Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The impact of managerial values on decision-making behaviour: A comparison of the United States and Hong Kong

  • Articles
  • Published:
Asia Pacific Journal of Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study addresses cross-national value differences and how values held by managers influence their decision-making behaviour. A two-by-two research design was used to examine values held by practising managers and future business leaders in the United States and Hong Kong. Machiavellianism, locus of control, intolerance of ambiguity, and dogmatism were the measures used to assess these values. Social desirability scores were used as covariants to help control for cultural differences. The findings indicate that differences exist to affect decision-making behaviour. Consequently, managers in both environments must make adaptations to accommodate the values of those involved in transnational businesses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bamberger, I, (1986), Values and strategic behavior,Management International Review 26(4), 57–69.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bhagat, R S and S J McQuaid, (1982), Role of subjective culture in organisations: A review and directions for future research,Journal of Applied Psychology 67(5), 653–685.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bond, M H and A Y C King, (1985), Coping with the threat of westernisation in Hong Kong,International Journal of Intercultural Relations 9, 351–364.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Burgoyne, J G and V E Hodgson, (1983), Natural learning and managerial action: A phenomenological study in the field setting,Journal of Management Studies 20, 387–401.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Burns, J P, (1987), Immigration from China and the future of Hong Kong,The Asian Survey 27, 661–682.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Chang, Y N, (1976), Early Chinese management thought,California Management Review 19(2), 71–76.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Cheng, J Y D, (1989), The democracy movement in Hong Kong,International Affairs 65(3), 443–461.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Christie, R, (1973), Machiavellianism scale. In Robinson, J P and P R Shaver (eds),Measures of Social Psychological Attitudes, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 590–603.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Countries of the World. (1989), Detroit: Gale Research, Inc.

  10. Crowne, D and D Marlowe, (1964),The approval motive. Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Davis, H J and S A Rasool, (1988), Values research and managerial behaviour: Implications for devising culturally consistent managerial styles,Management International Review 28(3), 11–20.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Drucker, P F, (1985),Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Harper & Row, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  13. England, G W and R Lee, (1974), The relationship between managerial values and managerial success in the United States, Japan, India, and Australia,Journal of Applied Psychology 59, 411–419.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Fortune Asian Bureau Reports, (Fall 1990), Trade across the Pacific,Fortune, Special Issue on the Pacific Rim, 92–93.

  15. Friedman, M, (April 14, 1989), Hong Kong after 1997,Asiaweek, 69.

  16. Geringer, M J, (1988), Selection of partners for international joint ventures,Business Quarterly 53(2), 31–36.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Greene, E, (1986, Nov 5), Shifts in students' attitudes seen as threat to liberal arts,The Chronicle of Higher Education, 32–34.

  18. Gross, T, E Turner and L Cederholm, (1987), Building teams for global operations,Management Review 76(6), 32–36.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Guth, W D and R Tagieri, (1965, Sept/Oct), Personal values and corporate strategy,Harvard Business Review, 123–132.

  20. Hang Seng Bank, Ltd, (December 1991), Major economic indicators,Hang Seng Economic Monthly, 4.

  21. Hang Seng Bank, Ltd, (December 1991), The Hong Kong economy in 1992,Hang Seng Economic Monthly, 2.

  22. Herbert, R F and A N Link, (1988),The Entrepreneur: Mainstream Views & Radical Critiques, 2nd ed, Praeger, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Hofstede, G, (1980),Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values, Sage, Beverly Hills, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Hofstede, G, (1985), The interaction between national and organisational value systems,Journal of Management Studies 22(4), 347–357.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Holt, D H and A Mailer, (1992), Entrepreneurial perceptions among Hong Kong's emerging managers,Hong Kong Journal of Business Management.

  26. Honey, P and A Mumford, (1966),Manual of Learning Styles, 2nd ed, Peter Mumford, London.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Hong Kong awash in the empire, (June 3, 1989),The Economist, 17–18.

  28. Jackson, S E and J E Dutton, (1988), Discerning threats and opportunities,Administrative Science Quarterly 33, 370–387.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Kedia, B L and R S Bhagat, (1988), Cultural constraints on transfer of technology across nations: Implications for research in international and comparative management,Academy of Management Review 13, 559–571.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Kelley, L, A Whatley and R Worthley, (1987), Assessing the effects of culture on managerial attitudes: A three culture test,Journal of International Business Studies 18(2), 17–31.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kolb, D A, (1985),Learning Styles Inventory and User's Guide, McBer and Company, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Kolb, D A, S Lublin, J Spoth and R Baker, (1986), Strategic management development using experiential learning theory to assess and develop managerial competencies,Journal of Management Development 5(3), 13–24.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Kolb, D A, I M Rubin and J M McIntyre, (1984),Organizational Psychology: An Experiential Approach to Organizational Behavior, 4th ed, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Kolb, D A, I M Rubin and J S Osland, (1991),Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach, 5th ed, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Krau, E, (1987), The crystallisation of work values in adolescence: A sociocultural approach,Journal of Vocational Behavior 30(2), 103–123.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Kroeber, A L and C Kluckholm, (1952),Culture: A critical review of concepts and definitions, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Kuhne, R J, (1986), Habla Usted Espanol?Business & Economic Review 32, 9–11.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Lau, S K, (1984),Society and Politics in Hong Kong, The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Lau, S K and H C Kuan, (1988),The Ethos of the Hong Kong Chinese, The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Li, D K P, (April 28, 1988), Address to education delegates,Education in the 1990s.

