The Happy Culture: A Theoretical, Meta-Analytic, and Empirical Review of the Relationship Between Culture and Wealth and Subjective Well-Being

Do cultural values enhance financial and subjective well-being (SWB)? Taking a multidisciplinary approach, we meta-analytically reviewed the field, found it thinly covered, and focused on individualism. In counter, we collected a broad array of individuallevel data, specifically an Internet sample of 8,438 adult respondents. Individual SWB was most strongly associated with cultural values that foster relationships and social capital, which typically accounted for more unique variance in life satisfaction than an individual’s salary. At a national level, we used mean-based meta-analysis to construct a comprehensive cultural and SWB database. Results show some reversals from the individual level, particularly masculinity’s facet of achievement orientation. In all, the happy nation has low power distance and low uncertainty avoidance, but is high in femininity and individualism, and these effects are interrelated but still partially independent from political and economic institutions. In short, culture matters for individual and national well-being

Unlocking the gender diversity-group performance link: the moderating role of relative cultural distance

PurposeThis study aims to shed light on the relationship between gender diversity and group performance by considering the moderating role of relative cultural distance. Drawing from the categorization-elaboration model (CEM), the authors hypothesize that gender-diverse collaborative learning groups perform better when a low level of relative cultural distance in country-level individualism-collectivism or power distance exists among group members.Design/methodology/approachTo test this hypothesis, the authors conducted a study on 539 undergraduate students organized into 94 groups. The assessment of group performance was based on scores given by external raters.FindingsThe authors found that relative cultural distance significantly moderated the gender diversity-group performance relationship such that gender diversity was positively related to group performance when the collaborative learning group included members who similarly valued individualism-collectivism or power distance (i.e. relative cultural distance was low) and was negatively related to group performance when the collaborative learning group comprised members who differently valued individualism-collectivism or power distance (i.e. relative cultural distance was high).Originality/valueThis study contributes to understanding when gender diversity is positively associated with group performance by expanding the range of previously examined diversity dimensions to include relative cultural distance in country-level individualism-collectivism and power distance

Work engagement and job performance in military contexts: The moderator role of Individual Orientation to Collectivism (IOC)

This thesis examined the moderating role of individual orientation to collectivism in the relationship between work engagement and job performance in military contexts. We began by describing the work engagement and job performance literature and the relationship between them. To address the question of how and when would work engagement of military be associated with higher levels of job performance, we developed two studies. The first study was qualitative and pretended to analise what characterized a good performer in the military, as well as the strategies that militaries use to enhance their performance. Results of Study 1, with interviews to 25 staff officers or senior military leaders in active service from different military organizations, showed that although there are some similarities with the job performance model that Campbell (1990, 2012) used to describe job performance, there are some singularities of the military context. Namely, a focus on the collective had been identified as a salient factor of job performance in military contexts. Thus, we conducted a second study using a multi-source cross –sectional design with 150 military staff officers and their supervisors (N=33). In that study, we analysed the impact of individual orientation to collectivism for the relationship between staff officers’ work engagement and job performance (reported by the supervisor) in a military context. The results demonstrated that staff officers’ work engagement was positively associated with their job performance (reported by their supervisor) only when they had higher levels of orientation to collectivism. According to the results of the two studies, we argue that in order to improve individual job performance in military contexts, military managers should invest on staff officers’ orientation to collectivism by training them and reinforcing that orientation through socialization practices.Esta tese examinou o papel moderador da orientação individual para o coletivismo na relação entre o work engagement e o desempenho no trabalho em contextos militares. Começámos por descrever a literatura do work engagement e do desempenho no trabalho e a relação entre estes. Para abordar a questão de como e quando o work engagement dos militares está associado a níveis mais elevados de desempenho no trabalho, desenvolvemos dois estudos. O primeiro estudo foi qualitativo e pretendeu analisar o que caracterizava um bom desempenho militar, bem como as estratégias que os militares usam para melhorar seu desempenho. Os resultados do Estudo 1, com entrevistas a 25 militares ou líderes militares seniores em serviço ativo, oriundos de diferentes organizações militares, mostraram que embora existam algumas semelhanças com o modelo que Campbell (1990, 2012) usou para descrever o desempenho no trabalho, existem algumas singularidades do contexto militar. Uma destas singularidades é nomeadamente uma maior focalização no coletivo como fator saliente do desempenho no trabalho em contextos militares. Assim, realizámos um segundo estudo usando um desenho cross-sectional com recurso a múltiplas fontes: 150 oficiais e os seus supervisores (N = 33). Nesse estudo, analisámos o impacto que a orientação individual para o coletivismo tem na relação entre o work engagement do oficial e o desempenho no trabalho (relatado pelo seu supervisor). Os resultados mostraram que o work engagement dos oficiais estava positivamente associado ao seu desempenho no trabalho somente quando eles tinham uma maior orientação individual para o coletivismo. De acordo com os resultados dos dois estudos, argumentamos que para melhorar o desempenho individual no trabalho em contextos militares, os gestores militares devem investir na orientação individual dos funcionários para o coletivismo, treinando-os nesse sentido e reforçando essa orientação por meio de práticas de socialização

