Information sharing by management: some cross-cultural results

Abstract

The influence of national cultures on managerial styles, information needs, and on information sharing were examined in Bolivia, Hungary, and Poland. Survey data were collected and comparative statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance. The results shed some light on preferred managerial styles by country, amount of structure in the work environment, information sharing, and some speculations about employees trained under socialism. The analysis focused on the effects of age, gender, education, type of work assignment, organization type, tenure at work, and position at the organization, by national culture. Results indicate that national cultures do indeed influence the availability and dissemination of information. Though Hungarian and Polish workers on the average tended to wish for more structure, there was no evidence to suggest that younger members of the work force would prefer more structure and control in their daily work life than workers with longevity. The data indicate that although the communists may have tried to change work values, they did not succeed; a conclusion corroborated by others. As compared to Bolivia, the significance of gender in Hungarian and Polish work life was found to be greater. The authors make recommendations for Western businesses preparing to enter into multicultural environments overseas.