David A. Ralston

The impact of national culture and economic ideology on managerial work values: a study of the United States, Russia, Japan, and China

This study assesses the impact of economic ideology and national culture on the individual work values of managers in the United States, Russia, Japan, and China. The convergence–divergence–crossvergence (CDC) framework was used as a theoretical framework for the study, while the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) was used to operationalize our investigation of managerial work values across these four countries. The findings largely support the crossvergence perspective, while also confirming the role of national culture. Implications from the findings are drawn for the convergence–divergence–crossvergence of values, as well as for the feasibility of multidomestic or global strategies for a corporate culture.

Cultural Accommodation The Effect of Language on the Responses of Bilingual Hong Kong Chinese Managers

This research examines the influence of language on the responses of bilingual Hong Kong Chinese managers. Subjects responded to either a Chinese or an English version of the Schwartz Values Survey instrument. The results suggest that the language in which an instrument is administered may produce culturally accommodating responses that can affect the results of a cross-cultural study.

Ethical perceptions of organizational politics: A comparative evaluation of American and Hong Kong managers

This paper presents a cross-cultural analysis of ethics with U.S. and Hong Kong Chinese managers as subjects. These managers were given the Strategies of Upward Influence instrument and asked to evaluate the ethics of using various political strategies to attain influence within their organizations. Differences were found between Hong Kong and U.S. managers on a variety of dimensions, indicating important differences between these two groups on their perceptions of ethical behavior. In the paper, we identify potential reasons for the findings, and suggest directions for future work in this area.

Individual Responses to the Stress of Career Plateauing

This article develops a model of the stress cycle caused by career plateauing and describes the range of possible coping responses of plateaued individuals. The selection of a coping response is viewed as being moderated by a set of individual and organizationalfactors that are associated with career development and maintenance. Based upon these moderating factors, six propositions are presented regarding an individuals choice of a coping response.

The impact of managerial values on decision-making behaviour: A comparison of the United States and Hong Kong

This study addresses cross-national value differences and how values held by managers influence their decision-making behaviour. A two-by-two research design was used to examine values held by practising managers and future business leaders in the United States and Hong Kong. Machiavellianism, locus of control, intolerance of ambiguity, and dogmatism were the measures used to assess these values. Social desirability scores were used as covariants to help control for cultural differences. The findings indicate that differences exist to affect decision-making behaviour. Consequently, managers in both environments must make adaptations to accommodate the values of those involved in transnational businesses.

Do Expatriates Change Their Behavior to Fit a Foreign Culture? A Study of American Expatriates’ Strategies of Upward Influence

This research investigates the differences in Eastern and Western culture regarding strategies of upward influence, and the degree to which foreign culture behavioral tactics are adopted by expatriates.

Strategies of upward influence: A cross-national comparison of Hong Kong and American managers

This study compares American and Hong Kong Chinese strategies for advancing in organisations. Evaluated are the likelihood of using a particular strategy, the perceived risk associated with each strategy, and the ethical appropriateness of the strategy. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine overall differences. Univariate analysis of variance identified the particular strategies that differentiated the American and Hong Kong respondents. For example, the Hong Kong Chinese were more likely to use informal information networks. The Americans were more likely to employ more individual strategies, such as image management, in order to differentiate themselves from the competition in their organisation.

The ingratiation construct: An assessment of the validity of the Measure of Ingratiatory Behaviors in Organizational Settings (MIBOS).

Independent samples were used to assess the construct validity of the Measure of Ingratiatory Behaviors in Organizational Settings (MIBOS) scale (K. Kumar & M. Beyerlein, 1991). The 4 samples included managerial personnel (n = 288), members of 2 professional organizations (n = 144), clerical employees (n = 110), and working students (n = 279). Three distinct conceptualizations were examined using confirmatory factor analysis (LISREL 8). Alternative models included (a) a 4-factor conceptualization proposed by Kumar and Beyerlein; (b) a 4-factor. 2nd-order conceptualization: and (c) a unidimensional model. None of the models provided adequate support for the factor structure of the measure. Similarly, convergent and discriminant assessments failed to provide strong support for the validity of the scale.

A model depicting the relations among perceived stressors, role conflict and organizational commitment: A comparative analysis of Hong Kong and the United States

As managers and employees from different cultures begin to encounter one another in the workplace, the need arises to understand how organizational variables relate differentially based on ones culture. This study attempts to provide a preliminary examination of the relationship between stressors, sources of conflict and job commitment across two differing cultures, specifically the United States and Hong Kong. Although more similarities than differences between the two cultures were found, this study provides at least preliminary evidence that members of different cultures may perceive some stressors differently and exhibit different relationships between stressors and work attitudes.

Intra-Coordinated Team Teaching: Benefits for Both Students and Instructors

vantage is shared with most lecture courses. Debate format courses are recommended as a promising teaching device for at least some areas of psychology. This format appears to produce more interest and independent scholarly research than other formats, particularly the lecture format. It also juxtaposes differing viewpoints on an issue allowing students to recognize controversial areas and to a certain extent to distinguish paradigmatic assumptions from empirical results. Evaluating specific learning from this format is more difficult because the instructors must disagree on at least some important points in order to present a debate. Finally, the debate course had a stimulating effect on the instructors. Although both of us had taught similar material in the past, the debate forced us to re-read and re-think both our own and the opposing position more intensely than is necessary to repeat lecture material with appropriate up-dates.