Cross-cultural issues in virtual team support: Communication characteristics and task/technology perceptions from Mexican and U.S. team members

We present a study of cross-cultural virtual teams supported by two computer-mediated communication technologies (electronic mail and the World-Wide Web). Our primary focus is to identify how cultural differences affect users\u27 task and technology perceptions. Dyads made up of members from the United States and Mexico created a five-page strategic plan for the implementation of a joint MBA international business capstone course that establishes strong international bonds between the students of both institutions. Team members generated ideas, made decisions, and created a common strategic course through Email-based correspondence. They also had access to a project coordination guide, which was a website with project guidelines, timelines, updates, and the postings of all participants and information on their respective institutions and host cities. Analysis of pretest questionnaires revealed strong similarities between the two cultural groups with respect to professional background and experience with relevant technologies, and differences in language facility with Spanish and English. Analysis of posttest data showed marked differences in communication characteristics (frequency and length of message) and perceptions of process, outcome and opinions of suitability of the technologies to support the task. Results, consistent with earlier studies, show the limited power of popular theoretical characterizations of national culture to predict culture-based differences in information technology use and perceptions. Alternative, relevant culture-based factors are discussed

Biases and Heuristics in Team Member Selection Decisions

Although team composition as an antecedent to team performance has been studied extensively, team composition as a dependent variable has been relatively neglected. Recent studies on team member selection assume that a group or an organization is conducting the process and propose elaborate models that include numerous factors along two dimensions: taskwork and teamwork. However, when individual decision makers are forming teams, they adopt a simpler heuristic approach that is based on their relational ties to potential team members. The extent of this relational bias, i.e., the proportion of the team to which they have prior relational ties, is explored in this dissertation. In cases where the decision maker was the team leader, the relational bias was 50% for top-flight professional soccer players choosing their ideal teammates, and 34% for National Football League (NFL) head coaches choosing their coaching staff members. Even in cases where the decision maker was only the selector and not the team leader, the relational bias in the soccer player dataset was 31%. Whether the decision maker was a leader or only a selector was a statistically significant predictor of relational bias. These findings not only support the traditional leadership theories that the leader-member relationship is a central dimension of leadership, but also suggest that relational ties might be important even at the team formation stage.The NFL head coaches dataset provides evidence that team leaders' role interdependence is a statistically significant predictor of relational bias not only to the team as a whole, but also to the part of the team structure on which the leaders are more dependent (termed backing-up subunit). Content analysis of soccer players' reports of their selections indicates that taskwork-related rationales were primary (58.2% of the total), followed by tie-related rationales (23%) and teamwork-related rationales (18.8%). Further, team spirit, a subcategory of teamwork-related rationales, comprised only 4.1% of the total rationales provided. The results suggest that when individual decision makers are forming teams, they utilize a three-dimensional (rather than two-dimensional) approach that includes consideration of factors related to taskwork, teamwork, and the decision makers' ties to potential team members

Evaluation model for organizational culture adaptations to implement Lean Manufacturing successfully

