Organizational crossvergence is the identifying framework in this study of the emerging similarities between both educational systems and business systems in India and the United States. A sample of 237 international MBA graduates was examined relative to the education they received in a combined United States and India management program. They studied in both countries, and pursued careers in either country. We confirm that the applied value of advanced business education originating in India was enhanced, but not significantly surpassed, by the Western learning experience. The applicability of graduates’ acquired skills was as relevant for employment in India as in American organizations. Implications for policymakers resulting from the findings highlight the clear justification of deepening management education collaboration amongst educators and employers in emergent and developed markets.
AbeleA. E.SpurkD. (2009). How do objective and subjective career success interrelate over time?Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82, 803–824. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317909x470924
3.
Abreu-PederziniG. D.Suárez-BarrazaM. F. (2020). Just let us be: Domination, the postcolonial condition, and the global field of business schools. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 19, 40–58. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2018.0116
4.
AhmadS. Z.BuchananF. (2016). Choices of destination for transnational higher education: “Pull” factors in an Asia Pacific market. Educational Studies Journal, 42, 163–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2016.1152171
5.
AlaghS. K. (2018, May23). This is what is wrong with MBA programmes in India, and here’s how to fix it. Hindustan Times.
6.
AltbachP. G. (1991). Trends in comparative education. Comparative Education Review, 35(3), 491–507. https://doi.org/10.1086/447049
AprilK. A.AprilA. R. (2007). Growing leaders in emergent markets: Leadership enhancement in the new South Africa. Journal of Management Education, 31(2), 214–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562906297595
10.
ArmstrongJ. S.OvertonT. S. (1977). Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. Journal of Marketing Research, 14(3), 396–402. https://doi.org/10.2307/3150783
11.
ArnoveR. F. (2001). Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) facing the twenty-first century: Challenges and contributions. Comparative Education Review, 45(4), 477–503. https://doi.org/10.2307/1189308
12.
ArthurM. B.RousseauD. M. (1996). The boundaryless career: A new employment principle for a new organizational era. In ArthurM. B.RousseauD. M. (Eds.), The boundaryless career (pp. 3–20). Oxford University Press.
13.
BakerM. (2012). Modernity/coloniality and Eurocentric education: Towards a post-occidental self-understanding of the present. Policy Futures in Education, 10(1), 4–22. https://doi.org/10.2304/pfie.2012.10.1.4
14.
BanerjeeS. B.LinsteadS. (2004). Masking subversion: Neocolonial embeddedness in anthropological accountsof indigenous management. Human Relations, 57, 221–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726704042928
15.
BeckerH. S. (1960). Notes on the concept of commitment. American Journal of Sociology, 66(1), 32–40. https://doi.org/10.1086/222820
16.
BensonG. S. (2006). Employee development, commitment and intention to turnover: A test of “employability” policies in action. Human Resource Management Journal, 16(2), 173–192. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-8583.2006.00011.x
17.
BhabhaH. K. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge.
18.
BharadwajP. N.RavishankarD. C. (2015). Competitive analysis of U.S. MBA in India,perceptions, preferences and success factors: An Exploratory Study. PES Business Review, 10(1), 1–14.
CampbellD.FiskeD. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81–105. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046016
22.
ChaturvediH. (2019). Quality accreditation and ranking: A silent revolution in the offing in Indian Higher Education (1st ed.). Bloomsbury.
23.
ChinW. W.MarcolinB. L.NewstedP. R. (2003). A partial least squares latent variable modeling approach for measuring interaction effects: Results from a Monte Carlo simulation study and an electronic-mail emotion/adoption study. Information Systems Research, 14(2), 189–217. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.14.2.189.16018
24.
CoffeeJ. C.Jr. (1998). Future as history: The prospects for global convergence in corporate governance and its implications. Northwestern University Law Review, 93, 641–653https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.142833
DashS.BruningE.AcharyaM. (2009). The effect of power distance and individualism on service quality expectations in banking: A two-country individual- and national-cultural comparison. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 27(5), 336–358. https://doi.org/10.1108/02652320910979870
De CaluwéC.Van DoorenW.DelafortryA.JanvierR. (2014). Mind-Sets of boundaryless careers in the Public Sector: The vanguard of a more mobile workforce?Public Personnel Management, 43(4), 490–519. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026014528479
31.
