Exploratory Study of within-Country Differences in Work and Life Values

Abstract

The goal of the article is to present the results of an exploratory study that analyses a sample of business students from two geographically separated regions (the North-East and the South-West) in Spain, to establish if different sub-cultures can be detected within one country, taking into account work and life values. Measures of culture (defined by a set of work and life values) were constructed, and data were obtained from 653 business students in these two distinct geographical locations. Results suggested in an indirect manner that the universal theory of culture as proposed by Hofstede and other colleagues was not entirely confirmed in the Spanish context. Variances along the set of eight value factors emerging as the underlying structure of culture (four work values and four life values) were widely spread, and significant differences in values were found for the two locations. Moreover, an individual difference, gender, was found to play a major role in attributing importance to various work and life values. Findings emphasize the importance of diverse sub-cultures within a single country (Spain), and the article explores the implications for management practices and research