Culture, values, and worldviews

Richard M. Steers; Carlos J. Sanchez-Runde; Luciara Nardon

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511810510.004

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3 - Culture, values, and worldviews

Richard M. Steers ,

Carlos J. Sanchez-Runde and

Luciara Nardon

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Richard M. Steers: Affiliation:
University of Oregon
Carlos J. Sanchez-Runde: Affiliation:
IESE Business School, Barcelona
Luciara Nardon: Affiliation:
Carleton University, Ottawa

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Summary

We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are.

Talmud Bavli Ancient book of wisdom, Babylonia

Ample evidence shows that the cultures of the world are getting more and more interconnected and that the business world is becoming increasingly global. As economic borders come down, cultural barriers will most likely go up and present new challenges and opportunities for business. When cultures come in contact, they may converge in some aspects, but their idiosyncrasies will likely amplify.

Robert J. House University of Pennsylvania, USA

Grasshoppers are pests in North America, pets in China, and appetizers in Thailand. What does this suggest about the influence of cultural differences on perceptions of even the lowly insect? Indeed, what does this suggest about how and why tastes in general can differ so starkly across nations and regions? If cultures can have such differing views about grasshoppers, imagine what they can do with people. Indeed, philosophers and social scientists have long noted that if you want to understand why people – including managers – behave as they do, a good place to begin is with a serious look at the cultural environment in which they work.

Consider the following three observations. First, Talmudic wisdom dates from over 2,000 years ago, yet is as true today as it was when it was initially written. As noted in the above quotation, culture influences our perceptions of world events and thereby influences our values, attitudes, and behaviors.

Type: Chapter
Information: Management across Cultures
Challenges and Strategies
, pp. 45 - 84

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511810510.004 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2010

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