DiMaggioP. J.PowellW. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48, 63–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095101
32.
DohJ.HustedB. W.MattenD.SantoroM. (2010). Ahoy there! Toward greater congruence and synergy between international business and business ethics theory and research. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(3), 481–502. https://doi.org/10.5840/beq201020331
33.
DonnG.Al ManthriY. (2010). Globalisation and higher education in the Arab Gulf States. Symposium Books Ltd.
34.
DoriaJ.RozanskiH.CohenE. (2003). What business needs from business schools. Strategy + Business, 32, 38–45.
EbyL. T.ButtsM.LockwoodA. (2003). Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(6), 689–708. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.214
EdwardsJ. (2007). Challenges and opportunities for the internationalization of higher education in the coming decade: Planned and opportunistic initiatives in American institutions. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3–4), 373–381. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307303920
EmeryM. (2000). The current version of Emery’s open systems theory. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 13(5), 623–643. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1009577509972
41.
FomunyamK. G. (2018). Deconstructing quality in South African higher education. Quality Assurance in Education: An International Perspective, 26(1), 44–59. https://doi.org/10.1108/qae-11-2016-0072
42.
ForretM. L.DoughertyT. W. (2001). Correlates of networking behavior for managerial and professional employees. Group & Organization Management, 26(3), 283–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601101263004
FrenkelM.ShenhavY. (2006). From binarism back to hybridity: A postcolonial reading of management and organization studies. Organization Studies, 27, 855–876. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840606064086
45.
GilsonR. G. (2004). Globalizing corporate governance: Convergence of form or function. In GordonJ. N.RoeM. J. (Eds.), Convergence and persistence in corporate governance (pp. 128–158). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511665905.005
46.
GómezM.ArandaE.SantosJ. (2017). A competency model for higher education: An assessment based on placements. Studies in Higher Education, 42(12), 2195–2215https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1138937
47.
GreenhausJ. H.ParasuramanS.WormleyW. M. (1990). Effects of race on organizational experiences, job performance evaluations, and career outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 33(1), 64–86. https://doi.org/10.5465/256352
48.
GuptaD.GuptaN. (2012). Higher education in India: Structure, statistics and challenges. Journal of Education and Practice, 3(2), 17–24.
49.
GuptaV.GollakotaK.SreekumarA. (2005). In McIntyreJ. R.AlonI. (Eds.), Business and management education in transitioning and developing countries: A handbook (pp. 3–21). M.E. Sharpe.
50.
GuerreroS.JeanblancH.VeilleuxM. (2016). Development idiosyncratic deals and career success. Career Development International, 21(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-08-2015-0115
HallD. T.MirvisP. H. (2013). Redefining work, work identity, and career success. In BlusteinD. L. (Ed.), Oxford library of psychology: The Oxford handbook of the psychology of working (pp. 203–217). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199758791.013.0012
53.
HamannR.van DuinL.AppelsC.TaylorE.AkorE. (2006). Corporate citizenship in South African business education. South African Journal of Business Management, 37(2), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v37i2.601
54.
HigginsM. C.KramK. E. (2001). Reconceptualizing mentoring at work: A developmental network perspective. Academy of Management Review, 26, 264–288. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2001.4378023
55.
HofstedeG. (1980a). Motivation, leadership, and organization: Do American theories apply abroad?Organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(80)90013-3
56.
HofstedeG. (1980b). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. SAGE.
HollenbeckJ. R.WilliamsC. R. (1986). Turnover functionality versus turnover frequency: A note on work attitudes and organizational effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 606–611. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.4.606
59.
HomP.GriffethR. (1991). Structural equational modeling test of a turnover theory: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76 (3), 350–366. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.76.3.350
60.
HomP. W.GriffethR. W.SellaroC. L. (1984). The validity of Mobley’s (1977) model of employee turnover. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 34, 141–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(84)90001-1
IbrahimR.BoerhannoeddinA.BakareK. K. (2017). The effect of soft skills and training methodology on employee performance. European Journal of Training and Development, 41(4), 388–406. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejtd-08-2016-0066
64.
