ABSTRACT
Cross-cultural research is mainly based upon the measurement of cross-cultural dimensions popularized by Hofstede (1980, 2001), Trompenaars (1993) or Schwartz (1994). These dimensions stemming from attitude scales are useful to compare national cultural differences on a general level but cannot adequately account for what happens when people actually meet and interact with each other. For over twenty years, researchers have proposed alternative approaches drawing upon interpretive methods (d'Iribarne, 1989; Sackmann & Philipps, 2004). Beyond comparative studies, investigations were conducted into two types of cases: situations where management tools are used in another cultural context than the one from which they originated (D'Iribarne & Henry, 2007; Barmeyer & Davoine, 2011) and work interactions within multicultural organizations (Brannen & Salk, 2000; Chevrier, 2003; Moore, 2005).
In both kinds of situations, the objective is to see reality from the eyes of the actor and to grasp the meaning of their action; "it is to unravel and understand the world from the perspective of the acting persons situated in their own local context and therefore, understanding the society in which they live" (Romani, Sackmann & Primecz, 2011, p. 4).
- Barmeyer, C., and Davoine, E. (2011). The intercultural challenges in the transfer of codes of conduct from the US to Europe, in Primecz, H., Romani, L. and Sackmann, S., Cross-cultural Management in Practice. Culture and Negotiated Meanings, Edward Elgar, 53-63.Google Scholar
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- Hofstede, G. (2001) Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations, 2nd ed., Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage.Google Scholar
- D'Iribarne, P. (1989). La logique de l'honneur [the logic of honor], Paris: Seuil.Google Scholar
- D'Iribarne, P. and Henry, A. (2007). Successful companies in the Developing World: Managing in synergy with cultures, Paris: Agence Française de Développement.Google Scholar
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- Martin, J. (1982). Stories and scripts in organizational settings. In A. M. Isen ed. Cognitive Social Psychology, 235-305. New York, NY: Elsevier.Google Scholar
- Moore, F. (2005). Transnational business cultures. Life and Work in a Multinational Corporation, Hants, Ashgate.Google Scholar
- Primecz, H., Romani, L. and Sackmann, S. (2011). Cross-cultural Management in Practice. Culture and Negotiated Meanings, Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
- Sackmann S. and Philipps, M. (2004) Contextual Influences on Culture. Research: Shifting Assumptions for New Workplace Realities, in International Journal of Cross-cultural management, 4(3), 371-392.Google Scholar
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- Trompenaars, F. (1993). Riding the waves of culture. Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business, London: The Economists Book.Google Scholar
- Yousfi, H. (2013). Rethinking Hybridity in Post Colonial Contexts: What changes and what persists? The Tunisian case of Poulina, Organization Studies, 1-29.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Uses and benefits of qualitative approaches to culture in intercultural collaboration research
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