This study examines the direct influence of national culture on the cross-national diffusion of innovations. Focusing on seven technological innovations across 13 European countries, the authors use Hofstede's multidimensional approach to culture to investigate this relationship. They find support linking four cultural dimensions—individualism, masculinity, power distance, and long-term orientation—to cross-national product diffusion. The findings suggest that national culture explains a relatively sizable amount of variation in cross-national diffusion rates. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of these results, including prescriptive guidance with respect to product launch strategy and tactics.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BassFrank M. (1969), “A New Product Growth Model for Consumer Durables,”Management Science, 15 (1), 215–27.
2.
BlackmanA. WadeJr. (1974), “The Market Dynamics of Technological Substitutions,”Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 6 (1), 41–63.
3.
BondMichael H., AkhtarH., BallP., BhanthumnavinD., BoskiP., CarmentW., ChaJ.H., DuttonD., ForgasJ., ForssK., GilesH., IwawakiS., KisielA., LataneB., LeungK., MoghniS., MunroD., NautaR., NgS.H., Protacio-MarcelinoE., RodriguesA., SinhaJ.B.P., WardC., and YangK.S. (1987), “Chinese Values and the Search for Culture-Free Dimensions of Culture,”Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 18 (2), 143–64.
4.
ClarkTerry (1990), “International Marketing and National Character: A Review and Proposal for an Integrative Theory,”Journal of Marketing, 54 (October), 66–79.
5.
DawarNiraj, and ParkerPhilip (1994), “Marketing Universals: Consumers’ Use of Brand Name, Price, Physical Appearance, and Retailer Reputation as Signals of Product Quality,”Journal of Marketing, 58 (April), 81–95.
6.
DekimpeMarnik G., PhilipM. Parker, and SarvaryMiklos (2000), “Global Diffusion of Technological Innovations: A Coupled-Hazard Approach,”Journal of Marketing Research, 37 (February), 47–59.
7.
GaneshJaishankar (1998), “Converging Trends Within the European Union: Insights from an Analysis of Diffusion Patterns,”Journal of International Marketing, 6 (2), 32–48.
8.
GaneshJaishankar, and KumarV. (1996), “Capturing the Cross-National Learning Effect: An Analysis of an Industrial Technology Diffusion,”Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 24 (4), 328–37.
9.
GaneshJaishankar V. Kumar, and SubramaniamVelavan (1997), “Learning Effect in Multinational Diffusion of Consumer Durables: An Exploratory Investigation,”Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25 (3), 214–28.
10.
GatignonHubert, EliashbergJehoshua, and ThomasS. Robertson (1989), “Modeling Multinational Diffusion Patterns: An Efficient Methodology,”Marketing Science, 8 (3), 231–47.
11.
GudykunstW.B., and Ting-ToomeyS. (1988), Cultural and Interpersonal Communication.Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
12.
GuiltinanJoseph P. (1999), “Launch Strategy, Launch Tactics, and Demand Outcomes,”Journal of Product Innovation Management, 16 (6), 509–29.
13.
HallEdward T. (1959), The Silent Language.New York: Anchor Books/Doubleday.
14.
HallEdward T. (1976), Beyond Culture.New York: Anchor Books/ Doubleday.
15.
HallEdward T., and HallMildred Reed (1987), Hidden Differences: Doing Business with the Japanese.New York: Anchor Books/ Doubleday.
16.
HartleyH.O. (1950), “The Maximum F-Ratio as a Short-Cut Test for Heterogeneity of Variance,”Biometrika, 37 (December), 308–312.
17.
HelsenKristian, JedidiKamel, and WayneS. DeSarbo (1993), “A New Approach to Country Segmentation Utilizing Multinational Diffusion Patterns,”Journal of Marketing, 57 (October), 60–71.
18.
HofstedeGeert (1980), Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values.Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
19.
HofstedeGeert (1991), Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind.London: McGraw-Hill.
HofstedeGeert, and MichaelH. Bond (1988), “The Confucius Connection: From Cultural Roots to Economic Growth,”Organizational Dynamics, 16 (Spring), 5–21.
22.
HoppeMichael (1990), “A Comparative Study of Country Elites: International Differences in Work-Related Values and Learning and Their Implications for Management Training and Development,” doctoral dissertation, School of Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
23.
HultinkErik, GriffinAbbie, HenryS. Robben, and HartSusan (1998), “In Search of Generic Launch Strategies for New Products,”International Journal of Research in Marketing, 15 (3), 269–85.
24.
KaleSudhir H. (1995), “Grouping Euroconsumers: A Culture-Based Clustering Approach,”Journal of International Marketing, 3 (3), 35–48.
25.
