Denise Salin, Renee Cowan, Oluwakemi Adewumi, Eleni Apospori, Jaime Bochantin, Premilla D’Cruz, Nikola Djurkovic, Katarzyna Durniat, Jordi Escartín, Jing Guo, Idil Išik, Sabine T. Koeszegi, Darcy McCormack, Silvia Inés Monserrat and Eva Zedlacher
The purpose of this paper is to analyze cross-national and cross-cultural similarities and differences in perceptions and conceptualizations of workplace bullying among human…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze cross-national and cross-cultural similarities and differences in perceptions and conceptualizations of workplace bullying among human resource professionals (HRPs). Particular emphasis was given to what kind of behaviors are considered as bullying in different countries and what criteria interviewees use to decide whether a particular behavior is bullying or not.
Design/methodology/approach
HRPs in 13 different countries/regions (n=199), spanning all continents and all GLOBE cultural clusters (House et al., 2004), were interviewed and a qualitative content analysis was carried out.
Findings
Whereas interviewees across the different countries largely saw personal harassment and physical intimidation as bullying, work-related negative acts and social exclusion were construed very differently in the different countries. Repetition, negative effects on the target, intention to harm, and lack of a business case were decision criteria typically used by interviewees across the globe – other criteria varied by country.
Practical implications
The results help HRPs working in multinational organizations understand different perceptions of negative acts.
Originality/value
The findings point to the importance of cultural factors, such as power distance and performance orientation, and other contextual factors, such as economy and legislation for understanding varying conceptualizations of bullying.
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Keywords
Andrea Graf, Sabine T. Koeszegi and Eva‐Maria Pesendorfer
Negotiators from Asia are increasingly confronted with exchange partners from other regions, particularly Europe. The European culture differs from the Asian culture in many…
Abstract
Purpose
Negotiators from Asia are increasingly confronted with exchange partners from other regions, particularly Europe. The European culture differs from the Asian culture in many regards, one major aspect being distinct levels of power distance (hierarchy versus egalitarianism). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of power distance in electronic negotiations between Asia and Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes an experimental study with a sample of 126 participants investigating the impact of power distance on strategies applied by Asian and European buyers and sellers in computer‐mediated negotiations.
Findings
Significant effects of power distance in electronic negotiations were identified. Culture confirms to play a significant role in negotiations. The results indicate that negotiation schemes differ depending on the cultural dimension power distance in Asia and Europe. In the hierarchical (Asian) culture, sellers show more efforts in negotiations, while buyers apply more power‐related negotiation strategies but also tend to take more responsibility. In contrast, in the egalitarian (European) culture, buyers prefer negotiation behavior spreading power.
Research limitations/implications
First, use of a student sample engaging in a negotiation simulation might restrain the generalizability of the findings. Second, the authors investigated only two cultures in Asia and Europe.
Originality/value
The paper describes an experimental study comparing negotiators from Asia and Europe in order to analyze whether culture plays a significant role in electronic negotiations between Asia and Europe. The authors focus on power distance as the main cultural dimension.
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Andrea Graf, Sabine T. Koeszegi and Eva‐Maria Pesendorfer
Intercultural interfirm relationships have become a new challenge for international management. The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in computer‐mediated…
Abstract
Purpose
Intercultural interfirm relationships have become a new challenge for international management. The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in computer‐mediated negotiation behavior between participants who come from nations which differ as regards two major cultural values: individualism and collectivism.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an empirical study with a sample containing 170 negotiators with different cultural backgrounds; it comprises content analysis; and multivariate analysis of variance models.
Findings
Comparing negotiators from Asian, North American, and European cultures, it is found that people who come from an individualist culture exhibit different negotiation strategies to individuals from a collectivist culture.
Practical implications
Based on the results management may sensitize negotiators in intercultural interfirm relationships to their counterparts' communication strategies.
Originality/value
The paper highlights how negotiators' cultures affect their strategic orientation.
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Keywords
One challenge for multinational organizations is to manage inter‐organizational relationships with customers, collaborators, competitors, governments and other important…
Abstract
One challenge for multinational organizations is to manage inter‐organizational relationships with customers, collaborators, competitors, governments and other important stakeholder organizations. Negotiations can be seen as a process to manage interdependence and conflicts of interests between parties. As a result, negotiation analysis and theory provide a useful framework to analyze dynamics of relationship‐ and trust‐building and hence are increasingly important for the understanding of inter‐organizational relationships. This paper explores the set of strategies managers can implement in negotiations to establish relationships based on mutual understanding and trust in order to reach satisfactory agreements and manage inter‐organizational dependencies and its associated threats.
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René Schalk and Petru L. Curşeu
The paper aims to introduce the papers in this special issue which highlight the importance of cooperation in organizations, and outline future research directions.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to introduce the papers in this special issue which highlight the importance of cooperation in organizations, and outline future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
Conceptual approaches to cooperation in organizations are described and a brief outline is given to each paper in the special issue.
Findings
This special issue brings together studies that enhance our theoretical understanding of cooperation, addressing core issues related to the role of cultural differences, virtual communication, team processes, leader behavior, and the impact of norms on cooperation.
Practical implications
Factors that facilitate or hinder cooperation in organizations are highlighted, and suggestions on how to deal with those issues in practice are provided. The papers facilitate understanding of the role of cultural differences, communication, team processes, and leader behavior on cooperation in organizations.
Originality/value
The paper provides an introduction to the special issue.
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Keywords
Guido Möllering, Reinhard Bachmann and Soo Hee Lee
This paper gives an overview of major issues in trust research, identifying common foundations and multiple constellations of organizational trust. In doing so, the paper also…
Abstract
This paper gives an overview of major issues in trust research, identifying common foundations and multiple constellations of organizational trust. In doing so, the paper also addresses important implications of theory development and empirical research. First, it provides a historical sketch of different approaches to understanding the phenomenon of trust, drawing upon various social science disciplines. Second, it discusses different levels of analysing trust in organizational settings. Third, it deals with important issues of operationalisation and measurement of organizational trust. Finally, it briefly summarises the contents of the five papers that follow this introductory paper in the special issue of JMP on “The micro‐foundations of organizational trust”.
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Sabine Benoit, Katrin Scherschel, Zelal Ates, Linda Nasr and Jay Kandampully
The purpose of this paper is to make two main contributions: first, showcase the diversity of service research in terms of the variety of used theories and methods, and second…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to make two main contributions: first, showcase the diversity of service research in terms of the variety of used theories and methods, and second, explain (post-publication) success of articles operationalized as interest in an article (downloads), usage (citations), and awards (best paper nomination). From there, three sub-contributions are derived: stimulate a dialogue about existing norms and practices in the service field, enable and encourage openness amongst service scholars, and motivate scholars to join the field.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method approach is used in combining quantitative and qualitative research methods while analyzing 158 Journal of Service Management (JOSM) articles on several criteria such as their theory, methodology, and main descriptive elements (e.g. number of authors or references) and then using automated text analysis (e.g. investigating the readability of articles, etc.).
Findings
The results show that the JOSM publishes a large variety of articles with regard to theories, methods of data collection, and types of data analysis. For example, JOSM has published a mixture of qualitative and quantitative articles and papers containing firm-level and customer-level data. Further, the results show that even though conceptual articles create the same amount of interest (downloads), they are used more (citations).
Research limitations/implications
This paper presents many descriptive results which do not allow for making inferences toward the entire service research discipline. Further, it is only based on one service research journal (JOSM) through a five-year span of publication.
Practical implications
The results have a number of implications for the discipline that are presented and discussed. Amongst them are that: the discipline should be more open toward conceptual articles, service research shows an imbalance toward theory testing, there is more potential to work with transactional data, and writing style should be more accessible (i.e. readable).
Originality/value
This paper is the first to conduct an in-depth analysis of service research articles to stimulate dialogue about common publishing practices in the JOSM and to increase the openness of the field.