This study presents empirical research findings of the impact of national and corporate cultures on managerial beliefs about employees and on company styles of treating its employees (HRM styles), measured in terms of an autocratic-participative dimension, and based on managers from three different manufacturing entities: Japanese companies in Japan (JC; n=104), Japanese subsidiaries in Bangladesh (JBC; n=102), and Bangladeshi companies (BC; n=114). As hypothesized, BC managers were found to have stronger negative ('work- avoidance') beliefs about employees and to perceive their company's HRM style as more autocratic relative to JBC and JC managers. On the other hand, a positive ('self-motivation') belief about employees was highest among JC managers, followed by JBC and BC colleagues. The participative HRM style was found correlating negatively with the work-avoidance belief across all managers as hypothesized. However, the participative HRM style correlated positively with the self-motivation belief only among JC managers, but negatively among BC managers. National and cultural differences have been discussed to explain this contradiction among BC managers.
References
1.
Ahmad, Q.K.1974. 'Aspects of Management of Nationalized Industries in Bangladesh' , The Bangladesh Development Studies, 2(3): 20-42.
2.
Brewster, C.1995. 'Towards a European Model of Human Resource Management' , Journal of International Business Studies, 26: 1-22.
3.
Boliko, M.1997. 'Participative HRM and Business Success in Japanese and Zairean SMEs', in T.W. Moore and G.B. Graen (eds), Best Papers Proceedings: Making Global Partnerships Work, Association of Japanese Business Studies, Conference proceedings.
4.
Budhwar, P.S.2000. 'Indian and British Personnel Specialists' Understanding of the Dynamics of their Function: An Empirical Study', International Business Review, 9(6): 727-53.
5.
Budhwar, P. and P. Sparrow.1998. 'National Factors Determining Indian and British HRM Practices: An Empirical Study', Management International Review, Special Issue, 38(2): 105-21.
6.
Chen, Z. and M. Wakabayashi.1996. 'Decentralization Decision Making Practices in Chinese State-owned Corporations', Japanese Journal of Administrative Behaviour, 11(1): 35-48.
7.
Debrah, Y.A., I. McGovern and P. Budhwar.2000. 'Complementary or Competition: The Development of Human Resources in a Growth Triangle', The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(2): 314-35.
8.
Easterby Smith, M., D. Malina and L. Yuan.1995. 'How Culture Sensitive is HRM? A Comparative Analysis of Practice in Chinese and UK Companies', The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 6(1): 31-59.
9.
England, G.W.1978. 'Managers and their Value Systems: A Five Country Comparative Study', Columbia Journal of World Business, 13(2): 35-34.
10.
—. 1983. 'Japanese and American Management: Theory Z and Beyond' , Journal of International Business Studies, 14(Fall): 131-41.
11.
Everett, J.E. and B.W. Stening.1983. 'Japanese and British Managerial Colleagues; How they View Each Other', Journal of Management Studies, 20(4): 467-75.
12.
Fisher, C.D. and J.B. Shaw.1992. 'Establishment Level Correlates of Human Resource Practices', Asian Pacific HRM, 30(4): 30-46.
13.
Graen G.B. and M. Wakabayashi.1994. 'Cross Cultural Leadership Making: Bridging American and Japanese Diversity for Team Advantage', in M.D. Dunnette and L.M. Hough (eds), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology , Second Edition, Vol. 4. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
14.
Graen, G.B., M. Wakabayashi and C. Chun.2000. 'Third Culture Issues and Two Culture Business Ventures in the United States and the People's Republic of China' , Japanese Journal of Administrative Science, 13(3): 87-98.
15.
Habibullah, M.1974. Motivation Mix. Dhaka: Bureau of Economic Research, University of Dhaka.
16.
Haire, M., E.E. Ghiselli and L.W. Porter.1966. Managerial Thinking: An International Study. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
17.
Hofstede, G.1980. 'Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad?', Organizational Dynamics, 9(1): 42-62.
18.
—. 1988. Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
19.
—. 1993. 'Cultural Constraints in Management Theories', Academy of Management Executive, 7(1): 81-94.
