A Global View of Competitive Norms

Abstract

This study investigates the differential effectiveness of cultural values and normative beliefs as predictors of behavior in a competitive group decision-making task in three countries, Israel, Japan, and the United States. Its purpose is to test hypotheses about how cultural values and norms influence the display and use of power in groups. Our initial findings present very similar values- and norms-based pictures of the groups in Israel and the U.S. However, their resource allocation behaviors were remarkably different. The "power" players in Israel claimed significantly more of the resources than either the power players in Japan or the U.S. There was no distinguishable difference between the outcomes in Japan and the U.S.

Keywords: norms, cultural values, and culture

JEL Classification: D74