JacksonT. (2014). How can we encourage indigenous research?International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 14, 135–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595814541360
65.
JacobM.HellströmT. (2014). Opportunity from crisis: A common agenda for higher education and science, technology and innovation policy research. Studies in Higher Education, 39(8), 1321–1331. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.949531
66.
JohnsonC. D. (2001). In search of traditional and contemporary career success: What’s an African American male to do? (Order No. 3025319) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
67.
JohnstonM.GriffethR.BurtonS.CarsonP. (1993). An exploratory investigation into the relationships between promotion and turnover: A quasi-experimental longitudinal study. Journal of Management, 19(1), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639301900103
68.
JonesG.RamchandD. (2013). Education and human capital development in the giants of Asia. Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, 27(1), 40–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/apel.12002
69.
JudgeT. A.CableD. M.BoudreauJ. W.BretzR. D. (1995). An empirical investigation of the predictors of executive career success. Personnel Psychology, 48(3), 485–519. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01767.x
70.
JungJ.LeeS. J. (2016). Influence of university prestige on graduate wage and job satisfaction: The case of South Korea. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 38(3), 297–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080x.2016.1174408
71.
KachurJ. L. (2008). Human rights imperialism: Third way education as the new cultural imperialism. In AbdiA. A.ShultzL. (Eds.), Education for human rights and global citizenship (pp. 177–192). State University of New York Press.
72.
KazdinA. E. (2001). Almost clinically significant (p<. 10): Current measures may Only approach clinical significance. Clinical psychology: Science and practice, 8(4), 455–462. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy/8.4.455
73.
KellyG. P.AltbachP. G.ArnoveR. F. (1982). Trends in comparative education: A critical analysis. In, AltbachP. G.ArnoveR. F.KellyG. P. (Eds.), Comparative education (pp. 505–533). Macmillan.
74.
KerrC.HarbisonF. H.DunlopJ. T.MyersC. A. (1960). Industrialism and industrial man. International Labor Review, 82, 236–250.
75.
KhandekarA. (2013). Education Abroad: Engineering, privatization, and the new middle class in neoliberalizing India. Engineering Studies, 5(3), 179–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/19378629.2013.859686
76.
KhanH.WisnerJ. D. (2019). Supply chain integration, learning, and agility: Effects on performance. Journal of Operations and Supply Chain Management, 12(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.31387/oscm0360218
77.
KostD.FieselerC.WongS. I. (2020). Boundaryless careers in the gig economy: An oxymoron?Human Resource Management Journal, 30(1), 100–113. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12265
78.
KothiyalN.BellE.ClarkeC. (2018). Moving beyond mimicry: Developing hybrid spaces in Indian business schools. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 17(2), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2015.0137
79.
LakerD. R.PowellJ. L. (2011). The differences between hard and soft skills and their relative impact on training transfer. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 22(1), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20063
80.
LambertD. M.HarringtonT. C. (1990). Measuring nonresponse bias in customer service mail surveys. Journal of Business Logistics, 11(2), 5–25.
81.
LeslieS. W.KargonR. (2006). Exporting MIT: Science, technology, and nation-building in India and Iran. Osiris, 21(1), 110–130. https://doi.org/10.1086/507138
82.
LincolnJ. R.OlsonJ.HanadaM. (1978). Cultural effects of organizational structures: The case of Japanese firms in the United States. American Sociological Review, 43, 829–847. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094624
83.
LivingstonJ. S. (1971). The myth of the well-educated manager. Harvard Business Review, 49, 79–89.
84.
LokB. L.ChengM. Y.ChoongC. K. (2021). The relationship between soft skills training and development, human resource outcome and firm performance. International Journal of Business and Society, 22(1), 382–402. https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.3184.2021
85.
MarambeK.VermuntJ.BoshuizenH. (2012). A cross-cultural comparison of student learning patterns in higher education. Higher Education (00181560), 64(3), 299–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-011-9494-z
86.
MaurerT.TarulliB. (1994). Investigation of perceived environment, perceived outcome, and person variables in relationship to voluntary development activity by employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.79.1.3
87.
