Kulturowe czynniki efektywności gospodarczej i innowacyjności : kultura, efektywność a innowacyjność

Abstract

The article presents the relations between culture, economic growth and innovation. Some values, norms and attitudes are connected with economic growth while the others are connected with its lack. The article shows the values and norms that can be regarded as cultural factors of economic growth. Cultural factors connected with predictability such as effective time management and trust in social system favoured industrialization. Economic growth is connected with the following elements of culture: religion that praise people accumulating wealth (pharisaic religion), belief in the individual and freedom of action, tightness (norms are imposed tightly), and belief that wealth is something that does not exist yet. Other values such as acceptance of competition, saving money and work ethic are also very important. Some values are important for discipline and production (work ethic) and are components of tight, bureaucratic cultures with low equifinality. On the other hand, other values (independence, freedom of action) are important for creativity, which seems to be crucial when planning production. These values are components of flexible cultures. Creativity is the feature of flexible cultures with high equifinality. The factors of innovation are both in tight and flexible cultures. Organization connecting these both cultures is metaflexible and does not accept neither excessive flexibility (chaos) nor excessive tightness (excessive bureaucracy).