THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURE AND MANAGERS' BEHAVIORAL DECISIONS: A TWO-COUNTRY STUDY OF THE PREFERENCE FORMATION AND CHOICE PROCESSES (COMPARATIVE, MOTIVATION, EXPECTANCY; UNITED STATES, INDIA

The purpose of the study was to develop and test a model to relate "culture" and job behavioral decisions of individuals. The model focused on the relationship between "explicit culture" (patterned behavioral choice) and "implicit" or "subjective culture" (inferential constructs assumed to underlie behavior; e.g., values, attitudes, and beliefs). It was proposed that values affect attitudes and beliefs, and that specific and work-related attitudes and beliefs could be combined by expectancy theory to partially explain individual preference for job rewards and choice to exert effort among job tasks.;It was hypothesized that (a) individuals' values, attitudes, and beliefs would vary cross-culturally, yet (b) could be connected systematically to explain part of the variation in individual reward preference and job behavioral choice in different cultures.;The sample consisted of 266 managers from the United States and 261 managers from India. Data were collected on a questionnaire. It measured managers' (a) values, with Kahl's (1968) Measurement of Modernism instrument; (b) attitudes toward six job rewards and four need satisfactions; (c) beliefs about job rewards satisfying needs; and (d) beliefs about effort on five job tasks resulting in rewards. The criterion was the amount of effort each manager reported he or she chose to exert on each job task.;Support was found for each hypothesis. U.S. and Indian managers differed significantly on 81 of the 121 value, attitude, and belief items. When the items were grouped into sets, 24 of the 27 sets provided significant discrimination between the national samples.;Despite the differences across groups, the expectancy models were supported for their ability to explain managerial preference and choice in both countries. For U.S. and Indian managers, reported preference for job rewards were significantly related to the model's predictions. Likewise, effort level choices on job tasks given by the choice model were significantly related to reported effort level choices for both groups. Further, the models explained preference and choice equally well for U.S. and Indian managers.;It was concluded that the model was helpful for understanding the process of individual behavioral choice cross-culturally. Recommendations for future research were given based on findings of the study.