| dc.description.abstract | As today's global businesses acknowledge the criticality of being competitive
in international markets, this new awakening also compels these businesses to not just
understand the diverse cultures across which they manage and operate, but to also
recognize the impact of their own cultural grounding within their business contexts.
However, there is comparatively less attention given to the subcultural aspects of
business culture. Acknowledging a gap in research examining attitudes of subcultures
in a single nation to particular management approaches, Peppas conducted a
comparative study in 2002 between the subcultures of African Americans and Euro
Americans regarding 18 values statements framed around the managerial functions.
This study builds upon that quantitative research addressing specifically the
management values of the African American subculture. However, while this study is
similarly framed around some values examined in Peppas' research, the purpose of this
study was to explore the African American subcultural experiences in practice through
qualitative inquiry, presenting the informants' emic views to understand uniqueness or
commonalities of their management values (attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors). The methodology utilized a purposive sample of 10 African American
managers across technology, financial services, oil and gas, healthcare, and banking
industries. This basic qualitative, exploratory study employed semi-structured
interviews framed around some of the management values examined in the Peppas
study in 2002.
The data specifically revealed insight regarding aspects of management values
of planning, evaluating, innovating; organizing and controlling; recruiting, selecting,
rewarding; leadership; communication; and relationships between work and social life.
The findings in this study mainly corroborate the findings of related values in the
Peppas study of 2002. However, interpretation of the informants' behavioral
experiences sometimes contrasted to their expressed beliefs. Emergent themes reveal a
consistency in the belief of these African American managers that they are observed
more closely than other non-minority managers and that they are challenged and tested
by others particularly because they must prove their worthiness. Also, entrenched
educational values proved common across all informants' experiences. | en |
