You can't make something it's not:
Hawaiian discourse and perceived leadership
E. de
1University
INTRODUCTION
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.
The present study began under the auspices of a
grant intended to help faculty tailor curriculum
to local and Hawaiian students. While professors
from
non-business
disciplines
reported
enthusiastic student response, students in the
College of Business and Economics reacted with
indifference, at best. They 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. In the present study, we undertook
a systematic investigation of this phenomenon.
1
Pillis ,
of Hawaii-Hilo, Hilo, HI
2Teleos
B.
1
Kim ,
C.
Leadership Institute, Elkins Park, PA
HAWAIIAN VALUES TEXT“Candidate 2”
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.
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.
adapted from the “Western” statement by a Hawaiian leadership scholar
Likeable
Logical & rational
Candidate 1
Non-NH
NH
Candidate 2
Non-NH
NH
Candidate 1
Non-NH
NH
Non-NH
NH
Candidate 2
METHODS
The Matched Guise Technique (MGT) involves
using participants as judges; these judges
evaluate a text presented in two different
languages or dialects. The two versions of the
text are matched in terms of content. The
resulting differences in attitudes can then be
attributed to attitudes about the language
varieties themselves, which are projected by
participant/judges onto the person of the
individual who produces the text.
Participants were 157 male and 241 female
undergraduates. 91 were in the College of
Business and Economics, 52 were majoring in
kinesiology, and 48 were psychology majors.
Other majors included nursing (37) and natural
sciences (21). 100 identified as part Native
Hawaiian. Participants read two statements
about business leadership, one that was framed
in terms of Hawaiian values, and one that was
not. The participants then rated the hypothetical
leaders on attributes such as credibility and
perceived effectiveness. In addition, participants
recorded
demographic
information
and
completed measures of personality and
collectivism.
Credible
Effective leader
Candidate 1
Non-NH
NH
Candidate 2
Non-NH
NH
Which candidate will you recommend?
Recommend
Candidate 2
Neutral
Recommend
Candidate 1
Non-NH
NH
Candidate 1
Non-NH
NH
Non-NH
NH
Candidate 2
Correlations
Candidatea Sexb
NHc
CoBEd
Extravert Agreeable
____
Candidate
.078
____
Sex
.045
.065
____
NH
*
-.128
-.002
-.029
____
CoBE
-.079
.008
-.071
.039
____
Extraverted
**
-.022
.022
-.060
.202
.230**
____
Agreeable
*
**
**
.052
-.109
.274
.288
.545**
Conscientious -.018
-.023
.023
-.128*
.173**
.260**
.430**
Emo stable
-.055
-.041
-.037
.128*
.461**
.522**
Open
-.131*
-.035
-.093
.029
-.079
-.009
SAT
**
**
*
-.141
.140
-.052
.111
-.063
.072
GPA
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.
Consc.
____
.419**
.522**
.057
.102*
For further information, please contact Emmeline de Pillis (depillis@hawaii.edu)
Emo stable Open
____
.001
.011
3Bio-Logical
Capital, Honolulu, HI
SAT
We found that business students were
significantly less likely to select a hypothetical
business leader who articulated Hawaiian values.
Business majors demonstrated a lower level of
respect, trust and liking for this leader compared
to a hypothetical leader articulating Western
values. Having grown up in Hawaii or having
Hawaiian ancestry did not have a significant
effect. We did not observe a preference for
Western discourse among students not majoring
in business.
DISCUSSION
It is impossible to say from this cross sectional
study whether we are seeing the effect of selfselection or something else. The 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 culture and business: “We took that
survey today and only now i could articulate
what… the problem was with the Hawaiian style
missions (sic) statement… the real problem is
that Hawaiian culture and the business world are
too different…Hawai‘i isn't about business.
nobody comes to Hawai‘i for the competition or
a edge…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.
.
____
.382**
.127*
.079
G.
3
Kaulukukui
RESULTS
WESTERN TEXT“Candidate 1”
from Matthews, J., Dennis, J., & Economy, P. (2003). Lessons from the
Edge: Survival Skills for Starting and Growing a Company. New York:
Oxford University pp. 32-33
2
Thomas ,
____
.372**