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Cross-cultural Research in New Zealand Organisations: What We Know and What Needs to Be Addressed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2015

Lee Moya Ah Chong  and
David C. Thomas
Lee Moya Ah Chong
Affiliation:
Department of Management and Employment Relations, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Phone 64-9-373-7599 (Ext 4813), E-mail: u9482763@comu4.auckland.ac.nz
David C. Thomas
Affiliation:
Department of International Business, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Phone 64-9-373-7599 (Ext 6636), E-mail: d.thomas@auckland.ac.nz
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Abstract

Business in New Zealand is increasingly global in nature. Additionally, the domestic workforce reflects a unique blend of cultural groups. These factors highlight the need for managers to understand the cross-cultural nature of their task. In this article we review the research on cross-cultural management that has been conducted in New Zealand. Findings in seven topic areas of management (job satisfaction, motivation and performance, absenteeism and turnover, leadership, communication, group behaviour and employee adaptation) are discussed. We then identify areas that might benefit most from research attention.

This research was supported in part by the Carnegie Bosch Institute for Applied Studies in International Management. The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments of Kerr Inkson and John Deeks on earlier versions of this manuscript

The increasingly multicultural nature of the business environment has become widely recognised as a management issue (Adler and Ghadar 1990). New Zealand is neither a large target market (population under 3.5 million) nor is it the headquarters of a large number of multinational corporations. However, because of its geography, it is dependent on international business for its quality of life. Additionally, its unique domestic cultural environment provides a dramatic back drop for cross-cultural management. These two dimensions make cross-cultural management a particularly salient issue in New Zealand.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , March 1995 , pp. 14 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 1995

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