American Psychological Association 5Th Edition s1

de Pillis, E., Kim, B., Thomas, C., & Kaulukukui, G. (2013, July). You can't make something it's not: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context. Poster presented at the American psychological association annual convention, Honolulu, HI.

You can't make something it's not: student perceptions of Hawaiian

values in a business context

Emmeline G. de Pillis1, Bryan Kim1, Chris A. Thomas2, Guy H. Kaulukukui3

1University of Hawaii at Hilo, 2Teleos Leadership Institute, 3Bio-Logical Capital

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Emmeline de Pillis, College of

Business and Economics, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 W. Kawili St., Hilo, HI, 96720.

Contact: [email protected] Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 2

Abstract

Educators often assume that students will respond positively when we “speak their

language.” In the present study, we examined the effect of reframing educational

literature in the speech style and values of the indigenous population. We found that

business students responded negatively to a hypothetical business leader who articulated

Hawaiian values and were significantly less likely to select such a person for a leadership

position. This was the case regardless of having grown up in Hawaii or having Hawaiian

ancestry. The preference for Western discourse was far more pronounced among

business majors than among non-business majors.

Keywords: Hawaiian leadership, Hawaiian values, Business leadership,

Student perceptions, Hiring preferences, Business students, Business majors,

Stereotypes, Matched Guise Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 1

Introduction

Business schools have begun to recognize the importance of cross-cultural literacy and inclusiveness. American businesses have identified the lack of cross-cultural literacy as a significant impediment to competing successfully on the Pacific Rim . Holding back such efforts has been a lack of a clear conceptualization of cross-cultural competence , but business schools have attempted to address this. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

(AACSB) has formulated standards for undergraduate curriculum describing diversity as “a complex, culturally embedded concept rooted within historical and cultural traditions, legislative and regulatory concepts, economic conditions, ethnicity, gender, and opinion” .

The present study began under the auspices of a grant intended to help faculty tailor curriculum and delivery to incorporate the cultural values of local and Hawaiian students.

Instructors from various disciplines in the university participated. While professors from non- business disciplines reported increased enthusiastic student response to these new methods, efforts in the College of Business and Economics were met with indifference, at best, on the part of students. Students did not seem to respond positively to attempts to “speak their language,” and there seemed to be little interest in incorporating Hawaiian values or customs into their management education or their study of leadership.

We determined to investigate the matter further. Could we, as the grantors had assumed, expect to increase engagement among business students through an attempt to claim a common ground by reframing educational literature in the speech style and values of the local population? Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 2

Review of the literature

Hawaii

The University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH) is home to one of the two AACSB-accredited colleges of business in the state. It is located in Hawai‘i County, which has been recognized as the most ethnically diverse county in the United States . While fewer than 1 out of 4 of Hawaii residents claim descent from the original inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands, the Hawaiian culture is acknowledged as the host or root culture . Individuals descended from the original inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands are referred to as Hawaiians or Native Hawaiians. Residents who are not descended from pre-European contact inhabitants are not properly referred to as

Hawaiians but as Hawaii Residents.

Like many institutions in Hawaii, the University is concerned with the well-being and status of Native Hawaiians, who tend to have poor health and life outcomes. Compared with the white U.S. population, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have higher rates of cancer, diabetes, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, obesity, adolescent suicide and poverty, lower life expectancy and lower levels of educational attainment . Twenty three percent of UH

Hilo students are Native Hawaiian or part Native Hawaiian , while 24.3% of residents statewide identify as Native Hawaiian or part Native Hawaiian .

Making inferences based on language: The Matched Guise Technique

Listeners make snap judgments about personality, intelligence, capability, amiability, ideology, and even attractiveness based solely on a speaker’s use of a particular language or dialect . The use of a particular style of speaking is a passport of sorts that can grant access to or restrict participation in certain types of relationships, places, or activities . Within a language, a Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 3 word, turn of phrase, or grammatical construction can be used by a speaker as validation of a chosen identity and the values implicit in that identity; moreover, it can be used by a listener as evidence confirming or disconfirming a belief about the speaker’s identity and rights of participation.

In the present study, we implemented a variation of a research technique called matched guise, which has been used to uncover assumptions and stereotypes activated by the use of language . The Matched Guise Technique (MGT) involves using subjects as judges; these judges evaluate a text presented in two different languages or dialects. To control as much as possible for differences of meaning, the two versions of the text presented, whether in two languages or dialects, are matched in terms of their semantic content. The resulting differences in attitudes regarding the two matched guises, it is argued, can be accounted for by attitudes about the language varieties themselves, which are projected by judges onto the person of the individual who produces the text.

