Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T04:47:45.455Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Islamic work ethics and individualism in managing a globalized workplace: Does religiosity and nationality matter?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2015

Muhammad A Alam*
Affiliation:
Iqra University Islamabad, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Nadeem Talib
Affiliation:
National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The integration of work ethic theories with religious beliefs and Hofstede’s national culture typology implies that Islamic work ethics peculiarly support social symbiosis and collectivism. On the contrary, present globalized workplace is pragmatically driven by individualism. To sort out these concerns, this cross-cultural study links Islamic work ethics to individualism at globalized workplace and examines the moderating influence of employee religiosity and nationality. A stratified sample of 307 employees from leading multinational corporations operating in United States, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Pakistan participated in the study. The study found a strong positive relationship between Islamic work ethics and individualism, and no significant interaction effect of employee nationality and religiosity was observed. Together, the findings suggest that Islamic work ethics advocate a great deal of individualism, and can benefit the multinational corporations in managing their diversified workforce with a view to get maximum advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Saad, I. (2003). The work values of Arab teachers in Israel in a multicultural context. Journal of Beliefs and Values, 24(1), 3951.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aguinis, H., Gottfredson, R. K., & Wright, T. A. (2011). Best-practice recommendations for estimating interaction effects using meta-analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(8), 10331043.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahmad, K. (1976). Islam: Its meaning and message. London, UK: Islamic Council of Europe.Google Scholar
Ahmad, M. S. (2011). Work ethics: an Islamic prospective. International Journal of Human Sciences, 8(1), 850859.Google Scholar
Ahmad, N. (2011). The concept of collectivism in relation to Islamic and contemporary jurisprudence. Open Law Journal, 4, 1520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahmed, S., & Owoyemi, M. Y. (2012). The concept of Islamic work ethic: An analysis of some salient points in the prophetic tradition. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(20), 116123.Google Scholar
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Al-Khatib, J. A., Al-Habib, M. I., Bogari, N., & Salamah, N. (2014). The ethical profile of global marketing negotiators. Business Ethics: A European Review, doi:10.1111/beer.12062 Google Scholar
Ali, A. (1988). Scaling an Islamic work ethic. The Journal of Social Psychology, 128(5), 575583.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ali, A. J. (1992). The Islamic work ethic in Arabia. The Journal of Psychology, 126(5), 507519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ali, A. J., & Al-Kazemi, A. A. (2007). Islamic work ethic in Kuwait. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 14(2), 93104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ali, A. J., & Al-Owaihan, A. (2008). Islamic work ethic: A critical review. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 15(1), 519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ali, A. J., & Gibbs, M. (1998). Foundation of business ethics in contemporary religious thought: The Ten Commandment perspective. International Journal of Social Economics, 25(10), 15521564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ali, A. J., Falcone, T., & Azim, A. A. (1995). Work ethic in the USA and Canada. Journal of Management Development, 14(6), 2634.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63(1), 118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
An-Nasa’I, Sunan. The Book of Agriculture, 4(35), Hadith 3888. Retrieved from http://sunnah.com/nasai/35b/1.Google Scholar
Arslan, M. (2000). A cross-cultural comparison of British and Turkish managers in terms of Protestant work ethic characteristics. Business Ethics A European Review, 9(1), 1319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azmi, S. (2005). An Islamic approach to business ethics. Renaissance, online. Retrieved from http://www.renaissance.com.pk/mayviewpoint2y5.htm#_ftn1.Google Scholar
