ABSTRACT
Crosscultural aspects of commitment have long attracted the attention of scholars and practitioners. Even at the early stages of research on commitment, mainly organizational commitment (OC), considerable interest was shown in the concept of commitment in other cultures, particularly Japan. This interest can be attributed to several factors, some more practical in nature and some more conceptual. The practical arguments state that as multinational companies increase their direct investment overseas, especially in less developed and consequently less studied areas, they require more information concerning their local employees to implement effective types of interactions between the organization and the host country. The knowledge acquired thus far is based on American theories that work well for Western nations. Are they equally applicable in non-Western countries (Ronen & Shenkar, 1985)? With the increasing focus on international ventures and management, it is important that organizational researchers and practitioners comprehend intercultural similarities and differences, particularly because many psychological and managerial principles are culturally relative (Barley, 1989).
