Cross-cultural differences and information systems developer values

doi:10.1016/S0167-9236(03)00101-5

Decision Support Systems

Volume 38, Issue 2, November 2004, Pages 183-195

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-9236(03)00101-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

The increasingly global nature of software development and the increasing diversity in the information systems (IS) workforce have led to failures arising from inadequate understanding of cultural influences on IS design and development. This study aims to examine the relationship between the cultural background and development values of IS developers through a field survey in Singapore and the United States. The relationship between two cultural dimensions (individualism–collectivism and masculinity–femininity) and three development values (technical, economic, and socio-political) of IS developers were investigated. A model relating cultural dimensions to development values was formulated. The findings indicate that both individualism–collectivism and masculinity–femininity are related to the technical, economic, and socio-political values of IS developers (including DSS developers). Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Introduction

Software development is going global in several ways. The top 100 software companies in the United States now have 50% or more of their sales outside their native country and it is common for software products to be released simultaneously in 10 or more languages [51]. Offshore outsourcing of a portion of or entire information systems (IS) functions is also becoming increasingly prevalent. As many as 203 out of Fortune 500 companies in the United States now engage in offshore outsourcing [6]. Most major software vendors such as Microsoft and IBM offer business intelligence DSS tools that are also developed globally. Countries like India, Ireland, China, and Israel provide skilled IS labor for international corporations [1].

Within nations, the demographic diversity of the IS workforce is increasing as mobility of IS professionals increases. A Workforce 2020 report by Hudson Institute [25] documents the increase in workforce diversity in the United States. The United States Department of Labor estimates that the country would need an additional 1.3 million IS professionals by 2006 that is partially to be filled by either outsourcing or importing labor [59]. The increasing diversity in IS development workforce is bringing cultural issues to the fore [6].

IS developers from different countries may have cultural perspectives that are dissimilar from those adhered to by the companies that hire them. Incompatibilities in language and culture [57] can pose constraints to offshore IS development. Therefore, the increasingly common international IS development endeavors are not without risks. The Interface Hall of Shame website [23] compiles a list of cases of poor IS design for global use. Such examples illustrate that there is a need to better understand the cultural assumptions embedded in IS development efforts.

The IS development process is complex and ambiguous, often wrought with uncertainty. Often, IS developers have to make choices that significantly affect the IS development process and its outcomes [40]. To a great extent, these choices are based on the values of IS developers, subject to environmental constraints. Prior research indicates that the process of IS design and development can vary depending on the cultural context [9], [32], [43]. However, there is a lack of cross-cultural empirical comparison of IS development efforts that are theoretically motivated. Although there have been studies comparing IS developer values across cultures (e.g., [10], [32], [33]), the effects of cultural dimensions on IS developer values have not been empirically investigated.

The objective of this study is to develop and test a model relating cultural dimensions to IS developer values. Having a better understanding of the relationship between cultural dimensions and IS developer values may help to improve global development of IS in general and DSS in particular. Data was collected via a survey conducted in Singapore and the United States, based on established measures of cultural dimensions [22] and IS developer values [32]. Both Singapore and the United States are similar in terms of having an English-educated population, a technologically advanced workforce, and a software industry that is important to the economy. Using data from more than one country serves to enhance the generalizability of the findings of this study.

Section snippets

Cultural dimensions

Culture is characterized by a set of unique values that guides the behavior of people belonging to that culture [58]. Hofstede [21], [22] proposes four cultural dimensions: individualism–collectivism, masculinity–femininity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance. The major assertion of Hofstede's framework is that there are shared values, beliefs, and norms that are culture specific and these factors can predict a wide range of human behavior and practices. These four cultural dimensions

Hypotheses

The cultural orientation of IS developers is an important component of context (see Fig. 1). Based on the conceptual model by Kumar and Bjorn-Andersen [32], cultural orientation can impact IS developer values, which in turn can influence the process and outcome of IS development efforts. This study focuses on the front-end of Fig. 1. It aims to establish the relationship between cultural orientation (individualism–collectivism and masculinity–femininity) and IS developer values (economic,

Methodology

The survey research method was used to collect the data for testing the theoretical model because an objective of this study was to have results that could be generalized to IS developers, at least to some extent [44].

