Cultural Values and Learning Styles: A Theoretical Framework and Implications for Management Development

The aim of this research is form a theoretical framework on the impact of individualism and collectivism on learning styles of individuals. By basing on a the theoretical foundations of individualism and collectivism and cultural values, it is proposed that individuals who are high on individualist values grasp experience through the learning mode of abstract conceptualization and transform experience through the learning mode of active experimentation. For the collectivist values in contrast, we proposed that the higher the collectivist values in individuals the more they prefer grasping experience through the learning mode of concrete experience and the more they prefer transforming experience through the learning mode of reflective observation. As a result it can be stated that the trainers should take cultural differences in to account in designing learning activities.