ABSTRACT
Recent events in Eastern Europe have given new meaning to the term dynamic change. Since the demise of the Soviet Union, much attention in the popular press has focused on the dramatic challenges facing managers of enterprises in the emerging Russian Republic. However, there is still very little empirical information about what Russian managers really do or any comparisons with U.S. managers. The assumptions coming out of the news media are that the Russians are failing badly because they know little about modern management techniques and, in fact, U.S. and Russian management systems are quite different. The time has come to assess these assumptions. The activity of Russian managers is of unprecedented interest due to the major upheavals and explosive situation that currently exist in that part of the world. Understanding Russian management is important to international management in the expanding global economy. The field of international management can no longer just assume what Russian managers do, nor what relative emphasis is given to the various managerial activities. Neither can it be assumed that Russian managers are right or wrong, effective or ineffective. Rather, at this point, an empirical analysis with cross-cultural comparisons seems desperately needed to develop an understanding and benchmark for the Russian approach to management.Building such a knowledge base seems important not only for Russia’s successful transition to a market economy, but also, because Russia is such a large, developing country, this information is important to the rest of the world.
