Abstract
The literature suggests that North American business-people differ from their Latin American counterparts with respect to specific behavioral traits. Our particular interest is in problem solving and in effecting changes in behavior to achieve better problem-solving capability. The purpose of the present study is to assess whether there are differences in problem-solving styles between two culturally different groups of managers registered in MBA Programs: Anglo American and Latin American. Using Kolb's (1984 2006) Learning Style Inventory, it was found that Anglo American managers tended to be relatively action-oriented, "Convergers" (they emphasize decision-making and use deductive reasoning), while Latin American managers tended to be reflection-oriented, "Assimilators" (they emphasize planning and like to create models in their analyses) in their problem-solving styles. The positive and negative aspects of each style are discussed and suggestions for improved decision-making are offered.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 41-67 |
Number of pages | 27 |
Journal | Latin American Business Review |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2008 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cross-cultural management
- Kolb's learning style inventory
- Problem-solving styles
- US-Latin America cultural differences
- USA/Peru/Colombia
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Business, Management and Accounting (miscellaneous)