The technique was pioneered by Lambert and colleagues in a landmark study of attitudes toward English and French Canadian speakers in Montreal, Quebec . They found that English- speaking judges attributed more favorable qualities (e.g., intelligence, attractiveness, affability, etc.) to the speaker of the English text version and more negative qualities to the French speaker.

Unexpectedly, they found that French-speaking judges also attributed more positive qualities to the English speaker than to the French speaker. Giles , in a study in Great Britain, found that accents associated with industrial, working class communities were judged as having the lowest prestige, while French- and American-accented English enjoyed higher prestige, and no accent approached the level of prestige of the Received Pronunciation accent. Jaffe and Walton used matched guise tests and interviews to study Standard American English and Southern English. Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 4

The authors found that judges attributed identities such as “rural” and “uneducated” to the speaker of Southern English; however, judges who were from California evaluated the southern guise more tolerantly than did judges from the south.

Tsalikis, Ortiz-Buonafina, and LaTour used the Matched Guise Technique to study the effect of accent on credibility and effectiveness among international salespersons in Guatemala.

They found that, for Guatemalan judges, salespersons with no foreign accent in their use of

Guatemalan Spanish had an advantage over those who spoke with an accent. In addition, female judges tended to be more biased against the accented speaker than male judges. In a Matched

Guise-type experiment using employment interviews, ethnic names coupled with accent produced bias compared with an ethnic name with no accent or an accent without an ethnic name. These biases in turn affected judgments about whether to hire a particular individual .

Gardner and Lambert questioned whether the MGT was uncovering stereotypes or whether it was, in fact, reinforcing them. Hudson argued that the MGT could identify stereotypes that did not exist for the judges, merely by the way questionnaire items were framed and presented. Stefanowitsch suggested the use of written texts controlled for contexts, as well as the use of different lexical items. This is the approach that we adopted for the present study.

Methods

Participants

The 398 participants in the study were undergraduates at a public university in Hawaii.

The 157 male and 241 female participants included 96 business and economics majors, and 302 others of which the most popular majors were kinesiology (52), psychology (48), pre-nursing

(37) and natural sciences (21). One hundred and sixty one participants grew up on the Big Island,

65 grew up on Oahu, and 25 grew up elsewhere in Hawaii. One hundred and two participants Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 5 indicated that they grew up elsewhere in the United States, and 20 grew up on other Pacific islands.

Eight participants indicated exclusively Hawaiian ancestry, while one hundred participants indicated having some Native Hawaiian ancestry. Eighty three participants indicated exclusively European ancestry. Thirty four participants indicated exclusively Japanese ancestry while 30 participants indicated Filipino/a ancestry. Most participants indicated mixed ancestry.

Instrument

Matched Statements.

The Western statement was taken from an entrepreneurship textbook. A Hawaiian leadership scholar reworked that statement to preserve its original meaning, and in addition to encompass exemplary Hawaiian leadership values .

The original statement read:

Most first time entrepreneurs give little attention to issues such as culture, mission,

vision, and values, yet these elements are major responsibilities of the leader. Successful

entrepreneurs understand the importance of culture and values. A well defined company

culture and a clearly articulated set of values and ethical standards will guide company

operations and decision making at all levels of the company. Culture and values start

early. Don’t just hire people who can perform their jobs; make sure they are also a good

match with the values and the culture of the company. Building a culture begins with

communicating the CEO’s own beliefs and linking them to the company’s mission and

vision. Regular communication of a clear consistent message is essential for a growing

company . Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 6

The statement reworked to include Hawaiian values read:

Culture, mission, vision, and values are major responsibilities of a leader that are often

overlooked by most first time entrepreneurs. The importance of traditional knowledge

and practices based on cultural values has been recognized by successful entrepreneurs.

A company culture that honors the past, a set of values and ethical guidelines derived

from an understanding of the importance of man’s relationship to the land, and

acknowledging a spiritual component to decision making will guide the operations

throughout the company. The family, especially the extended family, is the mechanism

for the transfer of cultural practices and values through the generations. These concepts

become part of our “psychic DNA”, so it is important that we hire people who not only

are competent at doing their jobs but do it in a way that is consistent with the culture and

values of the company.

To confirm that the reworked text did in fact reflect Hawaiian values, we piloted the statement with two hundred participants, demographically similar to participants in the present study. Participants included 85 business and economics majors. Eighty six identified as male, 96 identified as female, and 18 chose not to indicate gender. Just over half of the participants (104), indicated that they grew up in Hawaii. Forty one of these students indicated some Hawaiian ancestry.

