This
article uses a conceptual theoretical
basis for investigating the impact of
national culture on organizational
learning in a global context, and the
implications of this for international
management development. Going beyond
prior studies which demonstrate the
existence of two cultures within an
organization—“systems” and
“organizational” culture—this
article proposes that national culture
too has a significant impact on
organization learning in international
joint ventures.
As
part of a deductive process, the
article incorporates components of
prior research (e.g., aspects of
intellectual capital as a driver in
organizational learning and management
development), and then turns to an
inductive process by way of a case
study of Australian and Malay managers
co-working in a collaborative venture
in Malaysia. The case study provides
an observational overview of the
issues involved in cross-cultural
management, from which generalized
conclusions may be developed. The
article uses the results of the case
study to determine conclusions and
recommendations regarding effective
international and cross-cultural joint
venture management.
Using
examples drawn from the
Australian/Malaysian collaboration,
the article explores ways in which
organizational learning and management
behavior are shaped by the often
intangible influences of national
culture. Using qualitative methods,
the study gathered anecdotal data
about managerial behavior via
observation. With an analytical
process combining methods of semiology
and structural anthropology, the
managerial behavior was quantified by
cultural dimensions of
individual/collective,
hierarchical/devolved,
universalistic/particularistic, and so
on. The study found considerable
differences between mindsets of the
Australian and Malaysian groups of
managers, and that the differences in
national culture “ways of knowing”
influenced the ways each cultural
group performed in the joint-venture
setting, and the successful harnessing
of intellectual capital in the
organizational learning processes.
Based
on the results of case study research,
the article offers a model by which
joint venture developers and managers
can improve understanding of the
impact of national culture through
critical inquiry and reflection, as
well as implications for the initial
development of international
management teams. Some of the model
components include:
-
Addressing
the shortage of competent
international managers
-
Recruitment
and selection issues
-
Training
and management development issues
The
article also stresses the importance
of matching the dissemination of all
information within a JV, including
knowledge about national culture, with
the preferred learning styles of the
target group.
This
article concludes that while cultural
ways of knowing can collide rather
than converge, internal organization
processes can have a positive impact
on the operations of an international
and cross-cultural joint venture. Some
of the specific findings include:
-
Effective
organizational learning and
effective management practices are
inextricably linked.
-
National
culture drives management
behavior.
-
National
culture has the capacity to exert
greater influence on management
development and organizational
behavior than either the
organizational or systems
cultures.
-
Among
international managers, knowledge
about national culture must become
a priority issue.
-
Competitive
advantage is more likely to be
gained in collaborations that
actively allow knowledge about
national culture to penetrate all
aspects of organizational
learning.
I
believe one of the major strengths of
the article is the apparent
self-evidence of the findings and
conclusions, especially to anyone who
has been involved in international
joint venture management. It’s a
little surprising that these issues
are still under investigation and open
to question even at the recent date of
this article’s publishing. However,
because of the sweeping implications
of the findings, and to better support
these conclusions and recommendations,
the article may have included case
studies beyond the single referenced
case if the authors hope to better
support the authoritative posture
they’ve assumed.
To the
authors’ credit, though, they do
call for future research in directions
including the ways in which culture
drives management behavior, and the
effects of culture on management
learning and management decision
making.
The
dynamics of intercultural relations
are so complex, the need for better
understanding of international
management is so pressing, and the
ultimate good to be gained from
successful joint ventures is so high,
that this area of study should become
a priority for cross-cultural social
scientists and management researchers.