Challenge of leading in Javanese culture

Scholars in the field of management and culture have developed paradigms regarding the importance of managing people across culture. While most scholars agree that culture plays a vital role in an organization, it has been recognized that research on the sub-cultures within a national culture that impact on an organization, is very limited. One example is the impact of Javanese culture in Indonesian organizations' environments. Indonesia is widely known as a multicultural country, with a population made up of people from approximately 364 ethnicities. Of these ethnicities, the Javanese have come to be recognized over time as the most culturally and politically dominant in Indonesia. The exploration of Javanese culture and its development over time are the central concerns of this article. The values central to Javanese culture are identified and the relationship between these values and Western perspectives of management practices such as communication, change management, and conflict management are discussed.