IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v65y2012i12p1773-1781.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Managing cross-cultural differences: Testing human resource models in Latin America

Author

Listed:
  • Bonache, Jaime
  • Trullen, Jordi
  • Sanchez, Juan I.

Abstract

This study examines whether firms should adapt their Human Resource Management (HRM) practices to cross-cultural differences. The authors introduce three different positions, namely, the culturalist, the universalist, and an integrated position that reconciles the former two named the culturally-animated universalist position. The study compares the effectiveness of these three positions in a sample of 138 firms located in Latin-America. Results suggest that, contrary to common wisdom in the International HRM literature, firms following a universalist approach outdo those using a culturalist one. However, the effect of universal HR practices on HR performance is also contingent on the country's performance orientation. The authors advocate the culturally-animated universalist position.

Suggested Citation

  • Bonache, Jaime & Trullen, Jordi & Sanchez, Juan I., 2012. "Managing cross-cultural differences: Testing human resource models in Latin America," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 1773-1781.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:65:y:2012:i:12:p:1773-1781
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.10.037
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014829631100381X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.10.037?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gomez, Carolina & Werner, Steve, 2004. "The effect of institutional and strategic forces on management style in subsidiaries of U.S. MNCs in Mexico," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(10), pages 1135-1144, October.
    2. J Stewart Black & Lyman W Porter, 1991. "Managerial Behaviors and Job Performance: A Successful Manager in Los Angeles May Not Succeed in Hong Kong," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 22(1), pages 99-113, March.
    3. Geert Hofstede, 1983. "The Cultural Relativity of Organizational Practices and Theories," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 14(2), pages 75-89, June.
    4. J Michael Geringer & Louis Hebert, 1991. "Measuring Performance of International Joint Ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 22(2), pages 249-263, June.
    5. Gomez, Carolina & Ranft, Annette L., 2003. "The influence of organizational variables on the transferability of management practices: An examination of traditional and learning manufacturing environments in Mexico," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 56(12), pages 989-997, December.
    6. Chris Brewster, 1995. "Towards a ‘European’ Model of Human Resource Management," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 26(1), pages 1-21, March.
    7. Juan Sanchez & Carolina Gomez & Guillermo Wated, 2008. "A Value-based Framework for Understanding Managerial Tolerance of Bribery in Latin America," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 83(2), pages 341-352, December.
    8. Brenes, Esteban R. & Metzger, Michael & Requena, Bernardo, 2011. "Strategic management in Latin America: Issues and assessment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 231-235, March.
    9. Karen L Newman & Stanley D Nollen, 1996. "Culture and Congruence: The Fit Between Management Practices and national Culture," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 27(4), pages 753-779, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hayek, Mario & Thomas, Christopher H. & Novicevic, Milorad M. & Montalvo, Daniel, 2016. "Contextualizing human capital theory in a non-Western setting: Testing the pay-for-performance assumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 928-935.
    2. Newburry, William & Gardberg, Naomi A. & Sanchez, Juan I., 2014. "Employer Attractiveness in Latin America: The Association Among Foreignness, Internationalization and Talent Recruitment," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 327-344.
    3. Mette Zølner, 2014. "Voices on HRM Practices: Employee Interpretations at the Subsidiary of a Danish MNC in Bangalore," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 4(11), pages 43-59, November.
    4. Mette Zølner, 2014. "Voices on HRM Practices: Employee Interpretations at the Subsidiary of a Danish MNC in Bangalore," International Journal of Business and Social Research, MIR Center for Socio-Economic Research, vol. 4(11), pages 43-59, November.
    5. Tony Edwards & Rocío Sánchez-Mangas & Patrice Jalette & Jonathan Lavelle & Dana Minbaeva, 2016. "Global standardization or national differentiation of HRM practices in multinational companies? A comparison of multinationals in five countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(8), pages 997-1021, October.
    6. Julian Andrés Diaz Tautiva & Felipe Ignacio Rifo Rivera & Sebastian Andrés Barros Celume & Sergio Andrés Rifo Rivera, 2024. "Mapping the research about organisations in the latin american context: a bibliometric analysis," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 121-169, February.