Analysis

Partial least squares (PLS), a structural equation modeling technique, was used for data analysis. PLS assesses the measurement model (relationships between questions and constructs) within the context of the structural model (relationships among constructs). This technique does not require multivariate normal distribution or large sample sizes for its data [14]. Also, it is primarily intended for causal predictive analysis in early stages of theory development. Since this study is an early

Discussion

In this study, a theoretical model linking cultural dimensions to IS developer values was formulated and empirically tested. The results reveal that individualism–collectivism and masculinity–femininity had significant impact on economic, technical, and socio-political values of IS developers (see Fig. 3). Specifically, IS developers with individualistic inclination appear to have stronger economic, technical, and socio-political values than IS developers with collectivistic inclination. IS

Conclusion

In spite of its limitations, key conclusions have emerged from this study. IS developers with individualistic or masculine (or both) inclination have been found to possess stronger economic, technical, and socio-political values. These results suggest that IS developers with collectivistic or feminine (or both) inclination may benefit most from training. Like several prior studies (e.g., [28], [29]), the results of this study add a cultural perspective to our understanding of the IS and

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Atreyi Kankanhalli is Fellow in the Department of Information Systems at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She obtained her BTech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, MS in Electrical Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and PhD in Information Systems from NUS. She was awarded the President's Graduate Fellowship and Dean's Graduate Award at NUS. She was an ICIS 2000 doctoral consortium fellow. Prior to joining NUS, she has a number of years of work experience in industrial R&D. Her research has been published in international journals such as Communications of the ACM, International Journal of Information Management, Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, International Journal of Pattern Recognition and Artificial Intelligence, and Multimedia Systems. She has also published in proceedings of international conferences such as International Conference on Information Systems and ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference. Her research interests are in knowledge management, virtual teams, cross-cultural studies, technology for developing countries, and information systems security.

Bernard C.Y. Tan is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Information Systems at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He received his PhD degree in Information Systems from NUS. He has won research and teaching awards at NUS. He has been a Visiting Scholar in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. He is serving on the editorial boards of Information and Management, Journal of the AIS, Journal of Global Information Management, e-Service Journal, and Journal of Distance Education Technologies. His research has been published in ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, ACM Transactions on Information Systems, Communications of the ACM, Decision Support Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Information and Management, Information Systems Research, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the AIS, MIS Quarterly, and Management Science. His research focuses on computer-mediated communication, cross-cultural issues, knowledge management, and information privacy.

Kwok-Kee Wei is Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Information Systems at City University of Hong Kong. He received his DPhil degree in Computer Science from the University of York (United Kingdom). He is on leave from the National University of Singapore, where he is Professor in the Department of Information Systems. He is President of the Association for Information Systems. He has served or is serving on the editorial boards of MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research. His research has been published in ACM Transactions on Computer–Human Interaction, ACM Transactions on Information Systems, Decision Support Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Information and Management, Information Systems Research, International Journal of Human–Computer Studies, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the AIS, MIS Quarterly, and Management Science. His research focuses on computer-mediated communication, electronic commerce, virtual organizations, and human–computer interaction.

Monica C. Holmes is Associate Professor in the Department of Business Information Systems (BIS) at Central Michigan University. She received her PhD in Business Computer Information Systems as well as her Bachelor of Business Administration and MBA from the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. She is currently the chairperson of the BIS Department. Prior to coming to the US, she had worked in a variety of businesses in Malaysia in the accounting and auditing functions. Her research has been published in the Journal of Computer Information Systems, Dispute Resolution Journal, and Journal of the International Society for Business Education. She has also published in the proceedings of international conferences such as the Americas Conference in Information Systems (AMCIS), annual conferences of the International Association of Computer Information Systems (IACIS) and International Resource Management Association (IRMA). Her research interests are in cross-cultural studies, systems analysis and design, and pedagogy related to high-tech subjects.

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Cross-cultural differences and information systems developer values

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Cultural dimensions

Hypotheses

Methodology

Analysis

Discussion

Conclusion

Information and Management

Journal of Strategic Information Systems

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Information and Management

Software Cost Estimation with COCOMO II

Software Defect Reduction: Top 10 List

Computer

How does cultural collectivism operate? The impact of task and maintenance contributions on reward distribution

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

MIS problems and failures: a socio-technical perspective; part I: the causes

MIS Quarterly

Tactical approaches for alleviating distance in global software development

IEEE Software

How can cooperation be fostered? The cultural effects of individualism–collectivism

Academy of Management Review

Work organization: paradigms for project management and organization

Communications of the ACM

Systems designer's user models: a comparative study and methodological critique

Communications of the ACM

Self or group? Cultural effects of training on self-efficacy and performance

Administrative Science Quarterly

The Manager and Man: A Cross-Cultural Study of Personal Values

A Primer for Soft Modeling

A Second Generation of Multivariate Analysis Methods

Gender differences in the perception and use of e-mail: an extension to the technology acceptance model

MIS Quarterly

Multivariate Data Analysis

National culture: an influence on leader evaluations?

International Journal of Organizational Analysis

Requirements engineering as a success factor in software projects

IEEE Software

Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values

Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind

A qualitative analysis of conflict types and dimensions in organizational groups

Administrative Science Quarterly

Effects of leadership style and followers' cultural orientation on performance in group and individual task conditions

Academy of Management Journal

India's emerging competitive advantage in services

Academy of Management Executive

Understanding runaway information technology projects: results from an international research program based on escalation theory

Journal of Management Information Systems