Bader, B., & Schuster, T. (2015). Expatriate social networks in terrorism-endangered countries: An empirical analysis in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Journal of International Management, 21(1), 6377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bedeian, A. G., & Mossholder, K. W. (1994). Simple question, not so simple answer: Interpreting interaction terms in moderated multiple regression. Journal of Management, 20(1), 159165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beekun, R. I., Stedham, Y., Westerman, J. W., & Yamamura, J. H. (2010). Effects of justice and utilitarianism on ethical decision making: A cross‐cultural examination of gender similarities and differences. Business Ethics: A European Review, 19(4), 309325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhatti, O. K., Alkahtani, A., Hassan, A., & Sulaiman, M. (2015). The relationship between Islamic Piety (Taqwa) and workplace deviance with organizational justice as a moderator. International Journal of Business and Management, 10(4), 136154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boutros-Ghali, B. (1992). An agenda for peace: Preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, and peace-keeping: Report of the Secretary-General Pursuant to the Statement Adopted by the Summit Meeting of the Security Council on 31 January 1992 (Vol. 1247). UN.Google Scholar
Brown, L. B. (1987). The psychology of religious belief. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Černe, M., Jaklič, M., & Škerlavaj, M. (2013). Decoupling management and technological innovations: Resolving the individualism–collectivism controversy. Journal of International Management, 19(2), 103117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chan, K. C., Fung, H. G., & Yau, J. (2013). Predominant sources and contributors of influential business ethics research: evidence and implications from a threshold citation analysis. Business Ethics: A European Review, 22(3), 263276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, G., Kirkman, B. L., Kim, K., Farh, C. I., & Tangirala, S. (2010). When does cross-cultural motivation enhance expatriate effectiveness? A multilevel investigation of the moderating roles of subsidiary support and cultural distance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(5), 11101130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, X. P., & Li, S. (2005). Cross-national differences in cooperative decision-making in mixed-motive business contexts: The mediating effect of vertical and horizontal individualism. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(6), 622636.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Child, D. (1990). The essentials of factor analysis. London: Cassell Educational.Google Scholar
Chudzicka-Czupała, A., Cozma, I., Grabowski, D., & Woehr, D. J. A. (2012). Comparison of the multidimensional work ethic profile across two countries. Journal of Management and Business, 3(1), 1433.Google Scholar
Koh, H. C., & Boo, E. F. H. (2004). Organisational ethics and employee satisfaction and commitment. Management Decision, 42(5), 677693.Google Scholar
Engelen, A., Schmidt, S., & Buchsteiner, M. (2015). The simultaneous influence of national culture and market turbulence on entrepreneurial orientation: A nine-country study. Journal of International Management, 21(1), 1830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erickson, F., & Vonk, A. J. (2012). Returning peace corps volunteers of Madison Wisconsin, Unheard Voices: Celebrating Cultures from the Developing World; Donella H. Meadows, The Global Citizen, 31 May 1990.Google Scholar
Eweje, G., & Brunton, M. (2010). Ethical perceptions of business students in a New Zealand university: Do gender, age and work experience matter? Business Ethics: A European Review, 19(1), 95111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furnham, A., & Muhiudeen, C. (1984). The Protestant work ethic in Britain and Malaysia. The Journal of Social Psychology, 122(2), 157161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furnham, A., Bond, M., Heaven, P., Hilton, D., Lobel, T., Masters, J., & Van Daalen, H. (1993). A comparison of Protestant work ethic beliefs in thirteen nations. The Journal of Social Psychology, 133(2), 185197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geren, B. (2011). The work ethic: is it universal? Journal of International Business & Cultural Studies, 5, 18.Google Scholar
Golebiewski, D. (2014). Religion and globalization: New possibilities, furthering challenges. Furthering Challenges. Retrieved from http://www.e-ir.info/2014/07/16/religion-and-globalization-new-possibilities-furthering-challenges/ CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorsuch, R. L. (1988). Psychology of religion. Annual Review of Psychology, 39(1), 201221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graafland, J., Mazereeuw, C., & Yahia, A. (2006). Islam and socially responsible business conduct: an empirical study of Dutch entrepreneurs. Business Ethics: A European Review, 15(4), 390406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate data analysis (vol. 6). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Harman, H. H. (1976). Modern factor analysis 3rd ed., Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Härtel, C. E., Härtel, G. F., & Trumble, R. B. (2013). IDADA: The individual difference approach to assessing and developing diversity awareness. Journal of Management & Organization, 19(1), 6074.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hashim, M. (2012). Islamic perception of business ethics and the impact of secular thoughts on Islamic business ethics. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2(3), 98120.Google Scholar
