Cultural values, school innovative climate and organizational affective commitment: a study of Israeli teachers

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asmahan Masry-Herzallah ◽  
Rima'a Da'as

PurposeResearch suggests that cultural dimensions affect teachers' perceptions and behaviors. Based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions and organizational innovation climate literature, we examined the effects of the cultural values of collectivism, masculinity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and short-term orientation on teachers' perceptions of school innovative climate and their affective commitment.Design/methodology/approachArab and Jewish Israeli teachers studying toward their MA degree (N = 268) were randomly selected from three colleges to fill out questionnaires pertaining to these cultural values, innovative climate and their affective commitment.FindingsOnly the cultural value of collectivism positively affected perceptions of innovative climate. Negative relationships were found between the latter and uncertainty avoidance, as well as masculinity. Perception of innovative climate, in turn, related positively to teachers' affective commitment.Originality/valueThis study adds to the body of research directed at identifying antecedents to affective commitment as well as to studies examining cultural effects on innovation.

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Yeganeh

Purpose – This study aims at investigating the effects of cultural values on corruption by integrating Hofstede's, Schwartz's, and Inglehart's frameworks. Design/methodology/approach – First, corruption is conceptualized and Schwartz's, Hofstede's and Inglehart's cultural dimensions are presented. In the second part, the relationships among concepts are discussed and the hypotheses, variables, and theoretical models are presented. Then, the empirical tests are conducted, the theoretical/managerial implications are discussed, and an integrative model is proposed. Findings – The empirical analysis confirms that after controlling for the effects of socio-economic development, cultural values have considerable influence on the level of perceived corruption. More specifically, it is found that Hofstede's High Power Distance, High Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity and Collectivism, Schwartz's Conservatism and Harmony, and Inglehart's Survival and Traditional-religious dimensions are associated with the corrupt behavior. By contrast, the opposite values namely Hofstede's Low Power Distance, Low Uncertainty Avoidance, Femininity, and Individualism, Schwartz's Autonomy and Mastery, and Inglehart's Self-Expression and Rational-secular dimensions tend to impede corruption. Research limitations/implications – This study has a limited scope as it relies on narrow conceptualizations of culture and corruption. Furthermore, like many cross-cultural studies, the current analysis relies solely on the national-level data and overlooks the effects of intra-national variations. It is important to note that while culture has important implications for the corrupt behavior, its effects should not be considered as deterministic. Practical implications – By referring to the integrative model of this study, managers and scholars can conveniently describe a country's culture, understand the implications, and make sense of the level of associated corruption. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature by integrating three widely employed cultural frameworks, by incorporating a large number of countries into the research design, by providing a profound understanding of the influence of culture on corruption, and particularly by offering a comprehensive model for scholars and practitioners.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Abu Bakar ◽  
Stacey L. Connaughton

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess statistically the shared cultural values scale that incorporates Malaysia’s multi-ethnic cultural values. Design/methodology/approach This study involved three phase statistical testing. In the first phase, the authors evaluated the 152 items for the affiliation, community embeddedness, respecting elders, harmony, faith, brotherhood, morality, future orientation, conformity and survival cultural dimensions with a sample of 270 employees from three organizations. In the second phase, 355 employees from two organizations completed a survey test-retest reliability and a factor analysis consisting of community embeddedness, focus on respect, conformity and future orientation as a four-factors solution with 22 items. Confirmatory factor analysis based on data from 310 employees in two organizations verified that the four dimensions correlated with affective commitment. Findings The results suggest that shared cultural characteristics is a multidimensional construct and at the individual level makes a unique contribution in explaining employees’ affective commitment. Managers from multinational corporations operating in this emerging market will benefit from this new scale because they can use it to identify specific individual cultural characteristics within their organization and develop a strategy to target employees’ affective commitment. Originality/value The new shared cultural characteristics scale for Malaysia’s multi-ethnic society demonstrates adequate reliability, validity and across-organization generalizability for this specific cross-cultural communication setting.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman Saleem ◽  
Jorma Antero Larimo ◽  
Kadi Ummik ◽  
Andres Kuusik

