An exploratory examination into cultural differences on climates for creativity and innovation: Viewing culture through the lens of language

Abstract

This exploratory study aims to explore potential differences in individuals` organizational climate perception from the perspective of culture. Potential differences according to gender is also explored. In order to achieve the goal of the study, nine climate dimensions were examined by self- administered questionnaires that were conducted and obtained from six different languages including Norwegian, English, French, Dutch, German and Chinese. Usable answers were obtained from 19 229 individuals. To make the comparison fair, a random 100 persons were collected from each language using random probability sampling. A total of 600 participants were analyzed. The data that was collected through the questionnaire was analyzed by using SPSS 26 and the relationship between climate perception on nine dimensions and cultural/gender differences was analyzed. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in climate perception both culturally and when comparing the two genders. The results found significant differences in five of the climate dimensions cross culturally and four dimensions when comparing gender. Keywords: Organizational climate, perception, culture, gender