Title: Evaluating national culture from eastern and western perspectives in the context of construction

Authors: John F.Y. Yeung; Albert P.C. Chan; Patrick T.I. Lam

Addresses: College of International Education, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Staff Room, 12/F, Shek Mun, N.T., Hong Kong ' Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Room TU538 and Room TU527, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong ' Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Room TU538 and Room TU527, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Abstract: Over the past two decades, more and more researchers have considered 'culture' as an important factor to explain phenomena in both organisational structure and performance. However, there is no systematic and comprehensive study on the impact of national culture on organisational culture, structure and performance in the context of construction. When studying this research area, many researchers only focus on some dimensions either from eastern or western perspectives. As a result, the analysis is not fully comprehensive. This paper aims to extensively review the concept of national culture from eastern and western perspectives in the context of construction so that a research framework for studying the relationship amongst national culture, organisational culture, and organisational structure and performance can be developed. The methodology adopted in this research study included a comprehensive review of the literature and the content analysis method. A total of 16 dimensions to measure national culture have been identified. After identifying the 16 dimensions, a research framework for studying the relationship amongst national culture, organisational culture, and organisational structure and performance was developed. This paper provides valuable insights to conduct a comparative study on the impact of national culture on organisational culture, structure and performance between eastern and western nations.

Keywords: national culture; construction industry; organisational structure; organisational performance; organisational culture; comparative study; literature review.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2013.058383

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2013 Vol.5 No.4, pp.355 - 376

Received: 18 Aug 2010
Accepted: 13 Aug 2011
Published online: 31 Jan 2014 *

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