Another consequence of culture - intra-cultural variation

Abstract

This paper argues for the importance of intra-cultural variation (ICV) - the extent individuals of a culture vary on a particular feature. Methodologically, in making cultural comparisons, statistical significance is determined not only by cultural mean differences but also the ICVs of cultures. Ignoring ICV in making cross-cultural inference, researchers may interpret insignificant and inconsistent results as suggesting no cross-cultural difference, even though the difference may lie in the ICV. Theoretically, literature of cultural anthropology and organizational culture has documented the importance of variations and differences within cultures and their value for conceptual analysis. Reasons why ICV has been disregarded are also discussed.