  41. Loscocco, K A and A L Kalleberg, (1988), Age and the meaning of work in the United States and Japan,Social Forces 67(2), 337–356.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Martin, J G and F R Westie, (1959), The tolerant personality,American Sociological Review 24, 521–528.

    Google Scholar 

  43. McClenahen, J S, (1987), Why United States managers fail overseas,Industry Week 235(4), 71–74.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Mumford, A, (1980),Making Experience Pay: Managerial Success through Effective Learning, McGraw-Hill, London.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Ogden, S, (1989),China's Unresolved Issues: Politics, Development, and Culture, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Perlmutter, H V and D A Heenan, (1986), Cooperate to compete globally,Harvard Business Review 64(2), 136–152.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Pye, L W, (1985),Asian Power and Politics: The Cultural Dimensions of Authority, Belknap Press, Cambridge, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Ralston, D A, (1985), Employee ingratiation: the role of management,Academy of Management Review 10, 477–487.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Robinson, J P and P R Shaver, (1973),Measures of Social Psychological Attitudes, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Rokeach, M, (1973),The Nature of Human Values, Free Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Rotter, J B, (1966), Generalised expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement,Psychological Monographs 609.

  52. Schulze, R H K, (1962), A shortened version of the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale,Journal of Psychological Studies 13, 92–97.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Scobell, A, (1988), Hong Kong's influence on China: The tail that wags the dog?The Asian Survey 28, 599–612.

    Google Scholar 

  54. Shenkar, O and S Ronen, (1987), Structure and importance of work goals among managers in the People's Republic of China,Academy of Management Journal 30(3), 564–576.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Siu-lun, W, (1986), Modernisation and Chinese culture in Hong Kong,The China Quarterly 106, 306–325.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Smith, P B, J Misumi, M Tayeb, M Peterson and M Bond, (1989), On the generality of leadership style measures across cultures,Journal of Occupational Psychology 62, 97–109.

    Google Scholar 

  57. Snell, R S, (1988), The emotional cost of managerial learning at work,Management Education and Development 19, 322–340.

    Google Scholar 

  58. Snodgrass, C R and U Sekaran, (1989), The cultural components of strategic decision-making in the international arena. In Negandhi, A R and A Savara, (eds),International Strategic Management, Lexington Books, Lexington, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  59. Snowden, S, (1986), How to gain the global edge,Communication World 3, 28–30.

    Google Scholar 

  60. The World in Figures. (1988), G K Hall & Co, Boston.

  61. Traub, S H and R A Dodder, (1988), Intergenerational conflict of values and norms: A theoretical model,Adolescence 23(92), 975–989.

    Google Scholar 

  62. Tse, D K, K H Lee, I Vertinsky and D A Wehrung, (1988), Does culture matter? A cross-cultural study of executives choice, decisiveness, and risk adjustment in international marketing,Journal of Marketing 52, 81–95.

    Google Scholar 

  63. Whitehill, A M, (1989), American executives through foreign eyes,Business Horizons 32(3), 42–48.

    Google Scholar 

  64. Yang, K S, (1986), Chinese personality and its change. In M H Bond (ed),The Psychology of the Chinese People, Oxford University Press, Hong Kong.

    Google Scholar 

  65. Yee, A H, (1988), Universities in Hong Kong and Macau: A tale of two colonies,Higher Education Policy 1(4), 16–22.

    Google Scholar 

  66. Yee, A H, (1989), Cross-cultural perspectives on higher education in East Asia: Psychological effects upon Asian students,Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 9, 1–20. [A]

    Google Scholar 

  67. Yee, A H, (1989),A People Misruled: Hong Kong and the Chinese Stepping Stone Syndrome, API Press, Hong Kong. [B]

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Connecticut, USA

    David A Ralston (Associate Professor) & Barbara A Ribbens (Doctoral Student)

  2. Florida State University, USA

    David J Gustafson (Doctoral Student)

  3. Chinese University of Hong Kong, China

    Robert H Terpstra (Senior Lecturer) & Fanny Cheung (Senior Lecturer)

  4. James Madison University, USA

    David H Holt (Professor)

Authors
  1. David A Ralston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David J Gustafson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert H Terpstra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David H Holt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Fanny Cheung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Barbara A Ribbens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The authors thank Michael H Bond for his many helpful comments. Also, we thank Priscilla Elass for her assistance with data collection.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ralston, D.A., Gustafson, D.J., Terpstra, R.H. et al. The impact of managerial values on decision-making behaviour: A comparison of the United States and Hong Kong. Asia Pacific J Manage 10, 21–37 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01732222

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01732222

Keywords

Search

Navigation