An Exploration of the Interplay Between Organizational Culture and National Culture

This study explores the interactive relationship between organizational culture and national culture. Organizational culture is composed by the values and behavioral norms accepted and practiced within an organization, playing a profound role in shaping the management model of the organization. National culture consists of values, beliefs, customs and so on shared by the national groups of a country, which have far-reaching influence on all levels of society. By analyzing the cases of Alibaba and Amazon.com, this study reveals how national culture influences the formation and development of organizational culture to some extent, especially in terms of its concrete manifestation at the three levels of observable artifacts, values, and fundamental assumptions. It is found that despite the significant influence of national culture on organizational culture, organizational culture is not completely dominated by it, but has its own uniqueness and logic of development. In addition, this paper highlights the significance of the complex interaction between organizational culture and national culture, and points out that in the context of globalization, understanding and balancing the relationship between the two is of great significance in promoting the exchange and integration of organizational culture and national culture.