Designing the Structure in similar Cultures: A comparative study between Japan and Jordan

Abstract

As considerable research has examined cultural influences on organizations exploring if cultural similarities between nations might lead businesses to matched structures arise an important issue.Hence, this study aims to examine the structure of Jordanian and Japanese companies on subjective cultural and the objective structural characteristics. The cultural characteristics of Jordan and Japan were established on their power distance and uncertainty avoidance orientations, and the structural characteristics were established on the locus of decision making and the degree of structuring of activities. The sample comprised of twelve companies each from Jordan and Japan matched in size, dependence and operation technology. Data of the Jordanian companies were collected through structured interviews and data of Japanese companies were derived from Azumi and McMillan's study (1975) that used the same instrument of measurement. The analysis revealed that on the cultural dimensions a "full bureaucracy" is a preferred structure in Jordan and Japan because it fits the desired 'pyramid form' in the minds of Jordanian and Japanese managers, but on the structural dimensions, results revealed that companies in Jordan and Japan are designed in a "personnel bureaucracy" form of structure. The results have implications for further research in cross-cultural comparative management.