Since the emergence of Lean Manufacturing, many organizations strived to implement it. Nonetheless, sustainable Lean transformation is not as easy as to be simply achieved. Severa!aspects need to be taken into account before Lean implementation which national and organizational culture are important. By considering influences of national culture on the organizational culture, this thesis aims at proposing an evaluation model to determine the cultural weaknesses of an organization and give sorne recommendations to manage people before implementing Lean. Therefore, the research question is "how to align the organizational culture to Lean culture?" and the general hypothesis is that "both national culture and organizational culture influence on successful Lean implementation". In order to answer the question and test our hypothesis, this research has been conducted based on literature review survey and multiple-cases study. For literature review survey, research papers, conference proceedings, books, and official websites regarding Lean philosophy were reviewed to find the influence of national culture in Lean implementation. Different databases were scrutinized, from 2015 to 2017, containing Scopus and Web of Science with the period of 1996-2016. The evaluation model was developed including six dimensions and our general hypothesis was extended. The level of each dimension indicating preparedness of organizational culture for Lean implementation is provided including Low, Moderate, or High. For each dimension, a checklist is provided in order to evaluate the level that a company has before Lean implementation in order to detect misalignments and possible problems. For multiple-case studies, we used codification method to systematically collect required qualitative data on their organizational culture. Factors and related soft practices that are essential for successful Lean implementation were considered as codes and sub-codes, respectively. Soft practices are human-related-practices that emphasize on organizational culture, managerial concept, and human relations that are often neglected during adoption processes of Lean. The initial code list was prepared based on literature review. Codification process continued with conducting pilot interviews. The code list was refined after a few times of revision. To validate the model, three organizations were chosen based on inclusion criteria such as: Companies should be selected from manufacturing industry; Companies have implemented Lean production for many years; Medium to Large Companies are more preferable; Companies should be chosen from different countries. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the production manager of each organization. Depending on the access to the participants, the interviews were conducted face to face or through Skype. To greaten the clarity, contacts were made again with the respondents whenever ambiguities arose. The checklist were used to find out the level of organizational culture for proposed dimensions. Moreover, public information were collected from their official websites. To conclude, the proposed evaluation model is a guide for organizations to determine cultural misaligrunents between corporate culture and Lean culture before its implementation. Moreover, some general recommendations have been provided to align different dimensions. Finally, sorne future directions have been suggested.Desde la aparición de Lean Manufacturing, muchas organizaciones se han esforzado por implementarlo. No obstante, una transformación Lean sostenible en el tiempo no es fácil de lograr. Es necesario tener en cuenta varios aspectos antes de la implementación Lean como son la cultura nacional y organizacional. Considerando las influencias de la cultura nacional en la cultura organizacional, esta tesis tiene como objetivo proponer un modelo de evaluación para determinar las debilidades culturales de una organización y dar algunas recomendaciones para gestionar a las personas antes de implementar Lean. Por lo tanto, la pregunta de investigación es "¿cómo alinear la cultura organizacional con la cultura Lean?" Y la hipótesis general es que "tanto la cultura nacional como la cultura organizacional influyen en una implementación Lean exitosa".Con el fin de responder a la pregunta y probar nuestra hipótesis, esta investigación se ha realizado en base a una revisión de la literatura y un estudio de diferentes casos. Para la revisión bibliográfica , se revisaron artículos, actas de congresos, libros y sitios web oficiales sobre la filosofía Lean, para determinar la influencia de la cultura nacional en la implementación Lean. Los trabajos de investigación se buscaron en diferentes bases de datos (Scopus y Web of Science), entre los años de 1996-2016. La revisión se hizo durante los años 2015-2017. El modelo de evaluación fue desarrollado incluyendo seis dimensiones. Para cada dimensión se proporciona las características del nivel bajo, medio y alto, que evaluan la preparación de la cultura organizacional para la implementación de Lean. Para cada dimensión, se proporciona una lista de verificación para evaluar el nivel que tiene una empresa antes de la implementación Lean a fin de detectar desajustes y posibles problemas. Para los casos de estudio, utilizamos el método de codificación para recopilar sistemáticamente los datos cualitativos requeridos de su cultura organizacional. Los factores y las prácticas soft relacionadas que son esenciales para una implementación Lean exitosa se consideraron como códigos y sub-códigos, respectivamente. Las prácticas soft son prácticas relacionadas con el ser humano que hacen hincapié en la cultura organizacional, el concepto de gestión y las relaciones humanas que a menudo se descuidan durante los procesos de adopción de Lean. La lista de códigos inicial se preparó en base a la revisión de la literatura. El proceso de codificación continuó con la realización de entrevistas piloto. La lista de códigos fue refinada después de algunas revisiones. Para validar el modelo se eligieron tres organizaciones con los siguientes criterios de inclusión: empresas industriales, que hayan implementado Lean durante muchos años; preferihlemente empresa medianas o grandes; empresas de diferentes países. Se realizó una entrevista semiestructurada con el gerente de producción de cada organización. Dependiendo del acceso a los participantes, las entrevistas se realizaron cara a cara o por Skype. Para aumentar la claridad, se volvieron a establecer contactos con los encuestados siempre que surgieron ambigüedades. La lista de verificación se utilizó para conocer el nivel de cultura organizacional para las dimensiones propuestas. Además, se recopiló información pública de sus sitios web oficiales. En conclusión, el modelo de evaluación propuesto es una guía para que las organizaciones determinen los desajustes culturales entre la cultura corporativa y la cultura Lean antes de su implementación. Además, se han proporcionado algunas recomendaciones generales para alinear las diferentes dimensiones del modelo. Finalmente se han sugerido algunas direcciones futurasPostprint (published version

