GOING WEST?: CULTURE AND THE EMERGING MANAGEMENT STYLES AMONG EXECUTIVES IN A MALAYSIAN LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS PLANT

This paper discusses the influence of culture on management styles among executives at the Malaysian Liquefied Natural Gas (MLNG) plant located in Bintulu, Malaysia. The plant is currently the world’s largest natural gas processing complex. The ways in which culture affects management styles is still largely unexplored in the developing countries. Adapting culturally relevant and accepted ways of managing is crucial to the success of organizations. Results of the study indicate that collectivist and feminine
oriented management styles were practised reflecting eastern values. However, the study reveals that the executives practised small power distance management style associated with Western culture. Generally, the management styles of the executives suggest a value shift towards more
Western-oriented ideals.