Vertical Individualism Research Articles

Culture change and globalization: The unresolved debate between cross-national and cross-cultural classifications

This study intends to examine the assumptions of culture homogeneity within nations and its stability in the current global context. First, by using a sample of 720 respondents (207 in Canada, 263 in Japan, and 250 in Morocco), it empirically examines the cultural values of three countries at three different continents (Canada in North America, Japan in East Asia, and Morocco in North Africa) and compares the findings to Hofstede's framework. Second, it tests for the existence of cultural segments transcending the national boundaries. Cultural values are measured using the horizontal–vertical individualism and collectivism scale. The findings show that: (i) horizontal collectivism dominates the cultural environment of these three countries; (ii) horizontal collectivism and horizontal individualism coexist in Canada; and (iii) vertical individualism characterizes Morocco and Japan more than Canada. In addition, the study reports three segments that transcend national borders, each of them sharing the same cultural values. When compared with each other, the three clusters completely differ on horizontal collectivism, vertical collectivism, and horizontal individualism. The research concludes that some changes are occurring in cultural values/patterns in the three studied countries.

Lifestyle segmentation of tourists seeking nature-based experiences: the role of cultural values and travel motives

ABSTRACTThe increasing globalization of markets and the criticality of reaching the right lifestyle segments make the relationship between personal motives and cultural values an important area for academic research and managerial practice. The authors seek to provide an understanding of this relationship in a tourism context, specifically in terms of the links between travel motivations and a set of cultural values – materialism, uncertainty avoidance, horizontal and vertical individualism, and horizontal and vertical collectivism. The study examined whether the importance ratings of cultural values differ across segments of tourists grouped on the basis of their travel motives. An Internet survey was used and the sample included 1546 potential tourists visiting the nature-based destination Fjord Norway. Results showed that travel motives and cultural values can serve as discriminators between lifestyle segments. The three motive segments were the nature and novelty, the status, and the relaxation segment. The segments evaluate the destination differently and vary in behavioral intentions.

Leadership in a humane organization

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the way leadership influences an organization to become humane through its features and behaviors; as well as the organizational circumstances in which humane leadership can be nurtured. The first empirical case study, in the fields of Human Resource Development (HRD) and hospitality management, to explore the way employees from different national cultures (as measured by their individualistic/collectivistic values), in a US-based hotel, perceive their workplace to be a humane organization (HO), as defined by Chalofsky (2008), was the one made by Dimitrov (2009, 2010). More specifically, the example set by leadership in the studied hospitality organization is the focus of the present descriptive manuscript. The importance of HRD concepts such as the HO for the academic study and practical development of leadership in organizations is significant, through the effects leadership has on employee satisfaction and engagement at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – The exploratory research mentioned above used a single embedded case study with 17 participants, selected via purposeful convenience sampling, who represented management, supervisory and professional line-level employees from a culturally diverse full-service hotel in a major metropolitan area. The instrument of Singelis et al. (1995) for horizontal and vertical individualism (I) and collectivism (C), as well as the instrument of Triandis and Singelis (1998) for I and C, was applied to every respondent to determine their cultural belonging. One-on-one interviews, written reflections and documentary analysis, as well as observations of the social and physical aspects of the participants’ workplace, were conducted. Findings – Five leadership sub-themes were observed to the general theme “Setting the Example” of the study’s findings: company values for leadership styles and employee treatment; the legacy of one charismatic leader (the previous general manager); leader–follower communication; how the workplace feels intrinsically; and how the work environment becomes negative. The study led to the formation of two new characteristics of the HO (Dimitrov, 2009), of which one could be recommended as the main focus of leadership in an HO: being cognizant and understanding of individuals as human beings, not just as employees. The traits and behaviors of some modern leadership theories such as authentic leadership, transformational leadership and charismatic leadership were combined under the concept – humane leadership. Research limitations/implications – The research of more culturally diverse organizations in different counties, brand cultures and economic sectors, under various research methodologies, and in the context of classical and recent leadership theories, was recommended to establish further weather I and C employees’ expectations of their leadership would make a difference for the sustenance of an HO. Practical implications – Furthermore, organizations and HRD practitioners are encouraged to invest more time, efforts and resources into leadership development programs that create such humane leadership skills and prepare quality leaders who are well-perceived and trusted by their culturally diverse workforce. Originality/value – The importance of HRD concepts such as the HO for the academic study and practical development of leadership in organizations is significant, through the effects leadership has on employee satisfaction and engagement at the workplace. Humane leaders can be nurtured in a humane organizational culture.

