Mapping Cultural Models of Authority

Abstract

As the United States' workforce becomes more diverse, the incidence of cross-cultural supervision will increase. Cross-cultural supervision is a workplace situation in which the culture of the supervisor and of the subordinate differ. Anecdotal evidence and cross-cultural psychological theory suggest that cultures may differ in their models of authority. For this qualitative study, 20 Hispanic workers and 19 non-Hispanic white workers were interviewed about their experiences with supervisors and their views about ideal supervisory behavior. Results suggest that Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites may have significantly different cultural models of authority. Although the workers interviewed shared a common "factory worker" cultural model, the two groups differ on their basic philosophical approach to work, their concepts of how harmony is achieved in the workplace, how dignity is maintained, how respect is shown, and their desired intrapsychic outcomes.