Organizations and National Culture: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Organizations and National Culture presents an analysis and empirical testing of competing perspectives in organizational theory on the influence of social context on organizational structure and organizational behaviour Drawing on a comparative analysis undertaken in England and India, Monir Tayeb explores the impact of culture and other societal on organizational structure, management systems and employees' work attitudes and values. The author both investigates similarities and differences in the ways English and Indian companies and employees respond to their social and cultural environments, and relates these to the significant part that technical and other task-related play in the process. Tayeb argues that it is the combined factors of culture, political economy and contingency which define employees' attitudes to people in positions of power and authority, their ability to cope with ambiguity and uncertainty, and their expectations from a job. In conclusion the author outlines a multi-perspective model in which contributions of cultural contingency and political economic theories are recognized and incorporated. This model offers a more comprehensive and realistic cross-cultural understanding of organizations, providing the means to examine both formal organizational structure and employee behaviour.

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