Hassan, A., & Sinha, R. B. N. (2014). Respondents versus informants method of data collection: Implications for business research. Multilingual Academic Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2(1), 113.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values (vol. 5). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Holtbrügge, D., Baron, A., & Friedmann, C. B. (2014). Personal attributes, organizational conditions, and ethical attitudes: A social cognitive approach. Business Ethics: A European Review, 24(3), 264281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopkins, D. N. (2001). Religions/globalizations: Theories and cases. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Ibn Majah, Sunan. The Chapters on Pawning, 3(16), Hadith 2443. Retrieved from http://sunnah.com/urn/1267610.Google Scholar
Jackson, J. L., Denzee, K., Douglas, K., & Shimeall, W. (2005). Introduction to structural equation modeling: Path analysis. Retrieved from http://www.sgim.org/userfiles/file/AMHandouts/AM05/handouts/PA08.pdf Google Scholar
Jamaluddin, S. (2003). Understanding the framework of business in Islam in an era of globalization: A review. Business Ethics: A European Review, 12(1), 2332.Google Scholar
Jerry (2006). Marriage of collectivism and religion. Leitmotif. Retrieved from https://ergosum.wordpress.com/2006/02/16/marriage-of-collectivism-and-religion/ Google Scholar
Johnson, C. (2003). Enron’s ethical collapse: Lessons for leadership educators. Journal of Leadership Education, 2(1), 4557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, D. A. (2015). Moderator variables: Introduction. Retrieved from http://davidakenny.net/cm/moderation.htm Google Scholar
Küng, H. (2009). The global economic crisis requires a global ethic. Retrieved from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Values-and-Ethics-for-the-21st-Century_BBVA.pdf Google Scholar
Lennerfors, T. T. (2013). Beneath good and evil? Business Ethics: A European Review, 22(4), 380392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lucas, S. R. (2014). Beyond the existence proof: ontological conditions, epistemological implications, and in-depth interview research. Quality & Quantity, 48(1), 387408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lumley, T., Diehr, P., Emerson, S., & Chen, L. (2002). The importance of the normality assumption in large public health data sets. Annual Review of Public Health, 23(1), 151169.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lynn, M. L., Naughton, M. J., & VanderVeen, S. (2009). Faith at work scale (FWS): Justification, development, and validation of a measure of Judaeo-Christian religion in the workplace. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(2), 227243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manroop, L., Singh, P., & Ezzedeen, S. (2014). Human resource systems and ethical climates: A resource-based perspective. Human Resource Management, 53(5), 795816.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCorquodale, R., & Fairbrother, R. (1999). Globalization and human rights. Human Rights Quarterly, 735766.Google Scholar
Morrell, K., & Jayawardhena, C. (2010). Fair trade, ethical decision making and the narrative of gender difference. Business Ethics: A European Review, 19(4), 393407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nachum, L. (2003). Does nationality of ownership make any difference and, if so, under what circumstances?: Professional service MNEs in global competition. Journal of International Management, 9(1), 132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nam, D. I., Parboteeah, K. P., Cullen, J. B., & Johnson, J. L. (2014). Cross-national differences in firms undertaking innovation initiatives: An application of institutional anomie theory. Journal of International Management, 20(2), 91106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nasr, S. H. (1984). Islamic work ethics. Hamdard Islamicus, 7(4), 2535.Google Scholar
Niles, F. S. (1999). Toward a cross-cultural understanding of work-related beliefs. Human Relations, 52(7), 855867.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Novicevic, M. M., Buckley, M. R., Harvey, M. G., Halbesleben, J. R., & Rosiers, S. D. (2003). Socializing ethical behavior of foreign employees in multinational corporations. Business Ethics: A European Review, 12(3), 298307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philips, D. C. (1987). Philosophy, science and social enquiry. New York: Pergamon.Google Scholar
