Abstract: 0 this study examines how, to what extent, and with what effect the indigenous cultural con

Findings
corporate e-communication
Despite the cost and time economies that e-communication—with email as its lifeblood—
affords (e.g., Byron 
2008
), among senior Thai subsidiary and regional corporate Cesaritt 
representatives we uncovered a widespread dissatisfaction concerning both the perceived 
Table 2:
Corporate email adoption: An emic-etic role comparison
Relevant cultural dimensions/
communication purpose
emic—
Kreng Jai
Etic/comparative
Communication purpose (i) 
responding to superior request 
for opinion
Action: Usage reticence, cer
-
emonial adoption
Action: Usage reticence, cer
-
emonial adoption
Attitude: 
Kreng jai
—reluc-
tance to appear as ‘showing 
off’ before colleagues through 
formal written opinion
Attitude: Preference for ex
-
pressing opinions to superior 
using appropriate social cues 
through FtF exchange ( 
high 
power distance/high-context
)
Communication purpose (ii) 
expressing negative feeling
Action: Usage reticence, cer
-
emonial adoption
Action: Usage reticence, cer
-
emonial adoption
Attitude: 
Kreng jai
—consider-
ation for other’s feelings
Attitude: Unwillingness to 
damage relationship/harmony 
( 
high-context/relations-based
)
Communication purpose (iii) 
information transfer to 
superiors
Action: Tailored usage/
adoption
Action: Tailored usage/
adoption
Attitude: Preference as less 
intrusive/disturbing than other 
means
Attitude: Facilitates transfer of 
responsibility to superior via 
stating actions/decisions taken 
( 
high power distance
)
Communication purpose (iv) 
information transfer to peers 
and subordinates
Action: Tailored usage/
adoption
n/a
Attitude: Preference as less 
intrusive/disturbing than other 
means

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71
Understanding Organizational Practice Adoption … 
underuse
of email on the one hand (e.g., response delays and non-replies) and 
overuse
on 
the other (e.g., ‘too many irrelevant attachments’, too many people emailing unnecessary 
descriptions of their activities to their bosses).
In the relevant literature examining the adoption of email in Asian economies a sub
-
stantial body of work has sought to understand the subtle but often pervasive effect of cul
-
tural variations on such performance concerns ( see Leidner and Kayworth 
2006
; hasan 
and Ditsa 
1999
for reviews). Much of this work centers on the hierarchical, high con
-
text nature of local cultural environments (Kabasakal et al. 
2006
; Kambayashi 
2003
) and 
how this can affect indigenous employee attitudes towards the 
asynchronous
, 
text-based
, 
direct-access
characteristics of email communication. The 
direct access
capability inher
-
ent in the corporate email system allows employees to communicate directly regardless 
of rank or position (Mead and Andrews 
2009
; hasan and Ditsa 
1999
). However, within 
relatively hierarchical or high power distance cultures this democratizing ‘benefit’ maybe 
viewed with suspicion as a threat to information control among in-groups of senior indig
-
enous executives (Huang et al. 
2003
; Martinsons and Westwood 
1997
). Anecdotal evi
-
dence from Thailand also shows how the hierarchical local culture influences the usage 
of the direct access email affords. Specifically, though the system opens up the possibility 
for cross-functional, cross-level discussion, the daily traffic remains almost exclusively 
from senior to subordinate in initiation. Local users are reluctant to send opinions up the 
hierarchy on the basis that this would make them feel uncomfortable and