Evaluation model for organizational culture adaptations to implement Lean Manufacturing successfully

Since the emergence of Lean Manufacturing, many organizations strived to implement it. Nonetheless, sustainable Lean transformation is not as easy as to be simply achieved. Severa!aspects need to be taken into account before Lean implementation which national and organizational culture are important. By considering influences of national culture on the organizational culture, this thesis aims at proposing an evaluation model to determine the cultural weaknesses of an organization and give sorne recommendations to manage people before implementing Lean. Therefore, the research question is "how to align the organizational culture to Lean culture?" and the general hypothesis is that "both national culture and organizational culture influence on successful Lean implementation". In order to answer the question and test our hypothesis, this research has been conducted based on literature review survey and multiple-cases study. For literature review survey, research papers, conference proceedings, books, and official websites regarding Lean philosophy were reviewed to find the influence of national culture in Lean implementation. Different databases were scrutinized, from 2015 to 2017, containing Scopus and Web of Science with the period of 1996-2016. The evaluation model was developed including six dimensions and our general hypothesis was extended. The level of each dimension indicating preparedness of organizational culture for Lean implementation is provided including Low, Moderate, or High. For each dimension, a checklist is provided in order to evaluate the level that a company has before Lean implementation in order to detect misalignments and possible problems. For multiple-case studies, we used codification method to systematically collect required qualitative data on their organizational culture. Factors and related soft practices that are essential for successful Lean implementation were considered as codes and sub-codes, respectively. Soft practices are human-related-practices that emphasize on organizational culture, managerial concept, and human relations that are often neglected during adoption processes of Lean. The initial code list was prepared based on literature review. Codification process continued with conducting pilot interviews. The code list was refined after a few times of revision. To validate the model, three organizations were chosen based on inclusion criteria such as: Companies should be selected from manufacturing industry; Companies have implemented Lean production for many years; Medium to Large Companies are more preferable; Companies should be chosen from different countries. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the production manager of each organization. Depending on the access to the participants, the interviews were conducted face to face or through Skype. To greaten the clarity, contacts were made again with the respondents whenever ambiguities arose. The checklist were used to find out the level of organizational culture for proposed dimensions. Moreover, public information were collected from their official websites. To conclude, the proposed evaluation model is a guide for organizations to determine cultural misaligrunents between corporate culture and Lean culture before its implementation. Moreover, some general recommendations have been provided to align different dimensions. Finally, sorne future directions have been suggested.Desde la aparición de Lean Manufacturing, muchas organizaciones se han esforzado por implementarlo. No obstante, una transformación Lean sostenible en el tiempo no es fácil de lograr. Es necesario tener en cuenta varios aspectos antes de la implementación Lean como son la cultura nacional y organizacional. Considerando las influencias de la cultura nacional en la cultura organizacional, esta tesis tiene como objetivo proponer un modelo de evaluación para determinar las debilidades culturales de una organización y dar algunas recomendaciones para gestionar a las personas antes de implementar Lean. Por lo tanto, la pregunta de investigación es "¿cómo alinear la cultura organizacional con la cultura Lean?" Y la hipótesis general es que "tanto la cultura nacional como la cultura organizacional influyen en una implementación Lean exitosa".Con el