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Hofstede’s (2001) cultural framework and the value paradox explain the use of appeals in advertising in Estonia. Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses are drawn in relation to Hofstede’s original four cultural dimensions – power distance, masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. A sample of 110 print advertisements from four magazines were analyzed using Pollay’s (1983) classification of advertising appeals. Findings – The results show that Estonian advertising reflects paradoxical values related to low power distance and femininity dimensions, and culturally congruent values related to high-uncertainty avoidance and individualism. Practical implications – Findings suggest that cultural values (desired) alone are insufficient to predict the reflection of culture in advertising. Rather, consideration of the discrepancies between the cultural values (desired) and practices (desirable) enables a better explanation of the relationship between society and its advertising. Originality/value – Scholars have shown increasing interest in the consequences of culture on advertising, but the opposing aspect of cultural values and practices has received limited research attention. The paper offers interesting insights regarding the effect of culture and the value paradox on the use of appeals in advertising. Additionally, analyzing the advertising of Eastern Europe is highly important because of the limited research attention that exists with respect to advertising in the region.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rita Silva ◽  
Helena Cristina Roque ◽  
António Caetano

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the cultural values – how things should be – and the cultural practices – how things are – of Angolan society. The authors expected to find: a gap between practices and values; high levels of power distance, institutional and in-group collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, future and humane orientation; and low to medium levels of performance orientation, gender equality and assertiveness. Design/methodology/approach – In all, 235 employees in Angola responded to a questionnaire using GLOBE’s cultural scales. Findings – There is a gap between cultural practices and values. Within Angola, humane and performance orientations are the most valued cultural dimensions. Power distance and in-group collectivism are the most prevailing cultural practices. Compared to other countries, Angola has high levels of humane orientation, institutional collectivism and uncertainty avoidance values and high levels of assertiveness and performance orientation practices. Practical implications – Higher than desired levels of assertiveness and power distance, on the one hand, and lower than desired levels of humane orientation and uncertainty avoidance on the other, are key aspects that should be taken into account by HRM in this context. Originality/value – These results may have important implications for HRM in Angola. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first analysis of Angola’s culture from a business research perspective.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladys Esinu Abiew ◽  
Eugene Okyere-Kwakye ◽  
Florence Yaa Akyia Ellis

Purpose Underpinned by the information processing theory, this study aims to investigate the relationship between functional diversity and team innovation by examining the moderating role of some selected cultural dimensions (power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-femininity) in the relationship between functional diversity and innovation. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research method was used using a structured questionnaire as a tool to collect data from 251 respondents drawn from research institutions in Ghana. Data was analysed using simple regression and hierarchical multiple regression. In addition, a structural equation model was used to conduct confirmatory factor analyses to examine whether the variables in the hypothesized model for the study captured distinct constructs that the variables were designed to measure. Findings The study revealed that functional diversity was positively related to team innovation. The study also found that functionally diverse groups are more innovative when they exhibit low uncertainty avoidance, femininity and low power distance. Practical implications These findings suggest that practices such as team communication, honesty, respect and trust would foster team unity and commitment, which would enable members to share diverse expertise towards the creation and execution of new ideas and improvement of productivity in the country. Originality/value The study examined the relationship between functional diversity and team innovation by examining the moderating role of some selected cultural dimensions (power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-femininity) in the relationship between functional diversity and innovation.


Author(s):  
Kanji Kitamura

This chapter deals with the simple yet important question of whether national culture matters in today's rapidly globalizing world. This study explores the automobile sectors in Japan and the USA and examines the relevance to the cultural constructs of individualism/collectivism, time orientation, and uncertainty avoidance. To maximize research confidence with limited resources, it triangulates its qualitative findings and the literature concepts generated from quantitative research. The grounded findings include the connection between business practices and cultural values, the interrelated nature of cultural dimensions, and a clarification of the cultural construct of uncertainty avoidance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-370
Author(s):  
Markus Mättö ◽  
Mervi Niskanen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether religion or national culture can explain previously observed cross-country variation in trade credit. Design/methodology/approach Using the firm-level SME data from 35 European countries, religion and cultural factors of Hofstede and Schwartz, the authors provide new evidence on the determinants of the cross-country variation in trade credit. Findings The results indicate that religion and national culture are associated with trade credit. The authors find that the levels of trade credit are higher in Catholic countries than in Protestant ones and that peoples’ religiousness has an impact on trade credit only in Catholic countries. The authors also find that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, such as power distance and uncertainty avoidance, are positively associated with trade credit. Practical implications Overall, authors’ findings indicate that religion and national culture are important determinants of trade credit management, and that the association between commonly used cultural values and trade credit depends on the religious, legal, and financial environment. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to research the relationship between national culture and trade credit.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1003-1022
Author(s):  
Alfredo A. Romero ◽  
Jeffrey A. Edwards

