A cross‐cultural comparison of organizational culture: evidence from universities in the Arab world and Japan

Aspects of the organizational culture of four universities, two in Japan and one each in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, are discussed and compared. The paper argues that organizations established in countries sharing similarities in national cultures are likely to be characterized by similar values, beliefs, and assumptions, in short, that similarities in national cultures are likely to nurture similarities in organizational cultures. Japan and Arab countries are similar with respect to several cultural dimensions; thus, the organizational cultures of the four universities are expected to reflect such similarities. While the findings provide some support to the “culture‐bound” position it is nevertheless premature to entirely dismiss the “culture‐free” argument, as aspects of organizational culture in the universities examined appear to be the product of organizational variables rather than socio‐cultural factors.