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First published September 1994

Organizational Development in Eastern Europe: Learning to Build Culture-Specific OD Theories

Ivan PerlakiView all authors and affiliations
Volume 30, Issue 3
https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886394303003

Abstract

This study consists of three parts. The first part analyzes major differences between organization development values and national culture in the United States and in Eastern Europe. The second part of the study describes the social development-or social planning-in Eastern Europe. The third part presents three basic strategies for successful organization development applications in Esteem Europe and describes a culture-sensitive general framework for organization development and change developed by the author

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1.
1. Culture can be defined as "the collective mental programming of the people in an environment" (Hofstede, 1980b, p.43). It consists of basic assumptions, values, beliefs, norms, ethical and moral codes, and behavioral patterns shared by members of a social group, an organization, or a nation.
2.
2. The author was born in Eastern Europe (EE) and lived there for 46 years. He used Hofstede's conceptual framework, built on four dimensions of national culture, to assess EE culture. The validity of his assessment was analyzed and verified by interviews with a panel of experts-nine EE management experts, sociologists, and social psychologists familiar with Hofstede's concept, with EE culture, and with EE management theories and practices.
3.
3. In addition to teaching organizational behavior and OD courses at Slovak Technical University in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, the author also worked for 18 years as an OD consultant and management development consultant and trainer in former Czechoslovakia. He was in a good position to observe development of these fields throughout EE countries.

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Volume 30, Issue 3
Pages: 297 - 312
Article first published: September 1994
Issue published: September 1994

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Ivan Perlaki
East Tennessee State University
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