PurposeInjections of foreign direct investment (FDI) are often followed by injections of foreign culture which may not be well received among the local population. If this is the case, culture may impede any positive externalities from FDI. On the other hand, if the people of the host country embrace injections of FDI, this may lead to boosts in not only short-run factors of production but also longer-term technological spillovers. We measure what role cultural make-up of a country plays on the effect of FDI on growth in GDP.Design/methodology/approachUsing values system data from the World Values Survey (WVS), and socioeconomic data from the World Bank, we estimate and plot the marginal effect of FDI on growth as a function of a country's values system for a panel of 73 countries over a span of three decades.FindingsWe find that the marginal effect of FDI on growth in GDP differs across varying degrees of cultural values, even after adjusting for level of development. In other words, our analysis indicates that a country's cultural norms do indeed affect foreign investment's impact on economic growth.Originality/valueTo date there is no research that systematically assesses the effect that cultural make-up has on the marginal effect of FDI on growth. We go beyond the use of isolated cultural variables by using data on cultural dimensions that account for most of the observed cultural differences between countries. We believe our findings will work as a launchpad for more novel ways to capture country heterogeneity in growth research.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-09-2019-0549.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-50
Author(s):  
Moustafa Salman Haj Youssef ◽  
Hiba Maher Hussein ◽  
Hoda Awada

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine cross-cultural differences in managerial discretion and the extent to which variations and interaction of cultural practices and values affect the degree of freedom in decision making that is accorded to executives. This paper offers a holistic approach to investigating culture in addition to acknowledging its paradoxical nature. Design/methodology/approach Using a panel of prominent management consultants to rate discretion across 18 countries, the authors further develop the national-level construct of managerial discretion by empirically investigating the influence of cultural practices and values on CEOs’ discretion. Findings The study reveals that cultural values moderate the relationship between cultural practices and managerial discretion for three cultural dimensions: individualism, uncertainty tolerance and power distance (PD). By adopting the logic of marginal utility, the authors also show that the more a society values individualism, uncertainty tolerance and PD, the weaker the effect of their practices on managerial discretion. Originality/value Few research has attempted to assess both cultural values and practices in relation to managerial discretion. By showing the mechanism in which culture affects the level of managerial discretion, the authors offer new theoretical insights and practical implications, overall contributing to the field of cross-cultural and strategic management. Finally, this will offer CEO’s a new perspective of leveraging culture as a tool, enhancing their decision-making capabilities in the aim of improving organizational performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1395-1410
Author(s):  
Asmahan Massry-Herzallah ◽  
Khalid Arar

Purpose The research investigates perceptions of teachers in the Arab education system in Israel concerning the effect of their principal’s leadership and gender on their motivation. Relying on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as an analytic tool to understand the Arab school, the purpose of this paper is to answer the following research questions: first, how do the teachers perceive the leadership style and gender of their principal and what influence do these perceptions have on their motivation? Second, what are the influences of the different dimensions of culture described by Hofstede on the teachers’ motivation? Design/methodology/approach To answer these questions, 18 teachers from different schools in the Arab education system (10 female and 8 male) were interviewed. Findings The research revealed three themes which describe the teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ leadership styles with consideration of the principals’ gender: the principals’ involvement and sharing of school operations and decision making with the teachers; the extent of autonomy given to teachers; and establishment of principal–teacher relationships. Originality/value The paper concludes with implications of these leadership styles for teachers’ motivation for work, and suggestions are given to improve Arab principals’ practices and thus to enhance teachers’ motivation.


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