KluckhohnC. (1951), “The Study of Culture,” in The Policy Sciences, LernerD., and LasswellH.D., eds. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
26.
KumarV., GaneshJaishankar, and EchambadiRai (1998), “Cross-National Diffusion Research: What Do We Know and How Certain Are We?”Journal of Product Innovation Management, 15 (3), 255–68.
27.
KumarV., and TrichyV. Krishnan (2002), “Multinational Diffusion Models: An Alternative Framework,”Marketing Science, 21 (3), 318–30.
28.
LenartowiczTomasz, and RothKendall (1999), “A Framework for Cultural Assessment,”Journal of International Business Studies, 30 (4), 781–98.
29.
LindbergBertil C. (1982), “International Comparison of Growth in Demand for a New Durable Consumer Product,”Journal of Marketing Research, 19 (August), 364–71.
30.
MahajanVijay, and MullerEitan (1994), “Innovation Diffusion in a Borderless Global Market: Will the 1992 Unification of the European Community Accelerate Diffusion of New Ideas, Products and Technologies?”Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 45 (3), 221–35.
31.
MansfieldEdwin (1961), “Technical Change and the Rate of Imitation,”Econometrica, 29 (4), 741–65.
32.
McSweeneyBrendan (2002), “Hofstede's Model of National Cultural Differences and Their Consequences: A Triumph of Faith—A Failure of Analysis,”Human Relations, 55 (1), 89–118.
33.
NakataCheryl, and SivakumarK. (2001), “Instituting the Marketing Concept in a Multinational Setting: The Role of National Culture,”Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 29 (3), 255–75.
34.
NeterJ., KutnerM.H., NachtshiemC.J., and WassermanW. (1996), Applied Linear Statistical Models.Chicago: Richard D. Irwin.
35.
OlshavskyRichard W. (1980), “Time and the Rate of Adoption of Innovations,”Journal of Consumer Research, 6 (4), 425–28.
36.
PindyckRobert S., and DanielL. Rubinfeld (1991), Econometric Models and Economic Forecasts, 3d ed.New York: McGraw-Hill.
37.
PutsisWilliam P., and SrinivasanV. (2000), “Estimation Techniques for Macro Diffusion Models,” in New-Product Diffusion Models, MahajanVijay, MullerEitan, and WindYoram, eds. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
38.
RogersEverett M. (1983), Diffusion of Innovations, 3d ed.New York: The Free Press.
39.
RothMartin S. (1995), “The Effects of Culture and Socioeconomics on the Performance of Global Brand Image Strategies,”Journal of Marketing Research, 32 (May), 163–75.
40.
ShaneScott (1993), “Cultural Influences on National Rates of Innovation,”Journal of Business Venturing, 8 (1), 59–73.
41.
ShaneScott (1995), “Uncertainty Avoidance and the Preference for Innovation Championing Roles,”Journal of International Business Studies, 26 (1), 47–67.
42.
SommersMontrose, and KernanJerome (1967), “Why Products Flourish Here, Fizzle There,”Columbia Journal of World Business, 11 (2), 89–97.
43.
SondergaardMikael (1994), “Hofstede's Consequences: A Study of Reviews, Citations, and Replications,”Organizational Studies, 15 (3), 447–56.
44.
SteenkampJan-Benedict E.M., ter HofstedeFrenkel, and WedelMichel (1999), “A Cross-National Investigation into the Individual and National Cultural Antecedents of Consumer Innovativeness,”Journal of Marketing, 63 (April), 55–69.
45.
TakadaHirokazu, and JainDipak (1991), “Cross-National Analysis of Diffusion of Consumer Durable Goods in Pacific Rim Countries,”Journal of Marketing, 55 (April), 48–54.
46.
TellefsenThomas, and TakadaHirokazu (1999), “The Relationship Between Mass Media Availability and the Multicountry Diffusion of Customer Products,”Journal of International Marketing, 7 (1), 77–96.
47.
TellisGerard J., StremerschStefan, and YinEden (2003), “The International Takeoff of New Products: The Role of Economics, Culture, and Country Innovativeness,”Marketing Science, 22 (2), 188–208.
48.
Van den BulteChristophe (2000), “New Product Diffusion Acceleration: Measurement and Analysis,”Marketing Science, 19 (4), 366–80.
49.
Van Everdingen, YvonneM., and WaartsEric (2003), “The Effect of National Culture on the Adoption of Innovations,”Marketing Letters, 14 (3), 2–30.
50.
VeryzerRobert W.Jr. (1998), “Key Factors Affecting Customer Evaluation of Discontinuous New Products,”Journal of Product Innovation Management, 15 (2), 136–50.
