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Introduction
While there is a consensus among researchers that cultural values have unique qualities in the context of their respective cultures, some tend to argue that, within the workplace, these qualities are not without deficiencies. Waterman (1984) identifies four qualities for individualistic personality: a sense of personal identity, self-actualisation, an internal locus of control, and principles moral reasoning. Nevertheless, Waterman points out that an individualistic person may not be in a position to deal competently with the world or can easily overcome alienation. Similarly, Hofstede (1980, 1983) identifies categories of cultural values, their applications in organisations and the risk of such application if applied abroad. Cultural values have evolved gradually and are embedded in the collective memory of the people of a particular society. These values become a standard of conduct. Nevertheless, once such a standard is applied in dealing with other cultural groups, it is certain that undesired consequences take place. In management and organisation, for example, the failure of transferring western management approaches to other cultures is often attributed to the lack of understanding that these management techniques were based on a different frame of mind and different cultural assumptions. Hofstede (1999) states that management processes are embedded in cultural values and consequently differ from society to society, but within each society show strong continuity.
Researchers have asserted that the study of the individualism-collectivism (I/C) dimension provides valuable insight into cultural differences and orientations. Triandis (2004), for example, argues that the I/C dimension is the most important factor in studying cultural differences. Similarly, Oyserman, Coon, and Kemmelmeier (2002) indicate that the I/C dimension provides a powerful explanatory tool for understanding the variability in the behaviour of individuals in different parts of the world. The significance that has been attached to I/C stems from the fact that the I/C dimension makes up a portion of a culture's core set of values and serves as organising principles for both interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships (Williams, 2003). This research is designed to study the I/C dimension among Taiwanese managers and explores their decision style tendencies. The objectives are to determine whether or not there are differences among Taiwanese managers on I/C measures and to investigate the relationships between decision styles and I/C.
Cultural Orientations
The literature on...