. The participants in the pilot study indicated which of the two hypothetical speakers best exemplified each of the five exemplary Hawaiian leadership values :

1. The speaker demonstrates grounding in core Hawaiian cultural values such as aloha (love), lokahi (unity, harmony), and 'ohana (family). (These are approximate translations.) 2. The speaker acknowledges teachings from ancestors Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 7

3. The speaker draws upon the legacy of ancestors’ strengths, successes, failures, and limitations in fulfilling their own fate and destiny. 4. The speaker treasures and participates in Hawaiian cultural activities, embraces them as his/her own and demonstrates an understanding of the importance of their prolifer- ation. 5. The speaker is concerned with the greater good of the Hawaiian community..

For all five values, participants chose the Hawaiian values statement more often for the second speaker, as expected. Chi square analysis indicated that Item 1 did not reach statistical significance (p=.167) but the following four items did (p<=.001). We did not provide translations of aloha, lokahi or ohana to the participants, so the inconclusive result for this item may have reflected participants’ lack of knowledge of the meaning of the terms.

Big Five.

Participants completed a ten item instrument measuring the Big Five personality dimensions . This instrument measures extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability, openness to experience, and conscientiousness. These dimensions are strongly associated with myriad career and life outcomes including career success, performance, pay, and stress management .

Collectivism.

Individualism and collectivism are conceived as opposites on a single continuum. Those high in individualism conceive of the self as autonomous and independent, while those with a high level of collectivism define the self in relation to others. In general, individualists prioritize personal interests, and have a low level of concern for others. Collectivists prioritize group goals and sacrifice opportunities for personal gain to the good of the group . High individualism / low Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 8

collectivism is characteristic of the culture of the Continental United States; in Hofstede’s classic

study of dimensions of national culture, the United States ranked first in the world in level of

individualism . Participants completed a measure of psychological collectivism .

Procedure

Our question was: How do students react to an attempt to claim a common ground by

reframing educational literature in the speech style—and values—of the local population? To

this end, we asked participants to read the two statements, and to record their impressions of the

people making the statements.

The participants rated the hypothetical leaders on the extent to which that leader seemed

logical and rational, credible, likeable, and an effective leader. Participants then indicated which

of the two candidates they would prefer to hire for a leadership position, on a scale of 1 (most

prefer the candidate associated with the first statement) to 5 (most prefer the candidate associated

with the second statement). The complete survey is in Appendix A.

Assumptions based upon a small piece of information such as a short written speech can

be very useful. The impressions formed from observing a “thin slice” of behavior can affect

interactions thereafter .

Results

Correlations

Candidatea Sexb NHc CoBEd Extravert Agreeable Consc. Emo stable Open SAT Candidate ____ Sex .078 ____ NH .045 .065 ____ CoBE -.128* -.002 -.029 ____ Extraverted -.079 .008 -.071 .039 ____ Agreeable -.022 .022 -.060 .202** .230** ____ Conscientious -.018 .052 -.109* .274** .288** .545** ____ Emo stable -.023 .023 -.128* .173** .260** .430** .419** ____ Open -.055 -.041 -.037 .128* .461** .522** .522** .382** ____ SAT -.131* -.035 -.093 .029 -.079 -.009 .057 .127* .001 ____ GPA -.141** .140** -.052 .111* -.063 .072 .102* .079 .011 .372** a. Participant recommended 1 = Western values candidate, 5 = Hawaiian values candidate. b. 0=male, 1=female. c. 0=no Native Hawaiian ancestry, 1=NH ancestry. d. 1= business major, 0=other ** p < 0.01, two tailed test. * p < 0.05, two tailed test.

Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 9

While the Big Five dimensions were intercorrelated to some extent, as were the

Collectivism measures, neither was significantly correlated with candidate preference. We did not include collectivism measures in the correlation matrix for this reason. Because of the general interest in Big Five dimensions we did include those.

Native Hawaiian students had a slightly (although non-significantly) more favorable view of Candidate 2 than did non-NH students. Our most striking finding, however, was the extent to which business students preferred Candidate 1 to Candidate 2. Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 10

The candidate is logical and rational

Candidate 1 Non-NH Candidate 2 Non-NH

NH NH Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 11

The candidate is likeable

The candidate is an effective leader

The candidate is credible

Whom will you recommend? 1 = Candidate 1, 3= neutral, 5 = Candidate 2

Non-NH

Business students showed a significantly stronger preference for candidate 1 (mean = 2.3) than did non-business students (mean =2.75, p=.01). Business students also rated Candidate 2 as significantly less logical and rational than did non-business students (business student mean =

3.3, non-business student mean = 3.54, p=.04).

