Page 26 - Crossing Cultural Boundaries - Cees den Teuling

1.3 Rationale, contribution and objectives
1.3.1 Rationale
The culture of organisations is widely considered as a major factor, significant in the effective operation of an organisation. Exploration of organisational culture (OC) dimensions by implementation of a variety of quantitative and qualitative instruments will produce an array of outcomes. As argued by Jung, Scott, Davies, Bower, Whalley, McNally, and Mannion (2009) “There is no ideal instrument for cultural exploration. The degree to which any measure is seen as fit for purpose depends on the particular reason for which it is be used and the context in which it is applied”. However, there is a need for a practical approach to be explored and understood by both academic researchers and practitioners. Explanations are sought by researchers analysing concepts of OC. Meanwhile, practitioners are in need of understanding the management of OC, searching for answers and developing solutions in a practical field work and adjusting the organisation’s culture. This is important for meeting the demands of effective transfer and processing of knowledge. For underlying research, a combination of the approaches of Schein (1985), Hofstede (1991), Hofstede, Hofstede, and Minkov (2010), Denison (1997), Denison, Kotrba and Castano (2012), Trompenaars and Hampden- Turner (1998; 2005; 2011), and Bond (1987) is discussed and elaborated. This is done for determining the elements of OC in relation to KT processes by the research. The objective is to identify the facilitating variables that support and/or complicate the transfer of knowledge. As the “transmitters” or “donors” of knowledge, known under the phenomenon “Management Consultancy” (MC) or “Advisory” services, experts are invited by organisations of all sort. Those are organisations, which are in need of additional knowledge, to compensate a lack of skills or to improve their level of competitiveness. Recipient organisations expect the consultants (or business trainers) to transfer their implicit and explicit repository of adequate knowledge to the organisation’s management and workforce. The main task is to improve the knowledge level of staff and to learn them to apply the lessons learnt, independently, without the guidance and assisting of the consultants. Contributions from the theory are delivered from several directions (e.g. Greiner & Metzger, 1983; Biech & Swindling, 1999; Farey, 2008; De Jong & Van Eekelen, 1999) of the field of MC. As objective, in the actual research, a theoretical model is developed, allowing to elaborate on the roles of management consultants, business trainers as intermediaries and “transmitters” to recipient organisations, focused on the processes of KT.
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