To Minsk (Минск) and Beyond!

More on Possible Cultural Explanations Based on GLOBE Project Results

In continuing to try and better understand possible reasons for low cross-national comparative life/work satisfaction and labor characteristics attitudes in Belarus, today I thought I would try and provide more of a cultural picture by sharing some interesting cross-cultural/leadership research by House et al. (2004) in the GLOBE project, building on findings by Hofstede (1980) Schwartz (1994), Smith (1995), Inglehart (1997), and others.  

The major premise and finding of the GLOBE project is that significant differences in world cultural characteristics have direct impacts on society and organizations and that leader effectiveness is contextual; that is, it is embedded in the societal and organizational norms, values, and beliefs of the people being led (see Hoppe, 2007).  

The GLOBE project looked at 62 societies and put them into the following 10 cultural clusters (see Figure 1 below).  Cultural similarity is greatest among societies that constitute a cluster; cultural difference increases the farther clusters are apart on the wheel. For example, the Nordic cluster is most dissimilar from the Eastern European (Note that the least satisfied/most unhappy countries tend to be in Sub-Sahara Africa, Eastern Europe, and Middle East clusters, while the most satisfied/happiest countries tend to be Anglo, Nordic Europe, and Latin America clusters).

 

Figure 1: GLOBE Project Cultural Clusters

Source: Robert J. House et al., Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies, Sage Publications, 2004.

You will quickly note that Belarus is not included in any of these clusters, as it was not included in the 62-country study.  However, Belarus clearly falls into the Eastern European cluster, based on World Values Survey data/analysis (as has been demonstrated in previous posts).  With that in mind, we can reasonably then look at Belarus within the cultural framework of the Eastern European cluster and extrapolate from those characteristic how they might then impact conditions and attitudes in Belarus.

These 10 societal clusters are are based on the following 9 cultural dimensions (see House et al., 2004):

1. Power Distance: The degree to which members of a collective expect power to be distributed equally.
2. Uncertainty Avoidance: The extent to which a society, organization, or group relies on social norms, rules, and procedures to alleviate unpredictability of future events.
3. Humane Orientation: The degree to which a collective encourages and rewards individuals for being fair, altruistic, generous, caring, and kind to others.
4. Collectivism I: (Institutional) The degree to which organizational and societal institutional practices encourage and reward collective distribution of resources and collective action.
5. Collectivism II: (In-Group) The degree to which individuals express pride, loyalty, and cohesiveness in their organizations or families.
6. Assertiveness: The degree to which individuals are assertive, confrontational, and aggressive in their relationships with others.
7. Gender Egalitarianism: The degree to which a collective minimizes gender inequality.
8. Future Orientation: The extent to which individuals engage in future-oriented behaviors such as delaying gratification, planning, and investing in the future.
9. Performance Orientation: The degree to which a collective encourages and rewards group members for performance improvement and excellence.

Below is a summary comparison table of the Eastern European Cluster with the world average score for each dimensions, along with the Eastern European cluster profile.

Table 1: GLOBE Eastern European Cultural Dimension Scores Compared to World Averages

Source: Robert J. House et al., Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies, Sage Publications, 2004.

  

Figure 2: Eastern European Cluster’s Societal Cultural Profile

Source: Bakacsi et al. 2002.  "Eastern European Cluster: Tradition and Transition."  Journal of World Business, Vol. 37, p. 69-80.

In addition to measuring the 9 cultural dimensions, the GLOBE project looked at leadership characteristics as well.  Twenty-one leadership scales were statistically and conceptually reduced to six scales, resulting in the following six leader styles (see House et al., 2004):

1. The performance-oriented style (called "charismatic/value-based" by GLOBE) stresses high standards, decisiveness, and innovation; seeks to inspire people around a vision; creates a passion among them to perform; and does so by firmly holding on to core values.
2. The team-oriented style instills pride, loyalty, and collaboration among organizational members; and highly values team cohesiveness and a common purpose or goals.
3. The participative style encourages input from others in decision-making and implementation; and emphasizes delegation and equality.
4. The humane style stresses compassion and generosity; and it is patient, supportive, and concerned with the well-being of others.
5. The autonomous style is characterized by an independent, individualistic, and self-centric approach to leadership.
6. The self-protective (and group-protective) style emphasizes procedural, status-conscious, and 'face-saving' behaviors; and focuses on the safety and security of the individual and the group.

Table 2 below shows a comparison of the six leader styles by societal cluster and Figure 3 shows the Eastern European Leadership Profile. 

Table 2:GLOBE Leadership Styles by Societal Cluster

Source: Hoppe, M.H.  2007.  "Culture and Leader Effectiveness: The GLOBE Study."

Figure 3: Eastern European Cluster’s Leadership Profile

Source: Bakacsi et al. 2002.  "Eastern European Cluster: Tradition and Transition."  Journal of World Business, Vol. 37, p. 69-80.

So what does this all potentially mean for Belarus?  Honestly, I am not quite sure yet.  But surely cultural differences have an impact on various life/work satisfaction and labor characteristics attitudes.  To be continued...