Базовые убеждения и культурные установки как предикторы эмоционального и психологического благополучия горожан и сельчан

The paper presents and discusses outcomes of a research on cultural attitudes and basic beliefs as predictors of psychological and emotional well-being in urban and rural populations. As it was revealed, beliefs contribute to the emotional and psychological well-being of both people living in urban and in rural areas. The rates of regression explaining the variations in psychological well-being by beliefs are higher in those living in rural areas, whereas the rates explaining emotional well-being are higher in urban population. The most significant predictor of the subjective well-being is one’s belief in the worth of his/her Self and in other people’s kindness. Also, of much importance for the well-being of those living in the cities (in contrast to the rural population) is their belief in luck. The impact of cultural context on the psychological well-being is higher in the rural population, while its impact on their emotional well-being remains unclear. However, if the city represents the impact of vertical individualism, in the rural areas it is horizontal individualism and collectivism that play an important role in the prediction. Thus beliefs and cultural context to a greater extent account for the variations in the psychological well-being in the rural population than in the urban one. Inclusion in a social territorial community also predetermines the differences in the prediction of the emotional and psychological well-being. The research was conducted with the assistance of the Russian Foundation for Humanities, project № 14-06-00250а “Structure and Predictors of Subjective Well-Being: Ethnopsychological Analysis”.

문헌정보학과 학생들의 문화성향과 협력학습의 관련성 연구 - 자기평가와 동료평가를 중심으로 -

본 연구는 문헌정보학과 학생들의 문화성향을 파악하고 성향별로 협력학습이 어떻게 이루어지는지에 대해서 파악하였다. 문화성향을 파악하기 위해서 Triandis(1988)의 척도를 사용하여 4가지 수준(수평적 개인주의, 수직적 개인주의, 수평적 집단주의, 수직적 집단주의)으로 평가하였다. 각 수준별 협력행태는 자기평가와 동료평가 결과를 바탕으로 분석하였다. 그 결과, 문화성향으로 66.7% 학생들이 수평적 집단주의 성향을 보였으며 이들은 협력학습에 적극적으로 참여하고 높은 기여도를 보이는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 성별에 따른 협력학습의 차이에서 여학생이 남학생보다 높은 기여도를 보인 반면 만족도에서는 낮은 만족도를 보였다. 이러한 결과는 학생들의 협력학습을 향상시키기 위해 활용될 것으로 기대된다. This study exploratively investigated the cultural disposition of undergraduates in LIS and their collaborative learning. To identify the cultural disposition, this study employed the Triandis' scale identifying four dimensions including horizontal individualism, vertical individualism, horizontal collectivism, vertical collectivism. Additionally, their collaborative learning was analyzed by self- and peer-evaluation surveys. The findings showed that 66.7% LIS students had the horizontal collectivism and their contribution to the collaboration was higher than other groups. Additionally, the gender difference indicated that female students actively participated in the collaboration and gave more contributions than male students. However, the female students had low satisfaction to the collaboration. These results can be used to improve LIS students' collaborative learning.

개인 문화성향에 따른 정보 인식과 태도 차이에 대한 연구

본 연구는 개인의 다양한 문화성향이 맥락적으로 제공되는 정보의 인지와 태도에 어떻게 영향을 미치는지를 파악하고 효과적인 정보전달방법을 제시하고자 하였다. 개인 문화성향의 파악을 위해 개인주의/집단주의에 수직적/수평적 차원을 첨가하여 네 그룹으로 분류하는 Triandis(1988)의 척도를 적용하였으며 실험 연구방법을 통해 결과를 얻었다. 실험결과 수평적 집단주의의 성향을 가진 학생의 수가 가장 많았으며, 반면에 수직적 개인주의의 성향은 한국 학생들에게 드물게 나타나는 것으로 파악되었다. 회귀분석 방법을 사용한 맥락적 정보인지에 대한 조사에서 수직적 집단주의 성향의 개인들이 더 많은 맥락적 정보인지를 하였다는 결과를 얻었다. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of individual cultural disposition on the perception of contextual information and attitude toward contextual material, and to provide the effective ways of delivering information. To investigate individual cultural disposition, this study employed Triandis(1988)'s cultural scale that classified people into four categories using individualism/collectivism and vertical/horizontal dimensions. The results revealed that Korean college students had higher horizontal collectivism than other cultural dispositions, but only a few Korean college students had vertical individualism. The results using regression analysis revealed that Korean college students with vertical collectivism significantly perceived more contextual information than other groups.