Native Hawaiian participants rated Candidate 2 as significantly more credible than did non-NH participants (NH mean = 3.77, non-NH=3.47, p=.01). NH participants also rated

Candidate 2 as significantly more likeable (NH mean = 4.07, non-NH=3.78, p=.003). Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 14

Other differences did not reach statistical significance. There were no significant differences between male and female participants.

Discussion

While it might seem intuitively obvious that culturally appropriate curriculum should be popular with its intended audience, implementation of such curriculum is often fraught with complexities and unintended consequences . Business students appear to prefer a business communication style that does not contain Hawaiian values. Imbuing a message with Hawaiian values causes business students to perceive the hypothetical speaker as less logical, credible, and effective. The business case for cross cultural literacy and acceptance of diversity is that it is important for a business leader to recognize and cultivate valuable ideas whether or not those ideas are expressed in a way that is culturally familiar or mainstream. Additionally, the argument can be made that there is a moral imperative toward inclusiveness, regardless of the business outcome. Whether our findings show the effect of self-selection, educational materials or some other factor is beyond the scope of the present study; for future research in this vein, it will is important to note that curriculum encountered in business schools tends to reinforce existing stereotypes about business and businesspersons, and does not include much of a multicultural perspective . Exposure to the curriculum may have an effect on students over time; viewing depictions of business professionals has been shown to affect readers’ attitudes towards the people portrayed .

An unsolicited e-mail from one of the study participants, a student who grew up in

Hawaii, illustrates the perceived dichotomy between Hawaiian values and business. It reads, in part: Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 15

...we took that survey today and only now i could articulate what i had in my mind about what the problem was with the Hawaiian style missions statement. to me is seems the real problem is that Hawaiian culture and the business world are too different. Not only does business have the image of the mainland and large corporation, but Hawai‘i isn't about business. nobody comes to Hawai‘i for the competition or a edge. im not sure if i should say sadly, but certainly truly Hawai‘i is more a place to get by in, not a place to strive and become top of the world. after all we are only a little island that barely self sustains and imports likes crazy. its a matter of image, Hawai‘i isn't business, it isn't Hawaiian culture and thus it certainly would be difficult to try to stretch it to be so. it would be fine to try and convey how business could be beneficial to Hawaiian culture, but not vice versa. you can't make something its not. we can try but we can only get close. That [Hawaiian values] missions statement seemed artificial because it was, it was too far of stretch and in the business world we know false advertisement to be untrustworthy...

Future directions

Our study focused on business students’ attitudes; we found that enrollment in our business program was associated with more negative evaluations of a hypothetical business leader expressing Hawaiian values. While we believe that it is important to describe attitudes because they affect behavior , as educators we need to go beyond attitudes to focus on skills and observable behavior .

Deciding which skills are paramount is no trivial task; nor is figuring out how to teach those skills, or deciding to what extent they are even teachable. If we want to devise cross- cultural literacy education that works, we will have to answer the question, “What do we mean by ‘works?’” We concur with educator Roosevelt Thomas, who states that “diversity Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 16 training...should equip the participant to make quality decisions in the midst of differences, similarities, and the related tensions and complexities Operationalizing and assessing what constitutes a “quality decision” in the context of the tensions and complexities of difference promises to be a complex endeavor in itself.

We believe that business students from the University of Hawai‘i should have familiarity with and appreciation of Hawaiian values. Apart from our own sense of what is right and proper,

AACSB guidelines encourage institutions to include diversity in the business curriculum. Our goal is not to narrow business education or to make it provincial—rather, we believe that we can strive for a broadened perspective that encompasses basic business knowledge while using

Hawaiian values as a foundation upon which graduates can stand and take in a global perspective. Learning about, and operating within, a culture other than one’s culture of origin is the basis for learning to parse new cultures not yet encountered, much as learning a second language paves the way for learning a third and fourth. Running head: student perceptions of Hawaiian values in a business context 17

References de Pillis Page 18

Appendices

Appendix A

Survey instrument

Please complete all of the items in this survey. There are no right or wrong answers. Here are a number of personality traits that may or may not apply to you. Please write a number next to each statement to indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with that statement. You should rate the extent to which the pair of traits applies to you, even if one characteristic applies more strongly than the other.