fin de responder a la pregunta y probar nuestra hipótesis, esta investigación se ha realizado en base a una revisión de la literatura y un estudio de diferentes casos. Para la revisión bibliográfica , se revisaron artículos, actas de congresos, libros y sitios web oficiales sobre la filosofía Lean, para determinar la influencia de la cultura nacional en la implementación Lean. Los trabajos de investigación se buscaron en diferentes bases de datos (Scopus y Web of Science), entre los años de 1996-2016. La revisión se hizo durante los años 2015-2017. El modelo de evaluación fue desarrollado incluyendo seis dimensiones. Para cada dimensión se proporciona las características del nivel bajo, medio y alto, que evaluan la preparación de la cultura organizacional para la implementación de Lean. Para cada dimensión, se proporciona una lista de verificación para evaluar el nivel que tiene una empresa antes de la implementación Lean a fin de detectar desajustes y posibles problemas. Para los casos de estudio, utilizamos el método de codificación para recopilar sistemáticamente los datos cualitativos requeridos de su cultura organizacional. Los factores y las prácticas soft relacionadas que son esenciales para una implementación Lean exitosa se consideraron como códigos y sub-códigos, respectivamente. Las prácticas soft son prácticas relacionadas con el ser humano que hacen hincapié en la cultura organizacional, el concepto de gestión y las relaciones humanas que a menudo se descuidan durante los procesos de adopción de Lean. La lista de códigos inicial se preparó en base a la revisión de la literatura. El proceso de codificación continuó con la realización de entrevistas piloto. La lista de códigos fue refinada después de algunas revisiones. Para validar el modelo se eligieron tres organizaciones con los siguientes criterios de inclusión: empresas industriales, que hayan implementado Lean durante muchos años; preferihlemente empresa medianas o grandes; empresas de diferentes países. Se realizó una entrevista semiestructurada con el gerente de producción de cada organización. Dependiendo del acceso a los participantes, las entrevistas se realizaron cara a cara o por Skype. Para aumentar la claridad, se volvieron a establecer contactos con los encuestados siempre que surgieron ambigüedades. La lista de verificación se utilizó para conocer el nivel de cultura organizacional para las dimensiones propuestas. Además, se recopiló información pública de sus sitios web oficiales. En conclusión, el modelo de evaluación propuesto es una guía para que las organizaciones determinen los desajustes culturales entre la cultura corporativa y la cultura Lean antes de su implementación. Además, se han proporcionado algunas recomendaciones generales para alinear las diferentes dimensiones del modelo. Finalmente se han sugerido algunas direcciones futura

Examining The Impact Of Leader Social Distance On A Multicultural Team

Leading multicultural teams is one of the main challenges faced by today’s leaders. The advantages often associated with multicultural teams (e.g., collaboration and integration of different knowledge, ideas, and approaches to a task) are often the major challenges in leading these teams. The literature on effective multicultural teams has identified leadership as an important factor for team effectiveness. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the effect of leader social distance in multicultural teams. A lab study was designed to test the impact of experimentally-manipulated leader social distance (socially close or socially distant) on the relationship between team member diversity and team affect, processes, and performance. Results varied for female and for male teams. Specifically, the nature of the interactions between leadership and team diversity depended on the specific cultural dimension measured and the gender of the team. In the end, the impact of diversity on culture in female teams was improved by close leaders (the relationships were positive), and worsened by distant leaders (the relationships were negative) for team affect, processes and viability. For male teams, the impact of diversity was always negative in both leader conditions; however, in distant leader conditions the relationship was more negative. Implications for theory and practice are discussed along with suggestions for future research

