Hamid Yeganeh

An examination of human resource management practices in Iranian public sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze HRM practices in Iran in view of underlying cultural, political and economic factors.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is organized in three major parts. The first part deals with HRM concept and Iranian social context. The second part presents methodology and data analysis. The third part discusses results and illustrates HRM practices in Iranian organizations. The study involves in‐depth interviews with four Iranian managers and data collected from 82 respondents through Likert‐type questionnaires (n=82, rate of response=44 per cent).Findings – The findings in the paper shed light on the main HRM functions in the Iranian public sector. Staffing is marked by pervasiveness of networking, entitlement, compliance with Islamic/revolutionary criteria and high job security. Compensation is described by features such as fixed pay, ascription/seniority‐based reward, and hierarchical pay structure. Training and development programs are found to be unplanned ...

Conceptual Foundations of Cultural Management Research

This article is a reflection on conceptual foundations of cultural management research. By relying on extant literature, a few conceptual underpinnings are examined and criticized, and some suggestions for improvement are proposed. Discussing such issues can be useful not only for advancing future research but also for achieving a more profound understanding of previous studies and their limitations.

Comprehending core cultural orientations of Iranian managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on key features of Iranian managerial culture by discussing underlying social and organizational consequences.Design/methodology/approach – The paper has been organized in two major parts: conceptualization and discussion. First, the notions of culture and cultural orientations are treated and then, based on the framework proposed by Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, cultural orientations of Iranian managers are investigated.Findings – The findings suggest that Iranian managerial culture is characterized by traditional values such as collectivism, past orientation, high hierarchical distance and evil orientation expressed in terms of mistrust and conspiracy.Research limitations/implications – The findings of this research are limited in terms of scope, cultural orientations and sample size. Further studies may incorporate more cultures and take into account the effects of existing sub‐cultures to present a more enlightening picture.Practical implications – The ...

Cultural values and gender gap: a cross‐national analysis

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the effects of cultural values on gender gap., – First, by relying on the extant literature, the concepts of cultural values and gender gap are framed and variables are defined. Then, the relationships among variables are hypothesized and the theoretical model is constructed. Finally, empirical tests are conducted, the results are analyzed, and theoretical/practical implications are discussed., – The results show that controlling for the effects of socio‐economic variables, culture still has important implications for gender gap. More specifically, it is found that conservatism value dimension is associated with higher levels of gender gap, but autonomy cultural dimension may lead to gender equality., – This study is limited to three pairs of cultural values as proposed by Schwartz. Another major limitation of this study resides in the theoretical model and linear data analysis techniques used to investigate the relationship between culture and gender gap., – The findings of this study could have important practical implications in many areas of social sciences such as political science, management and organizational studies, education, international law, and human resource management., – By considering the implications of cultural values, policy makers and business leaders may adopt effective strategies to promote gender equalities at the societal and organizational levels., – While many studies have focused on some narrow aspects such as gender‐based differences in labour, employment, remuneration, political representation, education, and leadership, in this study, the authors relied on a comprehensive conceptualization of the gender gap. Considering the reliability of data and the variety of countries/cultures included, the results seem very significant.

The effects of cultural orientations on preferred compensation policies

This study aims at examining the relationship between cultural orientations and preferences for compensation policies. The study involves two concepts: culture and compensation. In the first part of this article, these concepts are framed; and in the second part, after direct measurement of both cultural traits and compensation preferences, their relationships are tested and discussed. Our findings suggest that while culture represents an important factor in human resource management, its effects on compensation preferences should be viewed as partial and moderate. Further analysis reveals that the effects of culture on preferred compensations may vary from one orientation to another. While some cultural orientations are more likely to affect pay policies, others seem to be of lesser importance. Similarly, it is found that compensation policies are not affected equally by cultural orientations. By analyzing the extent and direction of cultural effects, the study provides some insights into designing compensation policies and points out the managerial implications.

