CfP: The Upside of Cultural Differences for the International Journal Cross Cultural Management

The results of a content analysis of 1,141 articles on culture in international business, covering a 24-year time period (1989-2012) published in the Journal of International Business Studies, revealed a 17:1 imbalance of negative over positive theoretical research assumptions when exploring the role of culture in various international business contexts (Stahl & Tung, 2014). This overwhelming emphasis on the liabilities associated with cultural differences, with the underlying assumption that differences contribute to misunderstandings, irritation, and conflict, is by no means limited to work drawing on Hofstedes (1980) model but seems pervasive in research that uses dimensional frameworks of national culture. However, a similar content analysis of articles published in "Cross-Cultural Management: An International Journal" revealed that research that relies less on universal cultural dimensions tends to present a more balanced perspective on culture and cultural differences (Stahl & Tung, 2014). Together these findings suggest that cultural diversity can be both an asset and a liability in various contexts.

The idea that there are negative consequences associated with cultural differences is core to the cultural distance construct (Kogut & Singh, 1988; Shenkar, 2001) and its underlying assumption that cultural differences are a source of difficulties, costs, and risks, which has guided hypotheses formulation and empirical testing in much of the international business and cross-cultural management literatures. In line with this problem-focused view of cultural diversity (Stevens, Plaut, & Sanchez-Burks, 2008), problems across a range of international business contexts have been explained in terms of cultural distance, cultural misfit, liability of foreignness and related concepts. This problem-driven research has focused on topics such as foreign market entry, cross-border transfer of knowledge, international negotiations, multicultural teams, and cross-border alliances and mergers. Recognizing this imbalance, a number of scholars have drawn attention to the potentially positive role of cultural differences, advocating studying how cultural diversity, foreignness and distance can create value for global organizations.

Positive aspects of cultural differences have been studied for decades, and scholars have highlighted a number of potentially beneficial outcomes of diversity, such as increased creativity, adaptability, and problem-solving quality (e.g., Adler, 2003; Ng & Tung, 1998). However, while there are suggestions in the literature that cultural diversity can offer meaningful positive opportunities, the problem-focused view of cultural diversity is by far predominant in research on culture in international business. As such, we know much less about the positive dynamics and outcomes associated with cultural differences than we know about the problems, obstacles and conflicts caused by them. In light of the increased international business activities and transactions across nations, the growing mobility of the workforce across national boundaries, and the emerging intra-national heterogeneity in many countries, the time is ripe to consider the positive aspects associated with cross-cultural contact and the factors that could enhance the likelihood of their occurrence. Consistent with the Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) perspective, we believe that the rigorous, systematic, and theoretically-based examination of notably positive outcomes and the processes and dynamics that are associated with them (e.g., Cameron, Dutton, & Quinn, 2003, p. 6) can help scholars understand more fully how such differences can enhance organizational effectiveness and performance at multiple levels. This perspective is also in line with calls to pay greater attention to the potentially positive outcomes of international business activity and to view foreignness as an asset (Brannen, 2004, p. 596), to explore the upside of cultural distance (Stahl & Tung, 2013), to challenge the illusion of discordance (Shenkar, 2001, p. 524), and to dispel the myth of difference as a handicap but rather consider it as an opportunity for arbitrage, complementarity or creative diversity (Zaheer et al., 2012, p. 26).

We invite theoretical and empirical papers using quantitative, qualitative or mixed approaches. Papers should theorize why cultural differences, cultural diversity, and cultural distance matter; under what circumstances they are likely to be beneficial for organizations; how their effects play out; and which mechanisms are at work in the process. As aspects of distance, diversity, and foreignness occur at multiple levels, we invite submissions to the special issue investigating micro, meso, macro and cross-level phenomena. Submissions could address a wide range of issues, including but not limited to:

To be considered for this special issue, manuscripts need to meet the following guidelines:

All submissions will undergo a double-blind review process. For more information, have a look here. The submission deadline has been extended until December 31st, 2015.