20.
Hofstede, G. and M.H. Bond.1988. 'The Confucius and Economic Growth: New Trends in Culture's Consequences', Organizational Dynamics , 16: 4-21.
21.
Idson, T.L.1989. 'Establishment Size Differentials in Internal Mobility' , The Review of Economics and Statistics, 71(4): 421-724.
22.
Jacoby, J. and J.R. Terborg.1975. 'Development and Validation of Theory X and Y Scales for Assessing McGregor's Managerial Philosophies', Teleometrics
23.
International, Spring (in Microfilm).
24.
Jackson, S.E. and R.S. Schuler.1999. 'Understanding Human Resource Management in the Context of Organizational and their Environment', in R.S. Schuler and S.E. Jackson (eds), Strategic Human Resource Management, London: Blackwell.
25.
Koike, K.1981a. Japanese Skilled Labor (in Japanese)Tokyo: Yuhikaku.
26.
—. 1981b. 'Workers' Attitudes Among Small and Medium Sized Firms ', in K. Koike (ed.), Skilled Labor Among Small and Medium Sized Firms (in Japanese). Tokyo: Dobunkan.
27.
Laurent, A.1983. 'The Cultural Diversity of Western Conceptions of Management ', International Studies of Management and Organization , 13(1 and 2): 75-96.
28.
Likert R. and J.G. Likert.1976. New Ways of Managing Conflict. New York: McGraw-Hill.
29.
McGregor, D.1960. The Human Side of Enterprise. New York : McGraw-Hill.
30.
Marsh, R.M. and H. Mannari.1981. 'Technology and Size as Determinants of the Organizational Structure of Japanese Factories', Administrative Science Quarterly, 26(1): 33-57.
31.
Miah, A.R.1991. Cross Cultural Management and Productivity: Case Studies in Bangladesh. Tokyo: Asian Productivity Organization.
32.
—. 1995. 'A Case Study of Overall Office Management in Greater Kushtia District', Journal of Business Administration, 4(1): 22-40.
33.
Miah, M.K., M. Wakabayashi and T. Tomita.2001. 'A Study on HRM Philosophies and Managers' Beliefs About Human Resources: Comparison Based on Japanese companies in Japan, and Japanese and Bangladeshi Companies in Bangladesh', The Japanese Journal of Administrative Science, 15(2): 131-44.
34.
Pascale, R.T. and A.G. Athos.1981. The Art of Japanese Management. New York: Warner Books, Inc.
35.
Rahman, M.1986. Japanese Style Management for Bangladesh Public Sector . Dhaka University Journal, c(2): 41-58.
36.
Razzaque, M.A.1991. 'The Evolution of Management in an Islamic Society—Bangladesh ', in M. Putti Joseph (ed.), Management—Asian Context. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Book Co.
37.
Sobhan, R. and M. Ahmad.1986. Public Enterprise in an Intermediate Regime. Dhaka: The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.
38.
Tagiuri, R. and G.H. Litwin (eds). 1968. Organizational Climate: Explorations of a Concept. Boston: Harvard University, Boston Division of Research, Graduate School of Business Administration.
39.
Takeuchi, N. and M. Wakabayashi.1998. 'Employment Practices in the Small- and Medium-sized Firms in Japan: Are They Different from Large Enterprises ?' Japanese Journal of Administrative Science, 12(1): 13-29.
40.
—. 1999. 'Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Motivation as Determinants of Orientations toward Japanese Employment Practices among SME Employees in Japan', Forum of International Development Studies, 14: 187-206.
41.
Vickery, L., M. Pilkington and P. Read.1990. 'Entrepreneurial Activities of European MBAs', in R. Donckels and A. Miettinen (eds), New Findings and Perspectives in Entrepreneurship. Hants: Avebury, Gower Publishing Company Ltd.
42.
Wakabayashi M. and G.B. Graen.1991. 'Cross-cultural Human Resource Management: Japanese Manufacturing Firms in Central Japan and Central US States', in Malcolm Trevor (ed.), International Business and the Management of Change. Brookfield, Vt.: Avebury.
