Cultural repercussions: An analysis of management behaviour through the lens of European cultural variations

This pilot study complements the ongoing culture‐management behaviour discourse by systematically investigating two novel dimensions through which culture can be measured and compared between four European Union (EU) countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent these cultural dimensions influence management behaviour in different countries.

The results pertaining to the cultural dimensions “Authority driven” and “Capitalistic driven” are derived from European values study data sets. The results pertaining to variances in management behaviour are derived from an empirical questionnaire‐based study. Spearman rank correlation fitted with confidence intervals yield several significant correlations which are discussed.

The results, based on country specific samples from Slovenia, Germany, Austria and Denmark, confirm that there exists considerable differences in cultural manifestations between the four countries and that these differences have an impact on management behaviour. Most notably, a strong positive correlation was found between the comparatively highly authoritative cultures of Slovenia and Germany to thwart decentralization. Further evidence was found that the highly subordinate driven cultures of Denmark and Austria tend to have a predilection towards two‐way vertical knowledge flows. Mixed results were found on capitalistic driven cultures' impact on control mechanisms and use of motivational factors.

The results are limited to companies within the manufacturing industry of the four focus countries. It is, however, highly probable that the results lend themselves to companies in other countries with similar cultural manifestations, albeit this remains to be empirically proven.

The results provide a deeper understanding of why and how management models continue to differ throughout Europe. Managers as well as academics benefit from this discussion.

The cultural dimensions are innovative, and specifically designed to probe culture differences between elder EU countries and a transition economy. This digression from mainstream cultural manifestations provides a refreshing perspective on management implications and rejuvenates the culture debate.