Conclusion

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In all six company pairs studied, technology was a critical element in the empowerment process (especially to the extent that it seemed to react synergistically with cultural characteristics), and the following results are noted:

• Empowerment in Japanese and US settings was seen as equal, despite the fact that US firms employed superior communication technologies.

• Information rich communication methods employed in Japan were used in conjunction with the cultural trait of uncertainty avoidance and furthered the pursuit of empowerment.

• Collaborative technologies employed in the United States were used in conjunction with the individualist cultural trait and furthered the pursuit of empowerment.

These results have important implications for both researchers and practitioners. Evidence has been presented that cultural factors can be synergistic with the correct technology choice in the pursuit of empowerment. Therefore, management should consider technology infrastructure strategies that are geared towards the organizational culture. For example, a culture predisposed toward collectivism, such as most of the Japanese companies studied, should have less need for high-end, collaborative technologies such as Groupware and Intranets if empowerment is the goal. In fact, if the culture is uncomfortable with uncertainty, employees might even prefer not to have these technologies. On the other hand, a culture comfortable with uncertainty and predisposed toward individualism may desire and in fact need these technologies.

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