Assessing the impact of culture on relationship creation and network formation in emerging Asian markets

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this article is to develop an alternative approach to researching the impact of culture on relationship creation and network formation in Asian markets. Design/methodology/approach -A conceptual approach is taken. Findings -The paper has argued that in Asian markets culture can be better understood on the basis of cultural groupings (e.g. ethnic grouping) than on politically defined and artificially created national boundaries. The assessment and comparison of cultural differences and similarities in Asia can be conducted by using an "enlarged" emic approach. Given the idiosyncratic nature of relationships and the increasing significance of the emic contexts enriched by globalisation, the proposed approach is likely to generate a better understanding of the impact of culture on relationship creation and network formation in emerging Asian markets. Practical implications -Managers doing business in emerging Asian markets need to go beyond traditional national culture stereotypes to capture cultural diversities and paradoxes in terms of, for example, ethnic culture, regional culture, professional culture, and emerging global culture groupings within and across national borders. Originality/value -Differing from the "either/or" nature of the mainstream scholarship which tends to bipolarise national cultures, this paper emphasises the "both/and" character of Asian cultures which intrinsically embrace paradoxes in philosophies, values, and behaviours. The paper has suggested that an "enlarged" emic approach to cross-cultural clustering and comparison be used in Asian contexts to better understand the workings of relationship creation and network formation in emerging Asian markets.

Asian management research needs more self-confidence: Reflection on Hofstede (2007) and beyond

“…Asian thought and management is fundamentally characterized by "both-and" dialectical thinking and change mentality (Chen, 2001(Chen, , 2002Fang, 2003Fang, , 2005Fang, -2006Nisbett, 2003;Peng & Nisbett, 1999). Whereas in the West issues tend towards classification on a bipolar "either-or" basis, this is seldom the case in Asian cultures.…”

“…Nevertheless, the Hofstede paradigm has received increasing critiques in recent years (Fang, 2003(Fang, , 2005(Fang, -2006Holden, 2002;McSweeney, 2002). The paradigm identifies cultural differences, but offers little insight into the dynamic process of cross-cultural management characterized by change and paradox in borderless and wireless cultural learning, knowledge transfer, and synchronized information sharing.…”

“…The paradigm identifies cultural differences, but offers little insight into the dynamic process of cross-cultural management characterized by change and paradox in borderless and wireless cultural learning, knowledge transfer, and synchronized information sharing. Various new approaches are emerging, such as "negotiated culture" (Brannen & Salk, 2000), "knowledge transfer" (Holden, 2002), "multiple cultural identity" (Sackmann & Phillips, 2004), and "cultural dialectics and paradox" (Fang, 2005(Fang, -2006. There is a growing awareness at the frontier of research community that a dynamic vision of culture is overdue (Leung, Bhagat, Buchan, Erez, & Gibson, 2005).…”

The role of self-concept in cross-cultural communication

“…The middle way has been attributed to the teachings of Lao Tzu and Tao philosophy (Chen, 2001;Chen, 2002), including Confucian teachings (Chen, 2002;Fletcher & Fang, 2006). Symbolized by the yin-yang, and coined naïve dialecticism, this approach accepts contradictions in life, since life involves as a constant state of flux (Peng & Nisbett, 1999;Nisbett et al, 2001;Spencer-Rodgers et al, 2010), to the extent that individuals can change depending on the context (Boucher et al, 2009;Peng et al, 2006).…”

Entrepreneurial Relations of Pakistani Entrepreneurs

“…Culture plays an important role in forming of relations and networks, and it also has an impact on the basic network model, which includes the actors, the activities, and transformation of resources, as well as the atmosphere where this takes place and the interactions involved (Fletcher, 2004). Different cultures value relationships differently, which subsequently leads to variations across cultures in terms of establishment, development, and maintenance of relationships.…”