Culture in Angola: insights for human resources management
Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal
ISSN: 1352-7606
Article publication date: 5 May 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the cultural values – how things should be – and the cultural practices – how things are – of Angolan society. The authors expected to find: a gap between practices and values; high levels of power distance, institutional and in-group collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, future and humane orientation; and low to medium levels of performance orientation, gender equality and assertiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
In all, 235 employees in Angola responded to a questionnaire using GLOBE’s cultural scales.
Findings
There is a gap between cultural practices and values. Within Angola, humane and performance orientations are the most valued cultural dimensions. Power distance and in-group collectivism are the most prevailing cultural practices. Compared to other countries, Angola has high levels of humane orientation, institutional collectivism and uncertainty avoidance values and high levels of assertiveness and performance orientation practices.
Practical implications
Higher than desired levels of assertiveness and power distance, on the one hand, and lower than desired levels of humane orientation and uncertainty avoidance on the other, are key aspects that should be taken into account by HRM in this context.
Originality/value
These results may have important implications for HRM in Angola. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first analysis of Angola’s culture from a business research perspective.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Part of this work was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal (PhD Grant number SFR/BD/61417/2009) awarded to Maria Rita Silva and (PEst-OE/EGE/UI0315/2011) the strategic project of Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL).
Citation
Silva, M.R., Roque, H.C. and Caetano, A. (2015), "Culture in Angola: insights for human resources management", Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 166-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCM-02-2013-0036
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited