Intercultural management and national culture: a review of the theoretical literature and contextual limitations

Abstract

As new as it may seem, intercultural management has been around for over four decades. Today, its added value has been recognized in various fields beyond the corporate context. Two currents of thought have emerged to develop it: the universalist current and the societal current. These have often been presented as antipodean currents, given the analytical approaches each takes and the results each reveals. Each of these two currents is based on postulates that have contributed both to its emergence and to its deployment in the form of several theoretical models. In this article, we will attempt to answer the following research question: « What is the relevance of the universalist trend and what are its limits? »To answer this question, we will draw on a literature review based on a state of the art presenting both the main models enshrined in this current and the main empirical studies that have emerged from it, as well as the limits of this current through a critical analysis of its fundamental premise, namely the existence of universally valid management practices and methods. This postulate, which has been the subject of much criticism, continues to be the subject of much debate, both in terms of its non-verifiability once regional characteristics have been integrated, and its relevance in today's globalized context. The aim of this article is to present a review of the literature devoted to the universalist current, through a contextual approach to the various works that have nourished it. Our main objective is to demonstrate the added value of this model, but also to elucidate its potential limitations.

Classification JEL : J50

Type de l’article : Theorical research