Culture’s Influence on the Perceived Characteristics of Employees: Comparing the Views of U.S. And Chilean Workers

Abstract

As noted in previous work (Kim & Sikula, 2005; Kim & Sikula, 2006; Kim, Sikula & Smith, 2006; Kim, Cho & Sikula, 2007), there are
three types of people in the workplace: “Necessities/’ “Commoners,” and “Parasites.” A person o f Necessity is irreplaceable and
crucial to the functioning o f an organization. A C om m oner is a person o f normal ability and talent who has no significant
impact on organizational success. Parasites are detrimental freeloaders who d am age the functioning o f an organization.
Kim & Sikula (2005) asked 25 students in an MBA Organizational B ehavior class an d 13 working managers (all o f w hom live an d
work in the United States) for their views on the leading traits an d behaviors o f Necessities, Commoners, an d Parasites. In this
paper we replicate th e2005 study in a different cultured setting, by surveying a sam ple o f Executive MBA students in Vina d el Mar,
Chile. We then com pare thegesults.
The leading traits an d behaviors that characterize Necessities an d Parasites in both data sets are very similar. The Chilean an d
U.S. subjects, however, differ significantly on w hat defines a Commoner. One potential explanation fo r this difference, we
conclude, can be traced to differences in the respondents' cultural backgrounds.