Human factors and cultural influences in implementing agile philosophy and agility in global software development

As software becomes increasingly important to all aspects of industry, developers should be encouraged to adopt best practice and hence improve the quality of the processes used, and achieve targets relating to time, budget and quality. In the software industry, several software methodologies have been used to address software development problems; however some of these processes may be too bureaucratic. The Agile Alliance formed in 2001, sought to address this problem; accordingly, they developed a manifesto and twelve principles, to which all agile software methods adhere. The purpose of the manifesto and its principles is to uncover better ways of developing software. Agile software development methods seem to address the software development industry’s need for more agile processes that are responsive to changes during software development. Agile values and principles require a major cultural change for software managers, e.g. collective team responsibility and self-organisation, especially in large organisations with a strong culture of planning and centralised power. In large global organisations, this issue is likely to be exacerbated by cultural diversity. The objective of this thesis is to analyse the possibility, of using agile methods or practices in different cultures, and study what changes are required, to adapt agile approaches to different global application development issues. The study found that certain agile practices can be useful in different cultures and some practices required major cultural adaptation. A study of suitable practices for different cultures such as Australia, India and the United Kingdom and the associated suggested changes required are the main areas of study. Human factors have been identified by researchers and practitioners to impact on software development projects. Similarly, cultural differences may also be influential in a global market. The principles of agile software development focus on iterative adaptation and improvement of the activities of individual software development teams to increase effectiveness. This research programme focused specifically on national culture based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Hall’s cultural dimensions and the relationships between different aspects of national culture and the implementation of agile methods. To investigate this aspect of software development, a set of cultural dimensions and consolidated cultural agile attributes were developed, that are considered necessary for implementing agile methods. Based on relevancy, cultural dimensions such as Individualism/Collectivism, Power distance index, Uncertainty avoidance index, Time and Context were selected and studied. Some of cultural agile attributes studied include Transparency, Dedicated team, Decision making, Tolerance for change, Time keeping and Authoritative. This set was identified from a literature review on culture for agile methods, a detailed analysis of relevant commonly used agile methods and from feedback from agile experts. This thesis involves qualitative interviews conducted in Australia, India, and the UK using an interpretive paradigm and aims to identify cultural dimensions to implement agile methods in the software engineering community. The results of this research programme provide an analytical comparative framework for implementing agile methods in different cultures, and insight into how cultural differences may affect a software project and how these challenges can be addressed through agile principles

Change and culture : the balanced scorecard and the Egyptian fertilizer manufacturing sector

This study aims to explore the influence of culture within the context of the Egyptian fertilizer industry, as being part of a non-Western culture, on the adoption of the BSC, as a typical Western change vehicle. Adopting a holistic and integrative approach, this relationship is examined, in terms of both process and content, and from different dimensions (the BSC, national culture, organisational culture). Within each dimension, related literature is critically reviewed to guide the discussion and frame the investigation of the link between culture and the BSC. More specifically, detailed comparisons between the BSC and other change and innovation management frameworks, such as TQM, JIT, and BPR have been made. Such comparisons serve to increase the understanding of both their common and their unique features. Several methods have been devised to conceptualize and assess culture including those, for example, by (Schwartz, 1999; Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1997). Here in this study, the frame of reference developed by Geert Hofstede (1980 – 2001) is used to analyse cultural phenomena. By using multiple-case study, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis, in the spirit of action research, data was collected and analysed. This action research was proven to be of great value as a research technique and a vehicle for development and change. The main findings reveal that there are, from a general perspective, salient differences in cultural values between American culture, i.e. the contextual origin of the BSC, and Egyptian culture, i.e. the research context. These cultural defences no doubt influence the adoption of Western management practices, such as the BSC. In other words, the findings reveal that there cultural differences, diversities and contradictions within Egyptian society and organisations, despite commonalities and similarities at the macro level