Cultural values play a powerful and often invisible role in shaping behaviour at work. Every organisation operates within a cultural framework that defines what is considered right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable, important or unimportant. These cultural values influence how employees think, feel, decide, and behave in organisational settings. Culture acts as a shared psychological guide that shapes everyday workplace behaviour—from communication styles and decision making to motivation, engagement, and leadership effectiveness.
Organisational behaviour cannot be fully understood without recognising the influence of cultural values, which operate at multiple levels: national culture, organisational culture, and group or team culture.
Understanding Cultural Values in the Workplace
Cultural values are shared beliefs and assumptions about how work should be done and how people should relate to one another. These values are learned over time through socialisation, observation, leadership behaviour, and organisational practices.
At work, cultural values answer questions such as:
How should authority be exercised?
How should employees communicate?
What behaviours are rewarded or discouraged?
How are success and failure interpreted?
Historical Perspective: Culture and Work Behaviour
Early organisational theories focused mainly on structure, efficiency, and control, largely ignoring culture. As organisations became more global, diverse, and knowledge-based, researchers recognised that culture strongly influences employee behaviour and performance.
The rise of cross-cultural psychology and organisational culture studies highlighted that the same leadership style or management practice can produce very different behavioural outcomes depending on cultural values.
Levels of Culture Influencing Workplace Behaviour
1. National Cultural Values
National culture influences employees’ expectations about authority, communication, teamwork, and decision making.
Examples:
In cultures that value hierarchy, employees may avoid questioning supervisors.
In egalitarian cultures, open discussion and debate are encouraged.
Workplace Impact:
Employees behave in ways that align with culturally learned norms regarding respect, obedience, and initiative.
2. Organisational Cultural Values
Organisational culture reflects shared values promoted by leadership, policies, and everyday practices.
Common organisational values include:
Innovation
Discipline
Collaboration
Customer focus
Ethical conduct
Example:
An organisation that values innovation encourages risk-taking and idea sharing, while one that values stability emphasises rules and consistency.
3. Group and Team Culture
Within the same organisation, different teams may develop distinct micro-cultures based on leadership style and task demands.
Example:
A research team may value autonomy and creativity, while an operations team values precision and adherence to procedures.
Key Ways Cultural Values Influence Behaviour at Work
1. Influence on Communication Behaviour
Cultural values shape how employees communicate with leaders and colleagues.
High-context cultures emphasise indirect communication.
Low-context cultures value clarity and directness.
Example:
In some workplaces, openly disagreeing with a manager may be viewed as disrespectful, while in others it is seen as constructive engagement.
2. Influence on Leadership and Authority Relations
Cultural values determine how leadership is perceived and accepted.
Illustration:
In hierarchical cultures, directive leadership is accepted and expected. In participative cultures, employees prefer consultative and democratic leadership.
This directly affects:
Employee compliance
Initiative-taking
Trust in leadership
3. Influence on Motivation and Work Effort
What motivates employees is shaped by cultural values.
Cultures valuing achievement emphasise performance and rewards.
Cultures valuing collectivism emphasise group harmony and shared success.
Example:
Individual bonuses may motivate employees in competitive cultures, while team recognition may be more effective in collective cultures.
4. Influence on Decision Making
Cultural values affect how decisions are made and accepted.
Some cultures value quick, decisive action.
Others prefer consultation and consensus.
Case Illustration:
In multinational organisations, conflict often arises when managers from different cultural backgrounds differ in their decision-making styles.
5. Influence on Ethical Behaviour and Fairness Perceptions
Cultural values shape perceptions of fairness, responsibility, and ethical conduct.
Example:
Gift-giving may be seen as relationship-building in some cultures and as unethical favouritism in others.
Leaders must be culturally sensitive to avoid misunderstandings and ethical conflicts.
6. Influence on Employee Engagement and Commitment
Employees are more engaged when organisational values align with their personal and cultural values.
Illustration:
An organisation that values respect, inclusion, and well-being tends to foster stronger emotional commitment and lower turnover.
Organisational Case Illustrations
Case 1: Culture Supporting Positive Behaviour
A global organisation that promoted respect, diversity, and learning observed higher collaboration and psychological safety across teams. Employees felt comfortable sharing ideas and concerns, leading to better engagement and innovation.
Case 2: Cultural Mismatch and Behavioural Problems
In an organisation where leadership promoted aggressive competition despite employees valuing cooperation, conflict and stress increased. Performance declined due to cultural misalignment.
Role of Leadership in Shaping Cultural Values
Leaders are the primary carriers of culture. Through their decisions, communication, and behaviour, leaders:
Reinforce desired values
Correct behaviour that violates cultural norms
Serve as role models
Employees learn “how to behave” by observing what leaders reward, tolerate, or punish.
Implications for Managers and Supervisors
To manage behaviour effectively, leaders must:
Understand existing cultural values
Respect cultural diversity
Align policies and practices with shared values
Adapt leadership behaviour to cultural contexts
Ignoring cultural values often leads to resistance, disengagement, and conflict.
Conclusion
Cultural values profoundly influence behaviour at work by shaping communication patterns, leadership expectations, motivation, decision making, ethical conduct, and engagement. Culture operates as an invisible force that guides how employees interpret situations and respond to organisational demands. Effective leadership recognises, respects, and strategically shapes cultural values to create workplaces that are coherent, inclusive, ethical, and psychologically healthy. Understanding cultural influence is therefore essential for managing behaviour and sustaining organisational effectiveness.
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