About this Research Topic
In recent years there have been numerous attempts to study cultural impact on organizational
behaviors, and going further, within the international business space, efforts have been made to
study behaviors cross-culturally. Most of these studies contain a strong bias towards the
universalization of behavior within an organization, emphasizing values whilst providing scant
reference to context. Additionally, organizational dynamics are often considered from the
perspective of the manager; acting as the leader, with the understanding that organizational goals
are reached as a result of this perspective on the dynamics. However, this approach reduces the
importance of culture as a differentiating concept, with the underlying intent of universalizing
organizational behaviors as a whole.
In this special issue, this approach has been challenged, and we will look at the alternative approach
to culture, whereby context is included and not dismissed, as it is important to assess the
combinative influence of both aspects; culture and context, on managerial behavior.
Therefore, in any organizational setting, the perspectives in which managers evaluate the excellence
and performance of their workers should include what the organization expects, the influence of the
environment, and their own authentic personal self. Each of these dimensions and their potential
combinations provide numerous and different contexts for which managerial performance and
evaluation will vary. With the addition of culture, this number becomes even greater as there are
various numbers of cultural settings which can be decided by the different combinations of qualified
variables, such as ethnicity, religion, age, and gender. It is within this positive evaluation of culture
and context that the organizational psychology of the firm can be truly considered.
The selection of articles that the editors will consider for this special issue on organizational
psychology, should assess managerial leadership and excellence with reference to varying cultural
aspects of the organization. Furthermore, submitted manuscripts should also include the context, as
mentioned above, surrounding both managerial leadership and culture. Authors should shift their
perspective from the current narrowed focus on national cross-cultural dimensions to include the
types of contexts which help create, and best support our increasingly multicultural society. Thus,
our outcomes become situationally dependent and are a dynamic expression of culture.
We are welcoming, but are not limiting submissions to, articles that:
• embrace a heterogeneous understanding of culture
• go beyond the current value-based definitions of culture
• evaluate cultural expression that is dynamic and situational
• go beyond the problems and observe cultural differences as potentially positive
• apply a contingent approach and avoid a ‘one-best-way’ perspective.
behaviors, and going further, within the international business space, efforts have been made to
study behaviors cross-culturally. Most of these studies contain a strong bias towards the
universalization of behavior within an organization, emphasizing values whilst providing scant
reference to context. Additionally, organizational dynamics are often considered from the
perspective of the manager; acting as the leader, with the understanding that organizational goals
are reached as a result of this perspective on the dynamics. However, this approach reduces the
importance of culture as a differentiating concept, with the underlying intent of universalizing
organizational behaviors as a whole.
In this special issue, this approach has been challenged, and we will look at the alternative approach
to culture, whereby context is included and not dismissed, as it is important to assess the
combinative influence of both aspects; culture and context, on managerial behavior.
Therefore, in any organizational setting, the perspectives in which managers evaluate the excellence
and performance of their workers should include what the organization expects, the influence of the
environment, and their own authentic personal self. Each of these dimensions and their potential
combinations provide numerous and different contexts for which managerial performance and
evaluation will vary. With the addition of culture, this number becomes even greater as there are
various numbers of cultural settings which can be decided by the different combinations of qualified
variables, such as ethnicity, religion, age, and gender. It is within this positive evaluation of culture
and context that the organizational psychology of the firm can be truly considered.
The selection of articles that the editors will consider for this special issue on organizational
psychology, should assess managerial leadership and excellence with reference to varying cultural
aspects of the organization. Furthermore, submitted manuscripts should also include the context, as
mentioned above, surrounding both managerial leadership and culture. Authors should shift their
perspective from the current narrowed focus on national cross-cultural dimensions to include the
types of contexts which help create, and best support our increasingly multicultural society. Thus,
our outcomes become situationally dependent and are a dynamic expression of culture.
We are welcoming, but are not limiting submissions to, articles that:
• embrace a heterogeneous understanding of culture
• go beyond the current value-based definitions of culture
• evaluate cultural expression that is dynamic and situational
• go beyond the problems and observe cultural differences as potentially positive
• apply a contingent approach and avoid a ‘one-best-way’ perspective.
Keywords: Managerial leadership, culture, organization, excellence, situational
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
