Cultural values from managers' and academicians' perspectives: the case of Turkey

Incivility, Mobbing, and Abusive Supervision: A Tripartite Scale Development Study

Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, in three consecutive studies with employed samples, we developed measures of workplace incivility, mobbing, and abusive supervision sensitive to the nuances of a non-Western context (i.e., Türkiye). In Study 1, we first conducted 15 focus groups (N = 149), identified culture-specific and universal themes underlying the focal mistreatment types, and developed the initial scales. We then pilot-tested (N = 427) and refined the scales using exploratory factor analytic procedures. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyses (N range = 456-524) and associations between the new scales and their widely used counterparts (N = 353) yielded evidence for the construct validity of the scales. Study 2 also involved the development of short forms of relatively long incivility and abusive supervision scales. In Study 3 (N = 482), we first examined the extent to which the three scales were operationally distinct. Second, we examined the scales' ability to predict burnout and organizational commitment. Results supported operational distinctiveness as well as the criterion-related validity of the scales. A dominance analysis revealed that the three scales had equivalent contributions in explaining the two outcome variables, further justifying their distinctiveness. We argue that the use of present scales is not necessarily restricted to the Turkish context and may prove useful more broadly in other neo-traditional contexts.

Impact of cultural values on leadership roles and paternalistic style from the role theory perspective

Purpose

This paper researches the effects of the cultural context from values' ground on leadership roles and the effects of roles on styles. The idea behind this study is to show that cultural communities have different cultural models regarding the kinds of roles leaders should or should not play.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample was chosen from the part of the town where the immigrant workforce is growing, as well as it is the closest growing economic area to Europe in Turkey.

Findings

The analysis shows that cultural values significantly affect leadership roles. Additionally, there is a correlation between roles and paternalistic leadership style. Asian cultural values do affect leadership roles more than Western values. Additionally, each culture is diminishing the other. As leadership roles increase, they are acting as paternalistic leadership substitutes.

Originality/value

Interestingly we have introduced paternalistic leadership substitutes to literature and showed that paternalistic leadership is not only culturally but also contextually bounded.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL VALUES AND TRUST FOR INNOVATION — A EUROPEAN STUDY

Cultural values and social capital are important parts of the context that determines countries’ innovation performance (and, hence, economic development). This paper investigates the culture–innovation relationship in a European context, as well as the mediating role of the national-level trust in this connection. Data are used to test the hypotheses that a country’s innovation performance is influenced by its cultural value emphases and societal trust, and that the culture–innovation relationship is mediated by societal trust. Based on data from the Global Innovation Index and the European Social Survey covering 27 European countries, we find that innovation at the country level is positively correlated with the level of societal trust and with three cultural value dimensions: “Autonomy versus Embeddedness”, “Egalitarianism versus Hierarchy”, and “Harmony versus Mastery”. A multivariate SEM analysis reveals that when “Autonomy versus Embeddedness” is controlled, the two other cultural value dimensions are no longer significant. Further, a SEM path analysis confirms that the relationship between cultural values and innovation performances is completely mediated through the level of trust in a society. Overall, “Autonomy versus Embeddedness” has a stronger total effect than societal trust on a country’s innovation performance, but most of this effect is indirect, mediated through societal trust. Implications of our findings for the corporate level (i.e., entrepreneurs and managers) as well as for the institutional settings (i.e., policy makers) are discussed. It is suggested that for successful innovation to blossom, the actors on both levels should aim at strengthening the cultural emphasis on individual autonomy, institutional integrity and mutual trust.

Constructing a typology of culture in organizational behavior

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to propose a typology of culture and to present a hybrid model to be used as the base in organizational behavior and cross-cultural management research.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study provides a conceptual analysis and general review of the literature to clarify and to classify the usage of culture models and cultural orientations to reduce confusion concerning cultural studies.

Findings

– The first part of the proposed typology covers only the concept of organizational culture which has been examined around qualitative and cognitive approaches. While the second part is related to the use of socio-cultural dimensions, the third part of the proposed typology covers universal cultural orientations (patterns) framework only. The outcome of this study is the presentation of a hybrid model which provides a comprehensive methodological framework for conducting culture research.

Practical implications

– The typology of culture developed in this study would be of help for researchers designing their studies on the subject of culture, socio-cultural dimensions and cultural patternings from more appropriate theoretical perspectives and methods.

Originality/value

– The theoretical framework in this study provides insight in selecting more suitable culture models to examine the subject in managerial organizational studies.