The idea of a national culture is generally challenged by those using an interpretative approach. They argue that, within a given society, one comes across rival definitions of reality. But it is possible to present a theory enabling us to take into consideration what is diverse and changing as well as what is shared and stable. We will base our demonstration on empirical research related to the US and France. We will be referring to two main ideas. On the one hand, within one country, a core concern is at the heart of social existence. On the other, people, using very diverse ways, strive to find forms of organisation as well as representations that enable their members to cope with this concern. In the US, reference to the contract is pivotal, whereas in France, the main reference would be to one’s ‘ métier ’.
The aim of the paper is to confront two models of the French pattern of action: the well-known 'bureaucratic' model, depicted by Michel Crozier, and a model which emphasizes the persistence within modern French organizations of what Montesquieu called the honour principle. This model is tested successfully against the ethnographical material presented in The Bureaucratic Phenomenon. In addition, the paper explains, using a semiotic approach to culture, how a mode of functioning said to be archaic can persist in the long run.
SummaryTwo case studies are presented of highly successful factories operating in emerging countries. Sgs-Thomson in Morocco and Danone in Mexico provide exemplars of ways in which corporate cultures can promote productive, efficient, and interpersonally supportive communities by building upon deep-seated local values that give these communities special meaning to members. In Morocco, Islamic norms and values combined with Total Quality Management values to transform Sgs-Thomson's factory culture. In Mexico, norms and values regarding family and the pursuit of a higher moral purpose underpinned a workplace transformation combining economic and social progress. This essay also develops the implications of these cases for the dissemination, adoption, and malleability of global management practices.
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