ILR School researcher looks at ’tight’ and ’loose’ cultures

Kiss, cry, sing, talk, flirt, listen to music, read the newspaper, bargain, eat, laugh, swear, argue. Rate the appropriateness of each behavior in 15 settings: bank, doctor's office, job interview, library, funeral, classroom, restaurant, public park, bus, bedroom, city sidewalk, party, elevator, workplace, movies. When 6,823 people from 33 nations were surveyed about the "tightness" and "looseness" of these everyday situations, significant differences emerge. "Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures: A 33-Nation Study" potentially "has wide ranging implications for the world of work," said Lisa Nishii, ILR School associate professor of human resource studies and one of the study's lead researchers. "Tight" cultures have strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior. "Loose" cultures have weak norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior. Although scholars have studied cultural differences since at least 400 B.C., tightness-looseness had been unexplored until now, according to Nishii's team.