Consequences of workplace boundary permeability: The moderating role of macro and micro level culture

In this paper, the nature of boundary permeability and its impacts on cooperation and workgroup identification among Anglo-Saxon and South East Asian employees will be investigated. In Study 1, we interview 20 professional employees to explore the nature of boundaries and its impact during intercultural exchanges. Qualitative analysis identifies six boundary categories: Collectivist norm boundary; Individualist norm boundary; Ethnicity boundary; Relationship-oriented work boundary; Task-oriented work boundary and Communication boundary. Overall, South East Asians are more likely to be perceived to create and maintain more impermeable boundaries than Anglo Saxons. Impermeable boundaries are also found to restrict interactions between South East Asians and Anglo Saxons, making cooperation and communication more difficult. In Study 2, we survey 134 employees (i.e., 87 South East Asian and 47 Anglo-Saxon employees), to test the direct effect of workplace boundary permeability on organisational outcomes and the moderating role of culture (i.e., cultural grouping and self-construal). Results suggest that boundary permeability is positively related to cooperation but not work group identification. Furthermore, we find that cultural grouping and interdependent self-construal moderate the relationship between boundary permeability, cooperation and work group identification. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed