Self-deception and the ideal culture: implications for international management research

In comparative research across cultures, there is an implicit norm against the evaluation of cultures. Researchers, especially from outside of a culture, tend to restrain from describing the studied culture in negative terms, such as “primitive,” “ineffective,” and “immoral.” This nonjudgmental stance springs partly from the need to be objective and partly from the avoidance of neocolonialist and imperialist impressions.