Robert Doktor

From the Atlantic to the Pacific Century: Cross-Cultural Management Reviewed

This article reviews the areas of comparative and cross-cultural management and discusses the impact of cultural diversity on international organizational behavior. With the growing shift of business from the Atlantic to the Pacific Basin, East-West cultural differences are becoming increasingly significant. Research in developmental psychology, sociology, and anthropology shows that there are major differences among the cognitive processes of people from different cultures. In the era of the global corporation, cultural diversity has to be recognized, understood, and appropriately used in organizations. It is suggested that cross-cultural management would greatly benefitfrom comparative studies considering the impact of the cognitive aspects of culture on managerial practice.

The role of organizational culture in the management of clinical e-health systems

The research here presented focuses upon the informal, social, and cultural side of managerial coordination and control as manifested in clinical e-health systems. Specifically, the research seeks to analyze and determine the role specific dimensions of organizational culture may have upon effective managerial coordination and control in clinical e-health systems.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific Century

International commerce is vital to national prosperity. According to Robert Frederick, chairman of the National Foreign Trade Council, 80% of United States industry now faces international competition. The growing interdependence of national economies has created a demand for managers sophisticated in international business and skilled in working with people from other cultures. Just to remain competitive, the world of business is asking international questions and demanding global answers.

Organizational Learning and Culture in the Managerial Implementation of Clinical e-Health Systems: An International Perspective

When introducing a new technology that changes the core processes of an organization, such as an e-health initiative, it is important that the structural design and culture of the organization is aligned with the predominant national culture in which the organization is embedded. When a harmonious alignment is achieved, speedy and effective organizational learning can occur. This, in turn, promotes effective utilization of the new technology. The cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance provides guidance on the type of organizational culture and structure to establish. Our research in five countries supports the believe that in national cultures in which high uncertainty avoidance is predominant, such as France, a highly mechanistic organization is favored; in cultures in which a low uncertainty avoidance dominates, such as the USA, a more organic organizational form should increase the probability of success in promoting effective organizational learning and thereby successfully implementing an e-health strategic intent.

Implementing Store-and-Forward Telemedicine: Organizational Issues

This article documents a study of an organizations cultural readiness for successful implementation of a store-and-forward telemedicine system in a military health care environment. The study focused on the organizations cultural attributes that reflect its learning propensity and thereby its capability to adapt effectively and utilize the new technology. Results suggest that the organization did not possess the most favorable attributes for the utilization of a new technology, and the utilization of the new system was significantly lower than expected during the first 6 months of implementation.

Sustained Rapid Economic Growth and Cultural Convergence: Comparative Longitudinal Analysis of Evidence from GLOBE & Hofstede

Two landmark studies of national culture undertaken approximately a quarter century apart present a unique opportunity for a longitudinal analysis of the shift in cultural values in work organizations over time. Using comparable data from Hofstede and GLO BE, we investigate the hypothesis that, in the rapidly developing nations of Asia, there has been a convergence of collectivist values in work organizations toward the level of collectivist values found in work organizations in the highly developed nations of the major economies. Findings suggest that collectivist values in rapidly developing nations are converging towards collectivist values of highly developed countries. This convergence is not exclusively due to economic growth or wealth but rather due to the speed of the economic growth. Specifically, periods of prolonged rapid economic transformation appear to also have a transforming effect on national cultural values. Implications of this finding and directions for future research are discussed.

Entrepreneurship as wisdom

The pragmatic correspondence thesis regarding strategic management theory and moral philosophy is adapted in this paper to apply it to the constructs of entrepreneurship and wisdom. Accordingly, a mapping between elements of both constructs is set out. The resulting qualities of wise entrepreneurship include (1) the selection of good purposes, (2) a mindfulness of the business and personal life cycles, (3) authentic prioritisation and (4) explication: the demonstration as well as explanation of enterprise purposes and plans.

Limits of predictability in forecasting in the behavioral sciences

Abstract A series of methodological problems in forecasting which arise out of the humanness of the predictor and/or predictee are reviewed. These include (1) perceptual disordering, in which the imperfect nature of data collected by human sensation is investigated, (2) model disordering, in which the imperfect nature of models and theories arising out of human information processing limitations is investigated, and lastly, (3) obtrusive reactive disordering, in which the human tendencies of the predictee, to guess the forecast, and to alter his or her behavior so as to reinforce or interfere with the forecast, are explored. The implications of these methodological dilemmas for forecasting are discussed.

Telemedicine as an IS implementation problem: comparison of dynamics in the USA and India

The research reported here involved a longitudinal study, lasting three years, of the utilisation of an IS system designed to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare for the US military and their dependents. This study employed elements of a positivist methodology and an intensive research method. A discussion of the difficulties and conflicts inherent in multimethodological studies is presented. Findings indicate that low utilisation rates arose from a cultural mind set mismatch. This is compared to findings in India concerning the implementation of GIS systems. The mismatch was between the cultural variables conducive to organisational learning found in the implementing organisation. The Primary Care Clinic yielded low organisational learning cultural variables that were non-conducive to rapid adoption of the new and intrusive IS technology.

Introducing telemedicine as a strategic intent

In many settings, the introduction of new technologies has failed. In the healthcare industry, the implementation of telemedicine-which uses technology in ways that revolutionize the delivery process of healthcare-has failed more often than not. Reasons abound, but one of the most critical features when introducing a technology or process that will profoundly alter an organization is that the technology or process be implemented as a strategic intent; deliberate, championed and strongly led from the top, not from within a single department or functional area. The paper discusses the introduction of telemedicine as strategic intent.