The role of culture in coping with uncertainty

This paper builds on prior cross-cultural research to explore the role of national culture in providing mechanisms to cope with uncertainty. The concept of uncertainty is critical to organization and management theories, and has been central in explaining the relationship between organizations and their environment. The cross-cultural literature suggests that people perceive and deal with uncertainty differently across cultures. This paper extends this literature by empirically testing the role of culture in providing managers with mechanisms to cope with uncertainty in Brazil and the United States. Results suggest that beliefs about control over the environment and rule orientation influence the choice of coping mechanisms employed across countries. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Key words: uncertainty, coping with uncertainty, uncertainty avoidance, national culture, content analysis, cross-cultural managemen