The evolution of cross-cultural research in management studies

Although previous studies have extensively scrutinized cross-cultural research in the field of management, we still lack a thorough assessment of the evolution of this literature over the last about five decades. This is the primary purpose of the present paper, which employs four dimensions of analysis in order to both critically assess each individual decade and more broadly depict the evolution of cross-cultural research over the entire time period under investigation. Building upon the reviews described earlier, the selected dimensions are: (1) major themes and issues; (2) explanations of similarities and differences in organizational behavior; (3) research approach (empirical vs. conceptual); and (4) research topics.