Cross-Level Cultural Congruence Implications For Managing….pdfVIP

Journal of Diversity Management –June 2014 Volume 9, Number 1 Cross-Level Cultural Congruence: Implications For Managing Diversity In Multinational Corporations Jennifer Palthe, Western Michigan University, USA ABSTRACT Few models view culture as a multi-level construct and limited diversity management theories capture the significance of the configuration of individual, organizational, and national culture differences on employee and organizational outcomes. This paper seeks to bridge this gap by presenting a conceptual model that suggests that the interplay between this triad of cultural entities (individual, organizational, and national) influences the degree of cultural congruence that ultimately affects individual and organizational outcomes. Figures that serve as explanations of these cultural configurations are presented and implications for diversity management research and practice are offered. Keywords: Cross-Cultural Diversity Management; Multi-Level Cultural Congruence; Organization Culture INTRODUCTION rganizations, like individuals, are as diverse and varied as the nations of the world within which they O are embedded. The impact of this cultural diversity at the national and organizational levels has been of interest to numerous behavioral scientists and organizational theorists, particularly over the last three decades (Adler Bartholomew, 1992; Hofstede, 1991; House, Wright, Aditya, 1997; House, Hanges, Ruiz- Quintanilla, Dorfman, Javidan, Dickson, Gupta, GLOBE, 1999;