Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries

Research on the degree of managerial discretion, or latitude of action, accorded to executives at the national level has primarily focused on the effect of intercultural variation in values on managerial discretion by assuming spatial homogeneity within countries. However, evidence in cross-cultural...

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محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Haj Youssef, Moustafa Salman (author)
مؤلفون آخرون: Christodoulou, Ioannis (author)
التنسيق: article
منشور في: 2018
الوصول للمادة أونلاين:http://hdl.handle.net/10725/17536
https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595818790611
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470595818790611
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author Haj Youssef, Moustafa Salman
author2 Christodoulou, Ioannis
author2_role author
author_facet Haj Youssef, Moustafa Salman
Christodoulou, Ioannis
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Haj Youssef, Moustafa Salman
Christodoulou, Ioannis
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018
2018-08
2026-01-27T12:38:24Z
2026-01-27T12:38:24Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 1470-5958
http://hdl.handle.net/10725/17536
https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595818790611
Haj Youssef, M. S., & Christodoulou, I. (2018). Exploring cultural heterogeneity: the effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 18(2), 241-263.
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470595818790611
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv International Journal of Cross Cultural Management
dc.rights.*.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
description Research on the degree of managerial discretion, or latitude of action, accorded to executives at the national level has primarily focused on the effect of intercultural variation in values on managerial discretion by assuming spatial homogeneity within countries. However, evidence in cross-cultural research indicates that cultural heterogeneity within countries can be as salient as or sometimes even more than inter-country variation. Thus, this study examines the extent to which intra-cultural variation affects the degree of discretion accorded to executives. The study tests the proposed relationships using fixed-effect regression analysis by measuring managerial discretion through survey responses of senior management consultants. It operationalizes intra-cultural variation by the standard deviation in societal members’ behaviour in terms of individualism, uncertainty tolerance and power distance. Results show that a strong relationship exists between intra-cultural variation and managerial discretion and that the direction of the relationship is negative. Executives operating in countries with high heterogeneity are subject to increased constraints from the national environment and, as such, are not able to take idiosyncratic or bold actions. Managerial discretion not only is a function of the central tendency of a society but depends on the homogeneity/heterogeneity in views innate therein. Using institutional, stakeholder and upper echelons theories, the study shows that greater intra-cultural variation negatively affects the degree of executive discretion. Thus, it provides a more nuanced understanding of such relationship and introduces a new national conceptualization that plays an important role in the strategic decision-making of business executives.
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identifier_str_mv 1470-5958
Haj Youssef, M. S., & Christodoulou, I. (2018). Exploring cultural heterogeneity: the effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 18(2), 241-263.
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spelling Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countriesHaj Youssef, Moustafa SalmanChristodoulou, IoannisResearch on the degree of managerial discretion, or latitude of action, accorded to executives at the national level has primarily focused on the effect of intercultural variation in values on managerial discretion by assuming spatial homogeneity within countries. However, evidence in cross-cultural research indicates that cultural heterogeneity within countries can be as salient as or sometimes even more than inter-country variation. Thus, this study examines the extent to which intra-cultural variation affects the degree of discretion accorded to executives. The study tests the proposed relationships using fixed-effect regression analysis by measuring managerial discretion through survey responses of senior management consultants. It operationalizes intra-cultural variation by the standard deviation in societal members’ behaviour in terms of individualism, uncertainty tolerance and power distance. Results show that a strong relationship exists between intra-cultural variation and managerial discretion and that the direction of the relationship is negative. Executives operating in countries with high heterogeneity are subject to increased constraints from the national environment and, as such, are not able to take idiosyncratic or bold actions. Managerial discretion not only is a function of the central tendency of a society but depends on the homogeneity/heterogeneity in views innate therein. Using institutional, stakeholder and upper echelons theories, the study shows that greater intra-cultural variation negatively affects the degree of executive discretion. Thus, it provides a more nuanced understanding of such relationship and introduces a new national conceptualization that plays an important role in the strategic decision-making of business executives.Published2026-01-27T12:38:24Z2026-01-27T12:38:24Z20182018-08Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/article1470-5958http://hdl.handle.net/10725/17536https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595818790611Haj Youssef, M. S., & Christodoulou, I. (2018). Exploring cultural heterogeneity: the effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 18(2), 241-263.http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.phphttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470595818790611enInternational Journal of Cross Cultural Managementinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/175362026-01-27T12:38:24Z
spellingShingle Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
Haj Youssef, Moustafa Salman
status_str publishedVersion
title Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
title_full Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
title_fullStr Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
title_full_unstemmed Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
title_short Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
title_sort Exploring cultural heterogeneity: The effect of intra-cultural variation on executives’ latitude of actions in 18 countries
url http://hdl.handle.net/10725/17536
https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595818790611
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1470595818790611