Culture and corruption

Purpose - – This study aims at investigating the effects of cultural values on corruption by integrating Hofstedes, Schwartzs, and Ingleharts frameworks. Design/methodology/approach - – First, corruption is conceptualized and Schwartzs, Hofstedes and Ingleharts cultural dimensions are presented. In the second part, the relationships among concepts are discussed and the hypotheses, variables, and theoretical models are presented. Then, the empirical tests are conducted, the theoretical/managerial implications are discussed, and an integrative model is proposed. Findings - – The empirical analysis confirms that after controlling for the effects of socio-economic development, cultural values have considerable influence on the level of perceived corruption. More specifically, it is found that Hofstedes High Power Distance, High Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity and Collectivism, Schwartzs Conservatism and Harmony, and Ingleharts Survival and Traditional-religious dimensions are associated with the corrupt behavior. By contrast, the opposite values namely Hofstedes Low Power Distance, Low Uncertainty Avoidance, Femininity, and Individualism, Schwartzs Autonomy and Mastery, and Ingleharts Self-Expression and Rational-secular dimensions tend to impede corruption. Research limitations/implications - – This study has a limited scope as it relies on narrow conceptualizations of culture and corruption. Furthermore, like many cross-cultural studies, the current analysis relies solely on the national-level data and overlooks the effects of intra-national variations. It is important to note that while culture has important implications for the corrupt behavior, its effects should not be considered as deterministic. Practical implications - – By referring to the integrative model of this study, managers and scholars can conveniently describe a countrys culture, understand the implications, and make sense of the level of associated corruption. Originality/value - – This study contributes to the literature by integrating three widely employed cultural frameworks, by incorporating a large number of countries into the research design, by providing a profound understanding of the influence of culture on corruption, and particularly by offering a comprehensive model for scholars and practitioners.

A Cross-National Investigation into the Effects of Religiosity on the Pervasiveness of Corruption

Relying on data drawn from more than 70 countries, this study examines the effects of religiosity, religious denominations, and communist heritage on the pervasiveness of corrupt business behavior. It is found that even after controlling for the effects of socioeconomic development, communist heritage and religiosity tend to promote corruption. From the principal–agent and modernization perspectives, the theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, and some avenues for future research are pointed out.

The “Great Satan” talks with the “Evil”

Purpose – This article aims to analyze the Iranian and American national cultures and to discuss the implications of cultural differences for communication/negotiation styles.Design/methodology/approach – First, the concept of culture is framed and an integrative model of cultural analysis is constructed. Then, building on the extant literature and secondary data, the various traits of American and Iranian national cultures are analyzed and the implications for communication/negotiation are discussed.Findings – It is found that Iran and America portray dissimilar and somewhat opposed cultural orientations that might create substantial obstacles to their bilateral communications/negotiations. Recommendations for more effective communications/negotiations are provided and avenues for future research are pointed out.Research limitations/implications – Both Iran and the USA are diverse societies and obviously cannot be considered as monolithic cultures. Moreover, any generalization about the national culture ...

A compound index of cultural dimensions: implications and applications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a compound index of cultural dimensions.Design/methodology/approach – First, the idea of the compound index is described. Then, by integrating Hofstedes and Ingleharts frameworks, the Compound Culture Index (CCI) is constructed, its scores for different countries are computed, and its robustness is validated. Finally, the theoretical implications and practical applications are discussed and some avenues for future research are pointed out.Findings – A Compound Culture Index (CCI) on the basis of Hofstedes and Ingleharts frameworks is conceptualized, computed, and validated.Research limitations/implications – Culture is a very complex concept and cannot be fully grasped by a few dimensions or a dichotomous index. Hofstedes and Ingleharts models have some theoretical/operational differences and correspond to dissimilar time frames that may make their integration imperfect. Due to lack of data, Hofstedes fifth dimension (Timer Orientation) was not includ...

An investigation into the cultural and religious determinants of national competitiveness

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically investigate the effects of cultural and religious factors on national competitiveness.Design/methodology/approach – First, the concepts of national competitiveness, cultural values and religiosity are defined. Then, the relationships between these concepts are discussed and the hypotheses, variables, and theoretical models are presented. Finally, the empirical tests are conducted, the results are examined, and the theoretical/practical implications are discussed.Findings – The empirical results show that controlling for the effects of socioeconomic development, culture and religiosity still have important implications for national competitiveness. More specifically, it is found that Autonomy, Hierarchy and Mastery cultural dimensions are likely to foster national competitiveness, but Conservatism, Egalitarianism and Harmony dimensions tend to impede national competitiveness. Additionally, it is found that regardless of the religious denomination, religiosity by its...