A cross-national exploration of the potential cultural antecedents of organisational improvisation

Abstract

In this paper, the author extends the existing theory of improvisation in business to an international setting. The author develops a theoretical framework for an analysis of the potential influence of national culture on the propensity for organisational improvisation. Specifically, the author suggests that organisational improvisation may be more likely to occur in low rather than high uncertainty avoidance cultures, in collectivistic rather than individualistic cultures, in low rather than high power distance cultures, and in masculine rather than feminine cultures. Additionally, the author provides a preliminary analysis of the potential for propensity for organisational improvisation in 50 countries and three regions based on their cultural characteristics.