Cultural Indoctrination: A Theoretical Framework

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the potential influence of cultural indoctrination (CI) on organizations today in an era of global hypercompetition. It is axiomatic that one of the fundamental realities of contemporary globalism is most organizations today must be able to function successfully across cultural (and national) boundaries to sustain a competitive advantage and remain profitable over time (Molinsky, 2007; Ohmae, 2005). Achieving this goal requires management to appreciate and understand the key factors affecting global business today which include the following (McKinsey Global Institute, 2012; Institute for the Future for the University of Phoenix Research Institute, 2011; IBM, 2008):

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  Productivity,

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  Accelerating Globalization,

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  Changing Global Demographics,

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  Expanding Impact of Technology,

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  The Great Rebalancing of Emerging Markets,

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  Destabilizing Cycles of Volatility,

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  The Market State and Governmental Pressure,

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  Globally Connected World,

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  Rising Environmental Concerns,

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  Evolving Society Relationships,

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  Extreme (Human) Longevity,

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  Rise of Smart Machines and Systems,

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  Superstructured Organizations.

However, none of these factors considers in-depth the vastly underresearched area of CI we all experience from birth (Winn, 1983; Livermore, 2011; Christiansen, Yıldız, & Yıldız, 2014). As there is very scant research in the extant literature on CI, this chapter shall investigate the following factors I propose should be involved in the field: Child Development, Cultural Intelligence, Social Learning Theory Education, Cultural Institutionalization, Nationalism and Patriotism, Religion, Social Capital, and Values Orientation Theory (VOT). It is from these factors that a conceptual model is developed for potential future application in management theory and practice (Tolentino, 2008).

This chapter is organized in the following manner. First, I provide a thorough Literature Review encompassing a range of established work by theorists and other authorities in fields such as cultural anthropology, education, social learning theory, diversity management, cultural intelligence, theoretical development, social capital, and decision-making. This Review will form the basis of the remaining sections of this chapter. Second, I discuss the fledgling field of CI which includes our concept framework for further research and development. Third is the Discussion section in which I outline the challenges facing contemporary management in today’s globalization and how these challenges are potentially connected directly to cultural indoctrination. Finally is the Conclusions and Future Research Directions section.

My work should encourage empirical research on CI which will contribute to existing management research and stimulate serious debate on business performance in an era of global hypercompetition. Ideally, this chapter will be labeled as a “Builder” effort according to Colquitt and Zapata-Phelan’s (2007: 1283) taxonomy of theoretical contributions for empirical articles. In that light, I propose the following proposition the reader should consider while covering the following pages, and which would form the basis of future empirical research as suggested in the Conclusion and Future Research Directions section:

• P1: Cultural Indoctrination (CI) affects organizations in global hypercompetition.