The Effects of Cultural Values on Acceptance of Human Resource Management Decisions

The present study examined the effects of six culture values, including Hofstede's (1984, 1991) power distance, individualism/collectivism, long-term and short-term orientation, Trompenaars'1994) achievement/ascription, universalism/particularism, and relationship to nature, on reactions to human resource management decisions. Data were collected from 110 Chinese students in China and 82 American students in the U.S. A questionnaire containing vignettes depicting different human resource management practices was used to measure the impact of cultural values. Omnibus multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences between Chinese and Americans on the cultural values of power distance, collectivism/individualism, long-term and short term orientation, ascription/achievement, and the relationship to nature and on ratings of human resource management practices. However, no significant differences were found between Chinese and Americans on universalism/particularism. Results suggest that cultural values shape acceptance of human resource management decisions. Limitations and directions for future study are discussed.