Please answer from 1 (AGREE) to 5 (DISAGREE)

Extraverted, enthusiastic *I see myself as extraverted and enthusiastic.

Critical, quarrelsome *I see myself as critical and quarrelsome.

Dependable, self-disciplined. *I see myself as dependable and self-disciplined.

Anxious, easily upset. *I see myself as anxious and easily upset.

Open to new experiences, complex *I see myself as open to new experiences

Reserved, quiet. *I see myself as reserved and quiet.

Sympathetic and warm *I see myself as sympathetic and warm.

Disorganized and careless *I see myself as disorganized and careless.

Calm and emotionally stable *I see myself as calm and emotionally stable.

Conventional and uncreative. *I see myself as conventional and uncreative.

*Think about the work groups to which you currently belong, and have belonged to in the past. The items below ask about your relationship with, and thoughts about, those particular groups. Respond to the following questions, as honestly as possible, using the response scales provided. 1 = NOT AT ALL, 5 = VERY MUCH

1.Please indicate your level of agreement with the phrase "I prefer to work in groups rather than working alone." 2. Working in those groups was better than working alone. * 3. I wanted to work with those groups as opposed to working alone. * 4. I felt comfortable counting on group members to do their part. * 5. I was not bothered by the need to rely on group members. * 6. I felt comfortable trusting group members to handle their tasks. * 7. The health of those groups was important to me. * 8. I cared about the well-being of those groups. * 9. I was concerned about the needs of those groups. * 10. I followed the norms of those groups. * 11. I followed the procedures used by those groups. * 12. I accepted the rules of those groups. * 13. I cared more about the goals of those groups than my own goals. * 14. I emphasized the goals of those groups more than my individual goals. * de Pillis Page 19

15. Group goals were more important to me than my personal goals. *

Your company is hiring a new consultant. The hiring committee is trying to decide between two finalists. They call you in to be the tiebreaker. Each finalist was asked to write an essay giving advice to entrepreneurs. You must base your decision on these essays. You have not seen or met the candidates, and you don't know anything about them.

Here is the essay written by Candidate 1: *Most first time entrepreneurs give little attention to issues such as culture, mission, vision, and values, yet these elements are major responsibilities of the leader. Successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of culture and values. A well defined company culture and a clearly articulated set of values and ethical standards will guide company operations and decision making at all levels of the company. Culture and values start early. Don’t just hire people who can perform their jobs; make sure they are also a good match with the values and the culture of the company. Building a culture begins with communicating the CEO’s own beliefs and linking them to the company’s mission and vision. Regular communication of a clear consistent message is essential for a growing company. Please indicate that you read Candidate 1's message:

Here is the essay written by Candidate 2: *Culture, mission, vision, and values are major responsibilities of a leader that are often overlooked by most first time entrepreneurs. The importance of traditional knowledge and practices based on cultural values has been recognized by successful entrepreneurs. A company culture that honors the past, a set of values and ethical guidelines derived from an understanding of the importance of man’s relationship to the land, and acknowledging a spiritual component to decision making will guide the operations throughout the company. The family, especially the extended family, is the mechanism for the transfer of cultural practices and values through the generations. These concepts become part of our “psychic DNA”, so it is important that we hire people who not only are competent at doing their jobs but do it in a way that is consistent with the culture and values of the company.

For the following items, 1= DISAGREE, 5= AGREE

Candidate 1 impresses me as logical and rational. * Candidate 2 impresses me as logical and rational. *

Candidate 1 impresses me as credible. * Candidate 2 impresses me as credible. *

Candidate 1 seems like an effective leader. * Candidate 2 seems like an effective leader. *

Candidate 1 seems likeable. * Candidate 2 seems likeable. *

Which candidate are you more likely to recommend? 1 = Candidate 1, 3 = no preference, 5 = Candidate 2

Why did you choose as you did in the previous question?

Candidate 1 Inferences *How did you picture candidate 1? Age, sex, height, ethnicity, national origin,

Candidate 2 Inferences *How did you picture candidate 2? Age, sex, height, ethnicity, national origin,

Major : ______Where did you grow up? *______

What is your ethnic background? * de Pillis Page 20

 Japanese

 European

 Filipino/a

 Hawaiian

 Chinese

 Pacific Island other than Hawaii

 Black / African descent

 Hispanic or Latino/a

 Korean

 South Asian (e.g. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka)

 Southeast Asia (e.g. Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam)

 Portuguese

 Other:

 Male

 Female

 Other:

Birth year *

What is your ideal career? *

After you graduate, where would you like to get your first job? *