Slovenia and Austria: Divergence and Convergence of Economic Cultures

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Slovenia and Austria Divergence and Convergence
of Economic Cultures
Christiane Erten Sylvia Meierewert Robert
Balazic European Institute Interdisciplinary
Department of Management and Organisational
Behaviour Vienna University of Economics and
Business Administration
IACCM Conference 2004 21-22 May 2004, Napoli,
Italy
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(Theoretical) Background

• Numerous empirical studies comparing different
  cultures
• e.g. Hofstede 1980/1997 Trompenaars 1984,
  Schwartz 1992 House/Javidan/Hanges/Dorfman 2002,
  etc)
• Patterns of behaviour of specific professional
  groups rather rare
• Culture Standard Research
• e.g. Thomas 1996, Dunkel/Mayrhofer 2001,
  Fink/Meierewert 2001, Flanagan 1954, Mayring 1996
• concerning Austria - Slovenia Feichtinger/Langer/
  Meierewert 2001, Rabl 2002, Balazic 2004
• Culture standards...represent parts of a
  universal reference system that is specific for a
  nation, society, organisation, or group. It
  influences perception, thinking, judgement, and
  actions of all members of the nation, society, or
  group.

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Methods used in culture standard research

• Sampling
• Target group managers, students,
• Individuals representing a particular field of
  action
• Sojourn of about 6 months (culture shock)
• Experts (culture knowledge, history)
• Data gathering
• Open interviews (Critical incident technique
  Flanagan, 1954)
• Opinion of experts
• Opinion of culturally mixed focus group(s)
• Core characteristics
• Quantity of incidents
• Emerging categories

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Methodological procedure in this study - a
fourfold feed-back loop

• 1.Feed-back loop
• During the narrative interview itself with
  feed-back questions such as...
• Individuals representing a particular field of
  action
• Sojourn of about 6 months (culture shock)
• Experts (culture knowledge, history)
• 2.Feed-back loop
• Involvement of culture experts of the reference
  country
• Standard literature on cultural history and
  humanities
• 3.Feed-back loop
• Comparison between the bilateral results of 3
  independent studies
• 4.Feed-back loop Report and discussion with new
  partners (conferences, networks,...)

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Research Design Sample
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Strengths and weaknesses

• Strengths and weaknesses
• Remember concrete situations (incidents)
• Context of the interview embarrassed, concpet of
  face, stereotyping
• Coping strategies, interpretations schemes
• Data gathering
• General problem of defining culture
• Representativity versus validity of samples?
• Field of action
• Data interpretation
• Quantity of incidents (qualitative research)
• Context of incidents
• Consider incidents, creative generalisations and
  stereotypes
• Context focused approach to get results about
  culture specific and sub-culture specific
  behaviour

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Results Austrian and Slovenian culture standards
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Results Austrian and Slovenian culture standards
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Results Austrian and Slovenian culture standards
 
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Practical implications

• Insight into context-specific knowledge
  (management relevant behaviour)
• Such knowledge enables to better understand
  critical situations
• Basis for the development of coping strategies
• Basis for the development of intercultural
  trainings