In today's world of global commerce, it is generally agreed that countries that possess more advanced technologies will invariably emerge as the economic powerhouses of the future. It is no surprise, then, that the role of technology adoption across nations represents an important aspect of both economic development and international business.
In an article published in the Journal of World Business, University of Oregon professors Richard M. Steers and Alan D. Meyers and IESE Prof. Carlos J. Sanchez-Runde explore this understudied area in order to determine to what extent national cultural differences influence whether or not a country adopts available emerging technologies.
To do this, they focused on the role of national cultures and cultural differences, as well as education levels, wealth and critical local resources, in facilitating or inhibiting nationwide adoption of emerging technologies, which often hold the key to future economic success. The authors first examine recent thinking on how such relationships come about, and then illustrate this information using two case studies from two very different countries: Brazil and South Korea.
Culture and Technology: Not Independent Phenomena
Using current literature, the authors highlight some factors that are believed to influence whether a nation adapts new technologies, such as uncertainty avoidance, individualism-collectivism and future-versus-past orientation.
Yet beyond these existing explanations, the authors note that technologies do not occur in a cultural vacuum, but rather in social contexts that reflect cultural values and beliefs regarding innovation and change.
To illustrate their ideas, the professors comment on two case studies that analyze the role of national cultures in the adoption of critical technologies.
The first, "Beyond a Better Mousetrap: A Cultural Analysis of the Adoption of Ethanol in Brazil" by Luciara Nardon and Kathryn Aten, examines the widespread use of ethanol in Brazil as a fuel substitute for petroleum and poses the question as to how Brazil, ranked 38th in the world for business attractiveness, moved ahead of richer nations in developing this alternative. The case study presents various possibilities for this, and highlights the cultural characteristic of jeitinho - a uniquely Brazilian way of getting around obstacles to get things done - as a possible key role.
The second case, "Towards a Theory of Synchronous Technological Assimilation: The Case of Korea's Internet Economy" by Sang-Myung Lee and Gerardo Ungson, focuses on South Korea and how this "late industrializer" surpassed larger, richer and more technologically advanced countries to become an undisputed leader of the Internet-centric economy. Again, the case presents some possible cultural reasons, citing South Korea's emphasis on personal relationships and networks as playing a major role.
Questions for Future Thinking
The authors conclude by suggesting the need for further research into the relationship between technology adoption and cultural differences, and offer some food for thought to stimulate this research:
- How are the meanings and uses of technology constructed at a national level and how does national culture influence this?
- If national culture influences technology adoption, what are the processes by which this occurs?
- Can these processes be easily transferred from one culture to another?
- Are some kinds of technologies more likely to be adopted by some nations rather than others?