Compassion in the International Business Studies – Prospects for Future Research
Jakobsen, M.; Worm, V, & Horak, S. (2023). Compassion in the International
Business Studies – Prospects for Future Research, critical perspectives on
international business, forthcoming.
DOI: 10.1108/cpoib-01-2021-0012
Link:
https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib-01-2021-0012
Abstract
This paper introduces the concept of compassion to the field of international
business studies. As international business activities continuously intensify
and hence generate a work environment characterized by cultural heterogeneity
and pluralism, the notion of compassion in a cross-cultural context can be
regarded a key skill for employees in internationally operating firms to enable
coping with potential cross-cultural conflicts. In our narrative-oriented type
of review, we discuss compassion in a cross-cultural context by drawing on the
literature in the management and international business studies. By connecting
prior research on compassion with the typical research interests in the IB
domain we identify and define potential future research foci for a research
agenda centering on the role that cross-cultural compassion plays. We argue that
the conventional approach to learning about other national cultures and their
values and norm systems need to be complemented by compassion skills, since the
high level of social complexity and diversity employees working in a culturally
diverse environment face today is hardly manageable alone by developing expert
knowledge of respective cultural contexts in order to prevent cross-cultural
conflicts. By drawing on extant research on compassion conducted in neighboring
disciplines of the social sciences, we conceptualize compassion in the context
of international business research. Since compassion in a cross-cultural context
is new to international business research, we suggest directions for future
research consisting of four research streams to guide future research on
compassion in a cross-cultural context in international business studies.
Keywords
Compassion, Cross-cultural Issues, Empathy, Culture, Emotions, International
Business Research, Multinational Organizations.