The managerial culture in Indonesia

Cultural unfit presumptions were imposed based on common comparison between Indonesian origins and Chinese, whom had played economic role successfully in the country. perspectives on Indonesian work orientations found: (a) no speculation on working and life, (b) working hard is attempted just to “get food for survival for day”, and short term basic need orientation; (c) trying to get harmony with nature and stressing maintenance; (d) orientation to the present time, and (e) social contact for economic survival or business are changed to group maintenance, with proverbs “eat or not, but live together.” Among elite groups, cultural work values were identified with (a) aims of living and working are for status, power and symbol of prosperity, (b) doing business, consulting business, farming, trading and manufacturing are given low values, and (c) there are ‘amal’ concept, oriented to achieve symbol for power, status, and prosperity, not for achievement (Kartodirdjo, 1982). Indonesians are characterized with (a) normative work obligation to work and help group members without asking entitlement for rewards (gotong royong), and (b) orientation to vertical line.