Abstract:

In the context of growing business internationalization, values held by modern managers and their impact on people management in a multicultural environment are a topical and pertinent area of research. Values are an important element supporting managers in the realization of their visions, missions, and goals, all of which directly influence the effectiveness of the whole organization. Values play a special role in multicultural environments, where they can act as a team bonding factor. The study described in the article is a mixed methods study: it combines traditional analysis of the subject literature and an empirical study. The results of the Corporate Values Index (CVI) study conducted by the companies that belong to the international ECCO Network are used as the starting point for the preliminary study carried out by the authors of the article. The CVI study took place in 2006, 2009, and 2013 and covered over a dozen of countries, and its aim was to answer the questions what values dominate in companies and how widely values are incorporated in management in various countries, industries, and organizations of different sizes. The next section of the article presents the findings of the pilot study (8 telephone interviews) conducted by the authors, which they held with Polish managers working in a multicultural environment. This pilot study is an introduction to a larger research project that the authors intend to conduct among managers working in international companies in Poland, Spain, and the Czech Republic. The analysis of both the subject literature and the empirical data leads to the conclusion that the values held by managers significantly influence people management in multicultural teams. Respect for shared values is conductive – particularly in an intercultural work environment – to developing innovation and team spirit, to avoiding misunderstanding and conflict, and thus to effectively achieving organizational objectives.