A Cross-National Study of Cognitive Style Among Managers and Technicians

Abstract

This study explains differences among managers and technicians in twenty‐two non‐western countries in terms of the field articulation cognitive style. A review of the behavioral referents of the field articulate cognitive style suggested that this variable is appropriately related to occupational interests and tasks and adaptability to industrial technique. Previous studies also suggested the hypothesis that socioeconomic status variables are related to both cognitive style and national or cultural differences. This hypothesis was confirmed using both the EFT and the RFT as measures of field articulation in a group of three hundred twenty‐nine managers and technicians representing twenty‐two non‐western developing countries. Several explanations of these findings are discussed in terms of functional requirements for adult roles in a society and in terms of the relative affluence or level of poverty.

Cultural Constraints on Transfer of Technology across Nations: Implications for Research in International and Comparative Management

“…The effectiveness of communication and innovation depends on the specific character of the context in which it takes place. Managers of work organizations from associative cultures also tend to be field-dependent (Gruenfeld & MacEachron, 1975)-a tendency to view the world in a somewhat undifferentiated and global fashion. Economic development and technological change foster field independence and abstractive thinking, the dominant mode in the majority of Western countries (Triandis, 1987).…”

The Impact of Culture on Feedback-Seeking Behavior: An Integrated Model and Propositions

“…One looks at feedback as an organizational resource (Ilgen et al, 1979;Prue & Fairbank, 1981), addressing such issues as interventions (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996) and incentives (Ganzach, 1994). The other camp views feedback from the perspective of the individuals engaged in the behavior being evaluated (Ashford & Cum- Hall (1976) * High context/low context Gruenfeld & MacEachron (1975); Witkin, Goodenough, & Oltman (1979) * Field dependent/independent Parsons & Shils (1951); Trompenaars (1993) * Specific-diffuse Adler, Doktor, & Redding (1986); Bloom (1981); Bond (1986); Redding (1980) * Holistic-linear Tolerance for ambiguity Chan, Gelfand, Triandis, & Tzeng (1996); Pelto (1968); Triandis (1989); * Tight/loose Witkin & Berry (1975) Hofstede 1980 (Sedikides, 1993).…”

“…The specific-holistic theme surfaces across cultural models (Adler et al, 1986;Bloom, 1981;Bond, 1986;Gruenfeld & MacEachron, 1975;Redding, 1980) and is closely associated with the idea of field independence (Gibson, 1999;Witkin et al, 1979). Some cultures, such as that of the United States, tend to conceptualize life quite specifically, viewing interactions through an effect/outcome-oriented focus.…”

Role of Cognitive Styles in Business and Management: Reviewing 40 Years of Research

“…Armstrong, E. Cools and E. Sadler-Smith Allinson and Hayes (2000) argued for an alternative, and potentially more useful, categorization of styles in relation to national culture defined in terms of stage of industrial development rather than a simple East/West dichotomy (cf. Gruenfeld and MacEachron 1975). In a comparison of managers from Finland, Poland and the UK, Hill et al (2000) attributed cultural differences in style to different learning, socialization and acculturation processes.…”