Lo universal y lo cultural en el funcionamiento de las organizaciones

Which is the cultural influence of a country in regards to the international administrative tools employed by organizations? Up to which point, do considerations concerning culture engage its heterogeneity in a determined nation regarding the administrative functions of enterprises? How do local and universal issues merge? These are some topics set forth on this article. They also show the importance of culture understood as the context where organizational actions acquire sense.¿Cuál es la influencia de la cultura de un país en relación con las herramientas administrativas de carácter internacional que emplean las organizaciones? ¿Hasta qué punto las reflexiones acerca de la cultura comprometen la heterogeneidad de ésta en determinada nación respecto a las funciones administrativas de las empresas? ¿Cómo lo local y lo universal se combinan? Son algunas de las reflexiones que se plantean en el siguiente artículo, mostrándonos además la importancia de la cultura entendida como el contexto en donde las acciones organizacionales adquieren sentido

National Cultures and Organisations in Search of a Theory

The idea of a national culture is generally challenged by those using an interpretative approach. They argue that, within a given society, one comes across rival definitions of reality. But it is possible to present a theory enabling us to take into consideration what is diverse and changing as well as what is shared and stable. We will base our demonstration on empirical research related to the US and France. We will be referring to two main ideas. On the one hand, within one country, a core concern is at the heart of social existence. On the other, people, using very diverse ways, strive to find forms of organisation as well as representations that enable their members to cope with this concern. In the US, reference to the contract is pivotal, whereas in France, the main reference would be to one’s ‘ métier ’. </jats:p