1 Han-Huei Tsay, Mateo Ruggia and Stuart Umpleby School of Business The George Washington University 1 CONVERGERS AND DIVERGERS: A Dimension of Cultural Difference Between the United States and Europe

2 Mitroff & Blankenship (1973) Convergers Work on manageable, well-defined problems for which there is a single ‘best’ answer Converge a set of alternatives into one in great detail Analytical, “parts” orientation Divergers Work on vague and ill- defined problems for which there are many alternative approaches. Prefer multiple alternatives and possibilities Synthetic, “whole system” orientation 2

3 Kolb (1984) (1 of 2) Convergers Enjoy systematic planning, manipulation of abstract symbols, and quantitative analysis Analytic, scientific approach to problems Emphasize practical application: what works Divergers Enjoy relating to people Intuitive, artistic approach to problems, imaginative orientation Emphasize understanding: what is true and how things happen 3

4 Kolb (1984) (2 of 2) Convergers Action Enjoy and are good at getting things done Perform well in situations where there is a single correct solution to a problem. Divergers Reflection & Observation View situations from different perspectives & appreciate different points of view Perform well in situations that call for generation of alternative ideas (e.g., brainstorming) 4

5 the Study in 1990 (1 of 2) Idea: Languages reflect meanings and patterns of thoughts Data: 1990, 16 Russian and 24 American managers Method: Associative Group Analysis (AGA) 84 stimulus words were given. For each stimulus word, respondents wrote down associated words within 1 minute. Weights were assigned to each response in consecutive order (6, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1 … )

Findings: Associated words for each stimulus word between the two groups did not overlap much Americans wrote more specific words while Russians wrote more general words the Study in 1990 (2 of 2)

7 Convergers: Sales Money Client Service Divergers: Association, Union Market Competition Economics Stimulus Word: “CORPORATION” Specific, Parts Oriented General 7

8 Stimulus Word: “BANK” Convergers: Saving Loan, Lender Teller Divergers: Percentages Economy Capital Credit Specific, Parts Oriented General

9 Convergers: Money Business Success Divergers: Market Competition Satisfaction Economy Stimulus Word: “PROFIT” Specific, Parts Oriented Whole System 9

10 Convergers: Wages, Money Workers Power Crime Divergers: Society Fees Defense Whole Stimulus Word: “Labor Union” Specific General

11 Convergers: Money Job Hard Growth Divergers: Interest Responsibility Satisfaction Necessity Stimulus Word: “WORK” Specific Artistic, connecte d with meaning 11

12 Stimulus Word: “PARTICIPATION” Convergers: Group Team Involvement Active Divergers: Responsibility Collective Competence Discussions Specific General 12

13 Convergers: Me Individual Esteem Person I Divergers: Work Society Family Freedom Independence Stimulus Word: “SELF” Specific Relation to Others 13

14 Stimulus Word: “POLITENESS” Convergers: Manners Caring Nice Divergers: Culture Education, Upbringing Necessity Parents Order Whole System Oriented Parts Oriented 14

15 Convergers: Fun Love Smile Divergers: Children Family Work Satisfaction Stimulus Word: “HAPPINESS” Relation to Others 15 Elements or Signs

16 Stimulus Word: “INNOVATION” Convergers: New Change, Different Helpful, Needed Good, Better, More Creative, Creativity Divergers: Progress Problems Difficulties Resistance Different perspectiv es Specific

17 Importance to Management Practice Change Management: Identifying different meanings of “ time, ” “ planning, ” “ control, ” etc. for different cultural groups can aid in reaching a common understanding Conflict Management: Understanding the mental representations behind the language fosters communication among disputants and leads to agreements that meet the underlying needs Knowledge Management: Theories combined with applications benefit knowledge innovation, transfer, and diffusion

Connection to the shift of cybernetics to Europe This data led to the conclusion that Europeans look for meaning in larger categories or context While Americans look for meaning in specifics and applications This difference in thinking explains why general theories, such as cybernetics, are more popular in Europe than in the U.S.

Q & A Thank You for Your Attention

Contact information Han-Huei Tsay and Stuart Umpleby School of Business The George Washington University Washington, DC

Presented at the Washington Business Research Forum Arlington, VA January 2-3, 2009