Central European Business Review 2017, 6(1):77-91 | DOI: 10.18267/j.cebr.174

Czech Cultural Standards from the Perspective of the Top Management of German Companies

Karel Kňap1, Ivan Nový2
1 Ing. Karel Kňap, MBA, Ph.D. student, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics, Prague, nam. W. Churchilla 4, 130 67, Prague 3, qknak00@vse.cz
2 prof. Ing. Ivan Nový, CSc., Dean, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics, Prague, nam. W. Churchilla 4, 130 67, Prague 3, ivan.novy@vse.cz

The goal of article is to analyze the analytical tools applied in the identification of national cultures and to identify and schematically express these Czech cultural standards, which are perceived most strongly by Germans when dealing with Czechs in higher-middle management. The article consists of a review of the related literature extended by a polemic on the applicability of the models. The authors conducted qualitative research based on semi-standardized interviews with ten German managers who grew up in the territory of former West Germany and had worked in the Czech Republic in international corporations for a period of at least two years. The results present three propositions connected to the most perceived cultural standards of Czech managers: propensity for improvisation, avoidance of conflict, and rejection of hierarchical structures.

Keywords: management; cultural standards; Czech Republic; Germany
JEL classification: M12, M14

Received: December 15, 2016; Revised: February 16, 2017; Published: March 31, 2017  Show citation

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Kňap, K., & Nový, I. (2017). Czech Cultural Standards from the Perspective of the Top Management of German Companies. Central European Business Review, 6(1), 77-91. doi: 10.18267/j.cebr.174
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