Culture and gender differences in romantic jealousy

Jealousy is an intense emotion that is experienced in the context of romantic relationships. Previous research reported gender differences in ratings of jealousy over a sexual versus emotional infidelity. This study explored culture and gender differences in jealousy using a mixed methods survey design. One hundred and forty-five undergraduates from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo participated. The Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism Scale, Self-Report Jealousy Scale, and a modified Emotional and Sexual Jealousy Scale were used for analyses. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that gender was a better predictor than culture in jealousy ratings involving an emotional infidelity; but culture was a better predictor for jealousy ratings involving a sexual infidelity. t-Tests also revealed that those who experienced an infidelity in the past reported significantly higher jealousy ratings and that women reported significantly higher jealousy ratings in emotional but not in sexual infidelity than men. The qualitative results revealed four dominant themes related to participant’s causal attributions of jealousy: Infidelity, Expectations of Time and Commitment, Social Media and Self-Esteem. The authors suggest that future research focus on intersexual and intrasexual differences in jealousy, as well the role social media may play in relationship expectations.

Universal truths: can universally held cultural values inform the modern corporation?

Purpose– There are four criteria that people universally value: health, well-being, longevity, and environmental preservation. When these criteria are violated, a society becomes unsustainable. In order to preserve cultures, these four universal criteria therefore need to be taken into account. But nation states are no longer the dominant form of social organizing – corporations are. This raises questions about the role of corporations in preserving cultural values. How do corporations measure up to these four universal truths? Can corporations live up to these values, above and beyond financial performance, and does it matter? The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– Amidst a shifting trend toward vertical individualism which emphasizes personal needs, status, and hierarchy, the paper argues that the universal truths are more important than ever in the consideration of corporate social responsibility.Findings– The paper concludes that although most companies claim to be attending to social and environmental issues, the current form of corporate governing is largely incapable of optimizing the four universally held values.Originality/value– The authors present some examples of corporations and corporate forms that appear to be heading in the “right” direction, but highlight that challenges remain. Nevertheless, the cross-culture literature can help inform the future of the relationship between business, society, and the natural environment.

A Study of Relatıonship between Perceived Organızational Justice and Individualism Collectivism Values Among Academic Staff

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the individuals’ perceptions of justice in the organizations they work in and the personality tendencies of individualism or collectivism they have. For that reason, firstly the concept of organizational justice and the values of collectivism and individualism were explained; their relationship was mentioned through theoretical and empirical studies in the literature. As measurement tool, survey method was used. The surveys were conducted on 133 academicians working at Bartin University which is one of the state universities in Turkey. As a result of doing reliability analysis and factor analysis, the last form of scale was given. The perceived organizational justice handled in the scale was composed of three dimensions which are distributive justice, procedural justice and interactional justice; and despite individualism and collectivism have four sub-dimensions (horizontal individualism, vertical individualism, horizontal collectivism and vertical collectivism) this was not taken into account in the study and they were discussed from only individualism and collectivism dimensions. In consequence of ANOVA analyses performed, it is found that there is a low relation between collectivism value and distributive justice as well as between individualism value and interactional justice. The findings of ANOVA analysis showed that in the demographic characteristics only the title variable groups showed significant differences between interactional justice and individualism. By multi-regression analysis, it is seen that as much as procedural justice increases the exhibited collectivism characteristic increases, in similar way as much as distributive justice increases the collectivism characteristic increases. There was no obvious significant correlation between individualism variable and justice dimensions.

Empathy, conformity, and cultural factors related to aberrant driving behaviour in a sample of Urban Turkish drivers

Few previous studies using the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire examined the link between reported driver behaviour, social influence and cultural factors. The aim of this study is to examine the role of empathy and conformity traits, as well as cultural individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance, for aberrant driving behaviours in a sample of Turkish urban drivers. This questionnaire survey is based on a sample consisting of 179 drivers obtained in Izmir and Istanbul. Results showed that the traits and cultural factors were associated with driving violations and errors. The ability to conceive the emotions of others (empathy) was related to lower levels of reported driving errors and violations, whereas a tendency to amend behaviour in line with behaviour of others (conformity) was related to higher levels. Avoiding uncertainty also had a relation to more reported error conduct. Vertical individualism (striving to be distinct and for social status) was associated with higher levels of driving errors and violations, while vertical collectivism (striving for social equality and hierarchy) was related to lower levels of driving violations. The findings highlight the social pressure from other drivers to commit driving violations, and suggest that interventions aimed at reducing aberrant driving behaviours in urban Turkish settings should focus on increasing drivers’ resistance to this pressure. Interventions may also benefit by stressing a more compromising and collaborative driving approach, educating drivers in stress management, and targeting specific groups and types of violations.

