Time use in spanish organisations; polychronicity, power distance and gender

Resumen

the main focus of this thesis is on Time use in Spanish organisations. The aim is to determine whether these organisations stand on the mono/polychronic dimensions established by Hall (1959, 1976). The monochronic cultures, the Anglo-Saxon and the Northern European are characterised in their use of time by preference for doing one thing at a time, for time tangibility (precision in their use of time) and for limiting social interaction at work to prescheduled situations such as meetings and appointments. The polychronic cultures on the other hand, tend to favour combining activities and projects, are time intangible (flexible or imprecise) and value social interaction at work. Spain has traditionally been classified as polychronic, along with the other countries which make up the Southern European cluster, France, italy, Portugal, French speaking Switzerland and Israel. No research on mono/polychronicity has ever been carried out on Spain, a country which has experienced vast political, economic and social change over the past thirty years. So, the objective of the thesis is to clarify whether Spain continues to be polychronic in its time use or has moved into or towards monochronicity as a consequence of its recent history, Three pieces of research examined the issue: questionnaire research wioth Spanish executives, interviews with the same and questionnaire research comparing Spanish, Dutch and American students. The results indicate that Spanish organisations, although maintaining the basic value of "attention to people" at work and working in a multi-focused environment, have become considerably more monochronic. Interview research was also carried out on "power distance", (the extent to which decision-making is shared and the work style of Spanish professional and executive women. Previous research on Spain (Hofstede, 1980 & 1991; Globe Project, 2005) has indicated high power distance in Spanish organisations. However, these interviews showed that there is a growing tendency to towards a less hierarchical, lower power distance approach. The research on women revealed that their style is more time tangible and better organised than men.