    7. Mendoza, Xavier & Carneiro, Jorge, 2012. "Introduction to the special issue of best papers Business Association of Latin American Studies 2010," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 1749-1751.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Newburry, William & Gardberg, Naomi A. & Sanchez, Juan I., 2014. "Employer Attractiveness in Latin America: The Association Among Foreignness, Internationalization and Talent Recruitment," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 327-344.
    2. Biljana Bogićević Milikić, 2009. "The Influence Of Culture On Human Resource Management Processes And Practices:The Propositions For Serbia," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, vol. 54(181), pages 93-118, April – J.
    3. Puck, Jonas F & Mohr, Alexander T & Holtbrügge, Dirk, 2006. "Cultural convergence through web-based management techniques? The case of corporate web site recruiting," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 181-195, June.
    4. Bernhard Fietz & Julia Hillmann & Edeltraud Guenther, 2021. "Cultural Effects on Organizational Resilience: Evidence from the NAFTA Region," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 5-46, March.
    5. Jae C. Jung & Paul W. Beamish & Anthony Goerzen, 2008. "FDI Ownership Strategy: A Japanese-US MNE Comparison," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 491-524, November.
    6. Hongjuan Zhang & Liang Wang & Rong Han, 2019. "The China-West divide on social capital: A meta-analysis," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 745-772, September.
    7. Kaufmann, Jeffrey B. & O'Neill, Hugh M., 2007. "Do culturally distant partners choose different types of joint ventures?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 435-448, December.
    8. Pak, Yong Suhk & Ra, Wonchan & Park, Young-Ryeol, 2009. "Understanding IJV performance in a learning and conflict mediated context," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 470-480, October.
    9. Yeongjoon Yoon & Sukanya Sengupta, 2019. "The effect of employee share ownership on employee commitment and turnover: comparing the cases in Britain and South Korea and the role of the economy," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5-6), pages 486-516, November.
    10. Harvey, Michael & Novicevic, Milorad, 2002. "The role of political competence in global assignments of expatriate managers," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 8(4), pages 389-406.
    11. Song, Fei (Sophie) & Montabon, Frank & Xu, Yuhang, 2018. "The impact of national culture on corporate adoption of environmental management practices and their effectiveness," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 313-328.
    12. Malmi, Teemu & Bedford, David S. & Brühl, Rolf & Dergård, Johan & Hoozée, Sophie & Janschek, Otto & Willert, Jeanette & Ax, Christian & Bednarek, Piotr & Gosselin, Maurice & Hanzlick, Michael & Israel, 2020. "Culture and management control interdependence: An analysis of control choices that complement the delegation of authority in Western cultural regions," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    13. Kawsar Ahmmed & Shahidul Islam & Nor Azila Mohd. Noor & Khandoker Mahmudur Rahman & Fizar Ahmed, 2019. "Toward a Theoretical Framework of Relationship Marketing in the Business Context," Tržište/Market, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, vol. 31(2), pages 209-226.
    14. Patel, Parth & Sinha, Paresha & Bhanugopan, Ramudu & Boyle, Brendan & Bray, Mark, 2018. "The transfer of HRM practices from emerging Indian IT MNEs to their subsidiaries in Australia: The MNE diamond model," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 268-279.
    15. Hannah S. Lee & David A. Griffith, 2012. "Comparative insights into the governance problems of agency theory: the influence of institutional environment on the basic human tenets," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 2(1), pages 19-33, March.
    16. J. Francois Outreville, 2014. "Risk Aversion, Risk Behavior, and Demand for Insurance: A Survey," Journal of Insurance Issues, Western Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 37(2), pages 158-186.
    17. Rode, Joseph C. & Huang, Xiaowen & Schroeder, Roger G., 2022. "Human resources practices and continuous improvement and learning across cultures," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    18. Zalewska, Anna, 2014. "Gentlemen do not talk about money: Remuneration dispersion and firm performance relationship on British boards," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 40-57.
    19. Chen, Chung-Jen & Ruey-Shan Guo, & Wang, Shan-Huei & Lin, Ya-Hui, 2022. "Power distance diversification, ownership structure, and business group performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 70-85.
    20. Cláudia Frias Pinto & Fernando Ribeiro Serra & Manuel Portugal Ferreira, 2014. "A bibliometric study on culture research in International Business," Working Papers 107, globADVANTAGE, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:65:y:2012:i:12:p:1773-1781. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.