Assessing Materialism among the Future Elites of China

ABSTRACT. This study assesses Chinese college-attending future elites as to their materialism values. Its intent is to reveal suggestive insights into the extent of materialism being manifested for China's needed increase in domestic consumption. The results revealed a bifurcation of materialism values, and theory-based difference assessments validated the study results. The most powerful predictors of materialism were vertical individualism, vertical collectivism, and life satisfaction, with the latter evidencing an inverse relationship. The study's overall results suggest that the materialistic values of future elites may both facilitate and impede China's economic prosperity. Insights are also revealed into the unique nature of materialism among future elites, and strategic perspectives are presented.

Relationship of cultural values to counterproductive work behaviour: The mediating role of job stress

The purposes of this study were to investigate how cultural values are related to counterproductive work behaviour (CWB), and to examine whether individuals' job stress acts as a mediator between cultural types and CWB. Using an anonymous questionnaire survey, the sample was comprised of 440 employees working in government institutes and private sectors in Thailand. The results show that job stress not only has a direct relationship to CWB, but also partially mediates the relationship between cultural values and CWB. The strong mediating links were between horizontal collectivism and CWB and between vertical individualism and CWB.

Attitudes Toward Ethically Questionable Negotiation Tactics: A Two-Country Study

Current research has identified five discrete US negotiation tactics, a traditional one considered to be ethical, and four considered to be ethically questionable. Scholars have independently used culture to explain how the endorsement of these five negotiation tactics varies across nations. They have also independently used interpersonal trust and ethics propensity to explain antecedents of the endorsement of those five negotiation tactics. This research combines all those variables into one model that investigates the influence of horizontal and vertical individualism–collectivism, ethical idealism, and trust propensity on employees’ attitudes toward ethically questionable negotiation tactics in Israel and Kyrgyzstan. A survey questionnaire was translated from English to Hebrew and Kyrgyz, and 615 responses were collected from employees in various industries in the two countries. We empirically confirmed three types of questionable negotiation tactics discovered in previous one-nation studies, namely, pretending, deceiving, and lying. Vertical individualism was found to be positively, and horizontal collectivism was found to be negatively, related to pretending, deceiving, and lying. Ethical idealism was found to be negatively related to the endorsement of the lying tactics, while trust propensity was negatively related to the pretending tactics. Compared with Israel, employees’ endorsement of ethically questionable negotiation tactics was significantly higher in Kyrgyzstan. Contribution to theory and practice is discussed.

Why do Caucasian advertising models appeal to consumers in Taiwan?

To test the influence of model ethnicity on advertising effectiveness in East Asia, this research proposed a cue-triggered value-expressive model, according to which positive attitudes towards western models help consumers with independent self-concepts express themselves. Western models generated more favourable ad responses (ad credibility, diagnosticity and attitudes), promoted stronger self–brand connections and led to more favourable brand attitudes than did Asian advertising models among independent respondents in Taiwan. In contrast, consumers with interdependent self-concepts did not exhibit such differences. Independent self-concepts also consisted of two sub-dimensions: horizontal individualism focused on the desire to be different, and vertical individualism centred on the desire to be superior. The former dimension accounted for the enhanced effects of western models. Three experiments confirmed that expressing positive attitudes towards these advertising models served value-expressive functions among consumers with uniqueness self-concepts when they read ads promoting products that were publicly (Study 1 and 3) or privately (Study 2) consumed.

A cross-national study of cultural values and contextual norms of mobile phone activity

The mobile phone is no longer just a medium of talk. Utilized more for text messaging than calling, mobile devices – with the ascendance of smart phones – are now used for a multiplicity of digital purposes in myriad social contexts. Limited research has been conducted cross-nationally on contextual norms that guide the social uses of mobiles and sociocultural factors that drive these norms. This exploratory study examines the impact of cultural values on mobile phone activity, defined as calling, text messaging or use of other smart phone functions when conversing face-to-face with others. It was found that vertical and horizontal individualism are strong predictors of mobile phone activity in Denmark and the USA. Horizontal individualists, represented by Danes, are significantly more likely than Americans, vertical individualists, to engage in mobile activity when conversing with authority figures and while at work. A cultural values explanation of mobile phone activity is offered along with the salience of this investigation for intercultural new media studies.

