citizens to the Advertising Standards Authority – the UK SCA on advertising – over the period 2007–10. Our paper contributes to research in organizational misconduct by showing how SCAs are both an evaluating entity and an evaluated one and by shedding light on how people co-determine what an acceptable or unacceptable behaviour is. Our paper uniquely links macro- and micro-level studies on corporate misconduct, putting centre stage that SCA's authority essentially depends on a key audience's agreement with the SCAs' underlying norms that underpin their decisions.