In today's global environment organizational culture dominates national culture!

Abstract

Purpose – The specific problem this research addresses is whether cultural differences, national or organizational, impact how effectively the continuous improvement process is received within the supply chain in order to improve supplier performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The research design used a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research. Findings – The research found that Canada was most receptive to continuous improvement, with China being the least receptive. The study found that organizational culture was more influential than national culture. Isomorphism and benchmarking is driving continuous-improvement language and methods to be more universally known within business. Business and management practices appear to take precedence in driving change within organizations. Research limitations/implications – The sample size and countries involved was very small and limited to key medium sized distributed power company (MSDPC) suppliers. This limited diversity and may have introduced supplier selection bias, as well as survey response bias. Practical implications – This research concludes that organizational culture is more dominant over national culture and the influence of leadership within the organization drives the impact of continuous improvement. Originality/value – With isomorphism and the fact that businesses want to be successful, continuous improvement language and methods are becoming more universally known. Business and management practices are now taking precedence in driving change within organizations. Organizational culture is now more influential than national culture.