ed of social, economic, and political experience that workers bring to their jobs. According to Ferner and Quintanilla, these inputs appear to be increasing in force despite the economic dominance of American and British industrial and technological MNCs in the global economy and despite (or perhaps because of) what has been described as America's worldwide cultural hegemony.
Some workplace conventions in the Anglo-American model are beyond question--the importance of promptness, workplace decorum, work rules, and the like. At times, violations of such protocols have given workers recourse to de jure enforcement of obligations of institutions, whether by collective bargaining agreements, government regulatory oversight, or litigation. But promptness, work rules and decorum have become contentious issue fronts in Europe, particularly France and Germany, where guaranteed employment is conceptualized not as an obligation to the bottom line but as an entitlement of social welfare. In some cultures, indeed, work experience is an aspect of social success embedded in processes of felt and/or enacted social obligation.
Culture-specific dynamics inform workplace dynamics as well as corporate behavior by MNCs. A comparison of the social customs of France and of various Arab cultures form a useful basis for understanding why workplace behavior might become problematic for or at least relevant to the prospect that management cultures might predict and act on the wash of cultural information. By and large, empirical and interpretive research into the nexus of workplace and culture appears to have focused far more on Anglo-American and European venues than Arab workplace venues. However, interpretations of Arab culture provide the basis on which certain inferences about Arab workplace dynamics may be made.
Cultural Differences and the Workplace
Distinctive attributes of French culture have passed into wide understanding by way of popula...