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Islamic work ethics and individualism in managing a globalized workplace: Does religiosity and nationality matter?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2015

Muhammad A Alam  and
Nadeem Talib
Muhammad A Alam*
Affiliation:
Iqra University Islamabad, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Nadeem Talib
Affiliation:
National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

The integration of work ethic theories with religious beliefs and Hofstede’s national culture typology implies that Islamic work ethics peculiarly support social symbiosis and collectivism. On the contrary, present globalized workplace is pragmatically driven by individualism. To sort out these concerns, this cross-cultural study links Islamic work ethics to individualism at globalized workplace and examines the moderating influence of employee religiosity and nationality. A stratified sample of 307 employees from leading multinational corporations operating in United States, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Pakistan participated in the study. The study found a strong positive relationship between Islamic work ethics and individualism, and no significant interaction effect of employee nationality and religiosity was observed. Together, the findings suggest that Islamic work ethics advocate a great deal of individualism, and can benefit the multinational corporations in managing their diversified workforce with a view to get maximum advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization.

Keywords

work ethicIslamglobalizationindividualismreligiositynationality
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 22 , Issue 4 , July 2016 , pp. 566 - 582
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2015 

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