MeriläinenS.TienariJ.ThomasR.DaviesA. (2008). Hegemonic academic practices: Experiences of publishing from the periphery. Organization, 15(4), 584–597. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508408091008
88.
MerriamS.LeahyB. (2005). Learning transfer: A review of the research in adult education and training. PAACE Journal of Lifelong Learning, 14, 1–25.
MirvisP. H.HallD. T. (1996). Psychological success and the boundaryless career. In ArthurM. B.RousseauD. M. (Eds.), The boundaryless career (pp. 237–255). Oxford University Press.
91.
MurphyJ.ZhuJ. (2012). Neo-colonialism in the academy? Anglo-American domination in management journals. Organization, 19, 915–927. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508412453097
92.
NagyM. S. (2002). Using a single-item approach to measure facet job satisfaction. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75(1), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317902167658
93.
NatarajanR. (2005). The role of technical education in enabling the creation of a knowledge economy and society: The Indian perspective. In JonesG. A.McCarneyP. L.SkolnikM. L. (Eds.), Creating knowledge, strengthening nations: The changing role of higher education (pp. 157–165). University of Toronto Press. https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442673564-012
94.
NathP. (2018). India’s public policy challenge-making its human capital ‘Employable’. NHRD Network Journal, 11(1), 59–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0974173920180116
95.
NealM.FinlayJ. (2008). American hegemony and business education in the Arab world. Journal of Management Education, 32(1), 38–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562906297075
96.
NgT. W.EbyL. T.SorensenK. L.FeldmanD. C. (2005). Predictors of objective and subjective career success: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 367–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00515.x
97.
NkomoS. M. (2015). Challenges for management and business education in a “developmental state”: The case of South Africa. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 14, 242–258. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2014.0323
98.
NoeR.WilkS. (1993). Investigation of the factors that influence employees’ participation in development activities. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(2), 291–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.78.2.291
99.
OlsenJ. H.Jr. (1998). The evaluation and enhancement of training transfer. International Journal of Training and Development, 2, 61–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2419.00035
PashbyK. (2012). Questions for global citizenship education in the context of the ‘New Imperialism’: For whom, by whom? In de Oliviera AndreottiV.de SouzaL. M. (Eds.), Postcolonial perspectives on global citizenship education (pp. 21–38). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203156155-7
102.
PendergastW. (2009). Challenges and opportunities of business education in Southeast Europe: The case of a Balkan business school. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 20(3), 244–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/08975930903099242
103.
PengM. W.StanislavV. S. (2001). How entrepreneurs create wealth in transition economies. Academy of Management Executive, 15(1), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2001.4251397
104.
PfefferJ.FongC. T. (2002). The end of business schools? Less success than meets the eye. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 1(1), 78–95. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2002.7373679
PodsakoffP. M.OrganD. W. (1986). Self-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Management, 12, 531-544. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920638601200408
107.
PrasadA. (2012). Against the grain: Advances in postcolonial organization studies. Copenhagen Business School Press.
108.
RalstonD. A. (2008). The crossvergence perspective: Reflections and projections. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400333
109.
RalstonD. A.EgriC. P.KaramC. M.LiY.FuP. P. (2018). Changes in work values across the regions of China. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 35(1), 145–179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-017-9519-y
110.
RalstonD. A.GustafsonD. J.CheungF. M.TerpstraR. H. (1993). Differences in managerial values: A study of US, Hong Kong and PRC managers. Journal of International Business Studies, 24(2), 249–275. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490232
111.
RalstonD. A.GustafsonD. J.ElsassP. M.CheungF.TerpstraR. H. (1992). Eastern values: A comparison of managers in the United States, Hong Kong, and the People’s Republic of China. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(5), 664–671. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.77.5.664
112.
RalstonD. A.HoltD. H.TerpstraR. H.Kai-ChengY. (1997). The impact of natural culture and economic ideology on managerial work values: A study of the United States, Russia, Japan, and China. Journal of International Business Studies, 28(1), 177–207. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490097
113.
