Managing training and development in Bahrain: the influence of culture

Abstract

Examines the influence of national culture on the decision‐making behaviour of training managers in Bahrain. Twenty‐one such managers were interviewed in order to complete two inventories: one concerned with the training culture and the other concerned with decision criteria used in selecting people for training. Characterizes the organizations represented in the sample by reference to two scales of measure. The first of these, which has been termed organizational rationale, reflects the extent to which training decision making stems from organizational needs. The second measure, which has been termed social rationale, reflects the extent to which training decision making stems from the mores of an Arabic culture. The location of an organization on a two‐dimensional diagram contrasting these two types of influence is reminiscent of the managerial grid of Blake and Mouton. Suggests that Arabic culture can be mediated by variables such as nationality of ownership and sector of the economy.

Citation

Al Bahar, A.A., Peterson, S.E. and Taylor, W.G.K. (1996), "Managing training and development in Bahrain: the influence of culture", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 11 No. 5, pp. 26-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683949610124799