Leading with Cultural Intelligence, 2012a

2.12 Culture and Leadership
What is the importance of understanding cultural value dimensions in businesses? Like other
cultural systems, organizational culture controls the behavior, values, assumptions, and beliefs of
organizational members. It is a combination of organizational members’ own beliefs and the values,
beliefs, and assumptions of the organization. It is the role of the organizational leader, as a change
agent, to help create a positive organizational culture that meets the demands of a competitive
environment, board and shareholder expectations, and employee career satisfaction.
Since the mid-1990s,
theGlobal Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) [1] research of 62 societies has
served as a significant study for understanding how cultural value dimensions are expressed in
different cultures—whether societal or organizational. Knowledge and awareness of cultural values
can enable leaders and managers to effectively manage and work through intercultural conflict and
interactions. Over 17,000 managers from 951 organizations in 62 societies participated in focus
groups, questionnaires, and interviews for this study.
Cultural Value Dimensions
The GLOBE study found that nine core dimensions of cultures exist in different societies. The first six
dimensions in the chart below originated from the cultural value dimensions Geert Hofstede proposed in
the 1980s. Table 2.4 "Cultural Dimensions as Researched in the GLOBE Study" lists other dimensions, as
well as their definitions, as described in the GLOBE study. [2]
Based on the responses generated by the study and using other research, the GLOBE researchers grouped
societies into regional clusters. The clusters were a way of creating meaning around societal views of
culture and leadership. Each cluster had characteristics specific to their region, language, religion, history,
and shared cultural understanding. Table 2.5 "GLOBE Clusters of Societies" and Table 2.6 "Clusters of
Societies and their Cultural Value Dimensions" lists each cluster and the countries that were grouped into
the clusters.
Leadership Behaviors and Culture
Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books
Saylor.org
62