RalstonD. A.HoltD. H.TerpstraR. H.Kai-ChengY. (2008). The impact of national culture and economic ideology on managerial work values: A study of the United States, Russia, Japan, and China. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(1), 8–26. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400330
114.
RowleyC.BensonJ. (2002). Convergence and divergence in Asian human resource management. California Management Review, 44(2), 90–109. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166124
SandersN. R.PremusR. (2005). Modeling the relationship between firm IT capability, collaboration, and performance. Journal of Business Logistics, 26(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2158-1592.2005.tb00192.x
117.
SchwabenlandC. (2011). Surprise and awe: Learning from indigenous managers and implications for management education. Journal of Management Education, 35(1), 138–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562910384374
118.
SeibertS. E.KraimerM. L.CrantJ. M. (2001). What do proactive people do? A longitudinal model linking proactive personality and career success. Personnel Psychology, 54(4), 845–874. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2001.tb00234.x
119.
SeremaniT. W.CleggS. (2015). Management theory: The role of epistemological ‘third spaces.’Journal of Management Inquiry, 25, 171–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492615589973
120.
SiltaojaM.JuusolaK.KivijärviM. (2019). ‘World-class’ fantasies: A neocolonial analysis of international branch campuses. Organization, 26(1), 75–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508418775836
121.
SoaresM. E.MosqueraP. (2021). Linking career management practices with individual outcomes: The mediating role of perceived employability. Journal of Business Research, 124, 547–559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.10.049
122.
SrinivasN. (2008). Mimicry and revival: The transfer and transformation of management knowledge to India, 1959-1990. International Studies of Management & Organization, 38(4), 38-57. https://doi.org/10.2753/imo0020-8825380402
123.
SroufeR. (2020). Business schools as living labs: Advancing sustainability in management education. Journal of Management Education, 44(6), 726–765. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562920951590
124.
StrittmatterC. L.BharadwajP. N.CampR. C. (2013). Success factors in a comprehensive international partnership: Lessons learned from a case study of an Indo-American collaboration. Excellence in Higher Education, 4(1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.5195/ehe.2013.86
125.
TakayamaK.SriprakashA.ConnellR. (2017). Toward a postcolonial comparative and international education. Comparative Education Review, 61(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1086/690455
126.
TalbertT. L. (2005). Freedom or French fries: Packaged democracy for world consumption. In WhiteC.OpenshawR. (Eds.), Democracy at the crossroads: International perspectives on critical global citizenship education (pp.77–104). Lexington Books.
TurbanD. B.MoakeT. R.WuS. Y. H.CheungY. H. (2017). Linking extroversion and proactive personality to career success: The role of mentoring received and knowledge. Journal of Career Development, 44(1), 20–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845316633788
130.
WebberR. A. (1969). Convergence or divergence. Columbia Journal of World Business, 4(3), 75–83.
131.
WestwoodR. I.JackG.KhanF. R.FrenkelM. (2014). Situating core-peripheral knowledge in management and organisation studies. In FrenkelM.JackG.WestwoodR.KhanF. R. (Eds.), Core-periphery relations and organization studies (pp. 1–32). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137309051.0006
132.
WilkinsS.BalakrishnanM. S.HuismanJ. (2012). Student choice in higher education: Motivations for choosing to study at an international branch campus. Journal of Studies in International Education, 16(5), 413–433. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315311429002
133.
WilkinsS.HuismanJ. (2012). The international branch campus as transnational strategy in higher education. Higher Education, 64(5), 627–645. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9516-5
134.
WolffH. G.SpurkD. (2020). Developing and validating a short networking behavior scale (SNBS) From Wolff and Moser’s (2006) Measure. Journal of Career Assessment, 28(2), 277–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072719844924
135.
YoshikawaT.RasheedA. A. (2009). Convergence of corporate governance: Critical review and future directions. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 17(3), 388–404. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2009.00745.x
136.
YousfiH. (2014). Rethinking hybridity in postcolonial contexts: What changes and what persists? The Tunisian case of Poulina’s managers. Organization Studies, 35(3), 393–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840613499751
137.
ZabidA. M.LingC. N. (2003). Malaysian employer perceptions about local and foreign MBA graduates. Journal of Education for Business, 79(2), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320309599098
