The impact of cross-cultural dynamics on change management

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce a proprietary survey instrument - "ChangeTracking SurveyUP/UP" - which measures employees' perceptions of organizational change and captures their experiences during the course of change management in their organizations. Design/methodology/approach - The authors present an empirical study of employees involved in change management projects in 146 organizations situated in 27 countries across a variety of industries, nationalities and languages, using robust statistical analysis. Hofstede's work is used as a foundation for understanding cross-cultural differences in organizations from across the world. Findings - The paper finds significant differences in certain characteristics of change projects between different nationalities. Practical implications - The findings present new and recent knowledge of the cross-cultural dynamics in change management projects, which would prove useful to change managers throughout the world. Originality/value - This research is recent and is extensive in its examination of the effects of national cultures on change management initiatives internationally. Copyright © 2012 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved