The impact of economic globalization on work and family collectivism in India

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of economic globalization on work and family collectivism for young middle class Indians.Design/methodology/approachThe study surveys more than 1,000 individuals living in globalized and lesser‐globalized cities in India. The data are analyzed using factor analysis, independent sample t‐tests and multiple regressions.FindingsResults suggest that in an increasingly globalizing India, young Indians will strive to preserve traditional values of collectivity when it comes to family, but will loosen their reins on work‐place collectivism.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to examining the educated middle class in India as they are at the forefront of globalization. The intention of the study is not to assess national culture as a whole, but to predict cultural shifts in India.Practical implicationsThe results provide critical insight as to how values are changing in a nation that promises to be a prominent feature on the global economic map in this century. Such insight is not only useful to scholars who wish to predict behavior within firms and organizations, but also to policy makers, entrepreneurs and businesses, as it informs them of impending infrastructure needs which must be met via public, private, and/or public‐private ventures.Originality/valueRecently, there has been a vital recognition that large‐scale intuitional changes, such as globalization, call for a reexamination of not only values worldwide, but also their changing dynamics. This paper heeds the call for understanding the onset of value changes in India as a result of its rapid economic and social transformation.