Sub-theme 27:
When the cultural context is investigated: Toward new knowledge developments for the field of culture and management

Convenors:

Call for papers

Relationships between individuals, and individuals and organizations (RIO) are embedded in a specific environment. The field of cross-cultural management has investigated this relationship with a focus on the national culture context. However, this field has developed under the influence of distinct paradigms and foci (Adler, 1983; Redding, 1994, Boyacigiller, Kleinberg, Phillips and Sackmann, 2004). In brief, research is organized around three perspectives with their own assumptions, definitions and sometimes methodologies: cross-national comparisons, intercultural interactions and the multiple cultures perspective (Sackmann & Phillips, 2004). The amount of research conducted in each perspective varies widely. Studies from a cross-national comparison perspective that dominate the field investigate the variation across nations of managerial behavior and beliefs/values – usually based on Hofstede’s (1980) work. The second group of intercultural interaction studies focuses on a bicultural settings and attempts to decipher the characteristics of culture and their implications on the RIO (see e.g. Salk, 1996; Kleinberg, 1998; Brannen & Salk, 2000). The multiple culture perspective tries to shed light on the various cultural influences such as nation, organization, tenure, ethnicity, profession etc. and their interaction that may influence individuals’ identity and, hence, their interaction (e.g. Schumacher, 1997; Ybema, 1997).

While positivist studies are largely present in the first perspective, the interpretivist paradigm is prevailing in the other two streams of research. Interestingly, post-modern studies are clearly under-represented. Studies based in a distinct paradigm that venture into one of the other perspectives may provoke interesting contributions. This is the case for example, of interpretivist studies initiated by the work of d'Iribarne (1989) in the stream of cross-national comparison. Likewise, work using the Kulturstandard method could possibly contribute to the interpretivist-dominated intercultural interaction studies. The knowledge gained by the three perspectives is substantial, although eclectic and often hard to reconcile due to its origin in distinct paradigms.

We believe that a dialogue between the paradigms may be a key to new epistemological developments that could strengthen the field of cross-cultural management. Up to now, multi-paradigm studies concerned with such a dialogue (e.g. Gioia & Pitré, 1990; Schultz & Hatch, 1996) are focused in their investigation and theoretical implications on organization studies rather than on the theme of culture and its implications on RIO. In addition, we believe that using distinct or new methodologies in each of the homogeneous streams of cross-cultural management studies will achieve new and complementary knowledge, probably driving new theory development. Therefore, we welcome papers for this sub-theme that:

• Use multiple-paradigm approaches, multiple level of analysis in their investigation of the influence of culture on management

• Apply new or rarely used methodologies in the field of cross-cultural management, like e.g. cultural metaphor, indigenous research, etc.

• Use new perspectives in the field of cross-cultural management, like e.g. critical, post-modern, post-colonial, strategic (at the level of the actors) analyses

• Apply new approaches or methodologies than the prevailing ones in each of the three streams dividing cross-cultural management

• Strive to achieve further theory development on the various streams of research in cross-cultural management

About the convenors

Henriett Primecz received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Business and Economics form Janus Pannonius University (Pécs, Hungary), she holds and M.A. in sociology from Central European University, Warsaw (program was validated by Lancester University, UK), and she received her Ph.D. in 2001 from Janus Pannonius University (Pécs, Hungary) for the dissertation titled "Multiple-paradigm Research on Cross-Cultural Management". Henriett’s current research interest includes paradigm debate, incommensurability and possible multi-paradigm approaches to organization theory, cross-cultural management, and organizational culture research. http://mgmt.uni-corvinus.hu/english/faculty.htm?egys=4

Laurence Romani 's background is in social anthropology and business administration. She is finalizing her dissertation examining the possibility to adopt a multi-paradigm research approach and methodology for further developments of theory on culture and management. She believes that the interplay of the positivist and interpretivist paradigms can contribute to strengthen and develop the knowledge of the field of cross-cultural management. Her other areas of interest and publications address cross-national comparative management with critical analysis. www.hhs.se/iib/people

Prof. Sonja Sackmann Sonja Sackmann is professor of management and organizational behavior, Department of Economics, Management and Organization Sciences and Director of the Institute for Leadership and Corporate Culture at the University Bw Munich, Germany. A major part of her research focuses on cultural issues in organizational settings including culture and subculture formation, development, change, perpetuation as well as cultural and subcultural dynamics and their implications for individuals, groups and the organization. She has published several books and articles in this area. She received her Ph.D. in Management from UCLA and her M.S. from the University of Heidelberg. www.unibw.de/wow1_2/

Katalin Topcu received her B.Sc. in Business and Economics from Budapest Business School, Budapest, her M.A. from Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, and she finished the Ph.D. program of Corvinus University of Budapest. Her Ph.D. dissertation is in the field of intercultural management on the Kulturstandard method. Katalin published several articles in German, in English and in Hungarian journals mainly about /Kulturstandard/ method and empirical findings of her researches. Her other areas of publications and interest is on the effect of culture on decision styles and strategies.