Pio, E., & Syed, J. (2014). Sacred activism through seva and khidmat: Contextualising management and organisations in South Asia. Journal of Management & Organization, 20(05), 572586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pole, J., & Bondy, S. (2010). Control variables. In N. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of research design, pp. 253255. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Ramamoorthy, N., Kulkarni, S. P., Gupta, A., & Flood, P. C. (2007). Individualism–collectivism orientation and employee attitudes: A comparison of employees from the high-technology sector in India and Ireland. Journal of International Management, 13(2), 187203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sager, J. K., Yi, J., & Futrell, C. M. (1998). A model depicting sales people’s perceptions. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 18(3), 122.Google Scholar
Sekaran, U. (2006). Research methods for business: A skill building approach. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Spector, P. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes, and consequences (vol. 3). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steele, J. M., & Bullock, E. E. (2009). A review of spirituality in the workplace. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 21(3), 273274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stefanidis, A., & Banai, M. (2014). Ethno-cultural considerations in negotiation: Pretense, deception and lies in the Greek workplace. Business Ethics: A European Review, 23(2), 197217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steger, M. B., & Roy, R. K. (2010). Neoliberalism: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sulaiman, M. (2003). The influence of riba and zakat on Islamic accounting. Indonesian Management and Accounting Review, 2(2), 149167.Google Scholar
Syed, J., & Van Buren, H. J. (2014). Global business norms and Islamic views of women’s employment. Business Ethics Quarterly, 24(2), 251276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (1996). Using multivariate statistics. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.Google Scholar
Tabish, A. G. (2009). Comparing standards of business ethics in USA, China, Jamaica and Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Commerce & Social Sciences, 3, 4966.Google Scholar
Teo, T., & Khine, M. S. (2009). Structural equation modeling in educational research. Rotterdam, the Netherlands: Sense.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tian, Q., Liu, Y., & Fan, J. (2015). The effects of external stakeholder pressure and ethical leadership on corporate social responsibility in China. Journal of Management & Organization, 21(4), 388410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Toussaint, L., & Webb, J. R. (2005). Gender differences in the relationship between empathy and forgiveness. The Journal of Social Psychology, 145(6), 673685.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Triandis, H. C., & Bhawuk, D. (1997). Culture theory and the meaning of relatedness. In P. C. Earley, & M. Erez (Eds.), New perspectives on international industrial/organizational psychology, pp. 1352. New York, NY: The New Lexington Free Press.Google Scholar
Triandis, H. C. (2006). Cultural aspects of globalization. Journal of International Management, 12(2), 208217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2011). Religion based charges FY 1997–2010. Retrieved from http://eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/charges.cfm.Google Scholar
Ullah, S., Jamali, D., & Harwood, I. A. (2014). Socially responsible investment: insights from Shari’a departments in Islamic financial institutions. Business Ethics: A European Review, 23(2), 218233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vallejo-Martos, M. C., & Puentes-Poyatos, R. (2014). Family firms as incubators for ethical behavior: An exploratory study from the perspective of stewardship theory. Journal of Management & Organization, 20(6), 784807.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, S., & Weaver, G. R. (2003). How internationalization affects corporate ethics: Formal structures and informal management behavior. Journal of International Management, 9(1), 7593.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weber, M. (1958). The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, trans. Talcott Parsons (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons), 182.Google Scholar
Weber, M., & Swedberg, R. (1999). Essays in economic sociology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Yousef, D. A. (2000). The Islamic work ethic as a mediator of the relationship between locus of control, role conflict and role ambiguity: A study in an Islamic country setting. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 15(4), 283298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhu, J. S., Zhu, C. J., & De Cieri, H. (2014). Chinese MNCs’ preparation for host-country labor relations: An exploration of country-of-origin effect. Human Resource Management, 53(6), 947965.CrossRefGoogle Scholar