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One country many cultures: Organizational cultures of firms of different country origins

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  • Lau, Chung-Ming
  • Ngo, Hang-Yue

Abstract

This study examines organizational cultures of firms of different country origins in a single country setting. Using the competing values framework and a sample of firms in Hong Kong, the cultural emphases of local Hong Kong Chinese, Mainland Chinese, American, and British firms were compared. It was found that American firms were more developmental and rational, British firms were more hierarchical, whereas Mainland Chinese firms were group-oriented, and local Hong Kong Chinese firms were developmental in nature. Strong relationships between organization cultures and employees' satisfaction and organizational commitment were also confirmed.

Suggested Citation

  • Lau, Chung-Ming & Ngo, Hang-Yue, 1996. "One country many cultures: Organizational cultures of firms of different country origins," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(5), pages 469-486, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:5:y:1996:i:5:p:469-486
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lau, Chung-Ming & Ngo, Hang-Yue, 2004. "The HR system, organizational culture, and product innovation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(6), pages 685-703, December.
    2. Bader Obeidat & Safa Al-Sarayrah & Ali Tarhini & Rand Hani Al-Dmour & Zahran Al-Salti & Rateb Sweis, 2016. "Cultural Influence on Strategic Human Resource Management Practices: A Jordanian Case Study," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(10), pages 94-114, October.
    3. Polychronakis, Yiannis E. & Syntetos, Aris A., 2007. "`Soft' supplier management related issues: An empirical investigation," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(2), pages 431-449, April.
    4. Serafini, Giovanni O. & Szamosi, Leslie T., 2015. "Five star hotels of a Multinational Enterprise in countries of the transitional periphery: A case study in human resources management," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 972-983.
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    6. Sasaki, Innan & Yoshikawa, Katsuhiko, 2014. "Going beyond national cultures – Dynamic interaction between intra-national, regional, and organizational realities," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 455-464.
    7. Jeoung Yul Lee & Vasyl Taras & Alfredo Jiménez & Byungchul Choi & Chinmay Pattnaik, 2020. "Ambidextrous Knowledge Sharing within R&D Teams and Multinational Enterprise Performance: The Moderating Effects of Cultural Distance in Uncertainty Avoidance," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 387-425, June.
    8. Pankaj C. Patel & Betty Conklin, 2012. "Perceived Labor Productivity in Small Firms—The Effects of High–Performance Work Systems and Group Culture through Employee Retention," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(2), pages 205-235, March.
    9. Maaja Vadi, 2006. "Introduction," University of Tartu - Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, in: National and international aspects of organizational culture, volume 24, chapter 0, pages 9-26, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu (Estonia).
    10. Olusoji James George & Oluwakemi Owoyemi & Uchechi Onakala, 2012. "Theorising the Concept of Organisational Artefacts: How It Enhances the Development of Corporate/Organisational Identity," International Journal of Business Administration, International Journal of Business Administration, Sciedu Press, vol. 3(4), pages 37-43, July.
    11. Zhi Chen & Shenglan Huang & Chong Liu & Min Min & Liying Zhou, 2018. "Fit between Organizational Culture and Innovation Strategy: Implications for Innovation Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-18, September.

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