Conclusion

Management sciences have long ignored the cultural embedding of organizations. They consider that economic globalization brings a powerful dynamic of standardization that marginalizes cultural differences in the business world. Sometimes, these differences are seen as being reduced to habits and customs that affect the life of firms or international organizations only on minor points such as respecting punctuality in appointments or expressing straightforward criticism. They consider that the core of management—organizing activities to best serve the interests of stakeholders—will not be affected. Sometimes, too, these differences are perceived as survivors of traditions that will have to be eradicated if modernity and efficiency are to finally triumph. Consequently, best practices, presumably universal, should be established throughout the world. However, in real life, cultures resist....