Exploring the Impact of Cultural Value Orientations on Market Mavenism and Opinion Leadership

Market mavens and opinion leaders are two key types of consumer influentials. The focus of this research is to extend their predictor characteristics by drawing on the four-way horizontal and vertical individualism-collectivism typology. The theoretical and practical contributions of this study are established by the findings based on the survey data collected from 313 online consumer panelists in the United States. Market mavenism and opinion leadership were independent yet moderately related concepts. Vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism were significant predictors of both market mavenism and opinion leadership while horizontal individualism affected only market mavenism. Vertical collectivism did not predict either type of consumer influentials. Interaction with service employees moderated the relationships between horizontal collectivism and market mavenism and between vertical individualism and opinion leadership.

Work–family conflict in four national contexts

In this study, we examine the role of cultural variations conceptualized in terms of vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism in the prediction of work–family conflict in four distinct national contexts of the United States, Australia, South Korea, and Japan. The results of our study suggest that vertical individualism is a strong predictor of work–family conflict across cultural and national boundaries. The findings indicate the importance of cultural dimensions as correlates or predictors of work–family conflict—especially, it highlights the role of the two components of the polythetic construct of individualism–collectivism: horizontal and vertical. Implications are discussed for future research in the area of international and cross-cultural studies of work–family conflict-related issues.

Employee attitudes toward questionable negotiation tactics: empirical evidence from Peru

This research investigates the influence of three theoretically valid independent variables – horizontal and vertical individualism–collectivism, ethical idealism and trust propensity – on employees' attitudes toward ethically questionable negotiation tactics in Peru. A total of 233 usable responses were collected from participants employed in various industries in the capital area, Lima. The results empirically corroborated a classification of three groups of negotiation tactics, namely pretending, deceiving and lying tactics, which seem to range in their scale of severity from being more to less socially acceptable. Peruvian employees who scored high on vertical individualism tended to score high on the endorsement of pretending, deceiving and lying tactics; those who scored high on horizontal collectivism tended to score low on the endorsement of the deceiving and lying tactics; those who scored high on vertical collectivism tended to score high on the endorsement of the deceiving and lying tactics.

Cultural value orientation and authoritarian parenting as parameters of bullying and victimization at school

The purpose of the present study was to examine the existing association between cultural value orientation, authoritarian parenting, and bullying and victimization at school. The participants (N = 231) were early adolescents, randomly selected from 11 different schools in urban and rural areas of Cyprus. Participants completed self reports measuring cultural value orientation, authoritarian parenting, bullying, and victimization. These instruments were the following: the cultural value scale (CVS), the parental authority questionnaire (PAQ), and the revised bullying and victimization questionnaire (BVQ-R). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine mediation effects. It was found that vertical individualism acted as a mediator between authoritarian parenting and bullying. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between authoritarian parenting and the vertical dimensions of both cultural value orientations (individualism and collectivism), but not with the horizontal dimensions of either cultural orientation. Further, authoritarian parenting was also positively associated with bullying and victimization at school. The main contribution of the present study is the finding that vertical individualism significantly mediates the relationship between authoritarian parental style and bullying propensity.

Key Dimensions and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Individualism-Collectivism Scale

A Chinese version of the Individualism-Collectivism Scale (ICS) to assess cultural dimensions was developed and its psychometric properties were evaluated. The English version of the ICS was translated and back translated prior to its administration to 1760 participants who were divided into 5 age groups. Results indicated that the ICS-C exhibited moderate to high internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.64 to 0.83. The ICS-C also exhibited strong test-retest reliability with ICCs from 0.45 to 0.80. Confirmatory factor Analyses found the four-factor model was the best fit of the data across gender and age, thus supporting the multi-dimensional perspective of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Furthermore, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant main effect of age and gender. A gradual increase is present in subjective perception of societal emphasis on the cultural dimensions across five age groups, except age groups of 14 - 15 and 16 - 17 in vertical individualism. With respect to gender effect, female students showed a higher perception of the vertical collectivism than male students (p