What is Cultural Fit? From Cognition to Behavior (And Back)

Forthcoming book, Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Sociology, edited by Wayne Brekhus and Gabe Ignatow and due for publication in 2017.

Stanford University Graduate School of Business Research Paper No. 17-32

31 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2017

See all articles by Sanaz Mobasseri

Sanaz Mobasseri

Boston University - Questrom School of Business

Amir Goldberg

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Sameer B. Srivastava

University of California, Berkeley

Date Written: April 25, 2017

Abstract

How people fit into social groups is a core topic of investigation across multiple sociological subfields, including education, immigration, and organizations. In this chapter, we synthesize findings from these literatures to develop an overarching framework for conceptualizing and measuring the level of cultural fit and the dynamics of enculturation between individuals and social groups. We distinguish between the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of fitting in, which previous work has tended to either examine in isolation or to conflate. Reviewing the literature through this lens enables us to identify the strengths and limitations of unitary — that is, primarily cognitive or primarily behavioral — approaches to studying cultural fit. In contrast, we develop a theoretical framework that integrates the two perspectives and highlights the value of considering their interplay over time. We then identify promising theoretical pathways that can link the two dimensions of cultural fit. We conclude by discussing the implications of pursuing these conceptual routes for research methods and provide some illustrative examples of such work.

Keywords: culture, fitting in, assimilation, socialization, cognition, groups, norms

Suggested Citation

Mobasseri, Sanaz and Goldberg, Amir and Srivastava, Sameer B., What is Cultural Fit? From Cognition to Behavior (And Back) (April 25, 2017). Forthcoming book, Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Sociology, edited by Wayne Brekhus and Gabe Ignatow and due for publication in 2017., Stanford University Graduate School of Business Research Paper No. 17-32, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2958377

Sanaz Mobasseri (Contact Author)

Boston University - Questrom School of Business ( email )

595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA MA 02215
United States

Amir Goldberg

Stanford Graduate School of Business ( email )

655 Knight Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5015
United States

Sameer B. Srivastava

University of California, Berkeley ( email )

2220 Piedmont Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
6178958707 (Phone)

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