National cultural diversity and global supply chain management

Tillmann Boehme, University of Wollongong
Ruth Banomyong
Denis Towill
Andrew Potter
T Hosoda
E A. Yaseen
P Mccullen
A Tomas
Eric Deakins
Paul Childerhouse

Article comments

Childerhouse, P., Deakins, E., Potter, A., Banomyong, R., Mccullen, P., Tomas, A., Boehme, T., Hosoda, T., Yaseen, E. A. & Towill, D. (2010). National cultural diversity and global supply chain management. In K. S. Pawar & C. S. Lalwani (Eds.), Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Logistics (ISL 2010) (pp. 53-59). Nottingham UK: Nottingham University Business School.

Abstract

Purpose: In an era of global supply chains, the vast majority of supply chain theory isbound up within the North American and European business contexts. To investigate itsgeneric applicability within a global context, this study investigates how national cultureaffects the uptake of supply chain management theory in practise.Methodology: Hoefstede¿s (1980) well-known measures of international work-relatedvalues are used to compare the behaviours of a cross-national sample of supply chainmanagers. The exploratory research involves an anthropological approach of observingsupply chain management behaviour within its natural setting.Research Implications: Supply chain management concepts need to be adapted tocater for managers¿ cultural diversity. Identifying the most desirable supply chainimprovement destination requires understanding of national, organisational andindividual cultural norms. In particular, the pathway to change and the desirableleadership role must be matched to the demands of the local cultural environment.Research Limitations: A limited number of national settings, and cases from eachnational setting, are investigated. Hence there is significant scope for furtherexploratory, intra-country and inter-country research into national cultural diversity andglobal supply chain management.Original contribution: The general uptake of supply chain management in practise isslow and rather disappointing, particularly given some twenty-plus years of academicresearch. Although supply chain management concepts seem to be geographicallygeneric in application, the setting directly affects the approaches undertaken in practise.The cultural values in Asian versus Anglo-Saxon working environments significantlyaffect supply chain management practise.