How far do cultural differences explain the differences between nations? Implications for HRM

This conceptual paper argues that national differences in human resource management (HRM) matter and can be explained by cultural and institutional theories. We explore briefly the nature of each set of theories and some of the critiques that have been made of them. We argue that in general much of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of human resource management 2015-01, Vol.26 (2), p.151-164
Main Authors: Vaiman, Vlad, Brewster, Chris
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
balanced approach
Cultural behaviour
Cultural differences
Cultural systems
cultural theories
Economic analysis
Human resource management
institutional theories
Institutionalism
Management theory
national differences
Organization theory
Personnel management
Studies
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Summary:This conceptual paper argues that national differences in human resource management (HRM) matter and can be explained by cultural and institutional theories. We explore briefly the nature of each set of theories and some of the critiques that have been made of them. We argue that in general much of the differences in HRM between countries are determined by institutional factors, and that management has more influence over the effect of national cultural differences than it has over institutional differences and therefore in most cases the appropriate tests will be tests against institutional differences. Where institutions are less constraining, cultural differences may be the appropriate template.
ISSN:0958-5192
1466-4399
DOI:10.1080/09585192.2014.937969