Work Cultures in Indian Organisations: A Comparison Between Public and Private Sector*

This study examines the differences between the internal work culture of public and private sector organisations in India. 7be model of culture fit was rttilised to explain the ways in which the external sociocultural environment and enterprise variables influence the internal work culture which, in turn, has an impact on human resource management practices. A sample of 493 participants from 3 public and 4 private sector enterprises responded to a questionnaire. Compared to public sector organisations, the internal work culture of private enterprises placed greater emphasis on internal locus of control, future orientation in planning, participation in decision-making, and obligation towards others in the work context. Accord ingly, human resource management practices in the private sector utilised more effective motivational techniques (that is, feedback, autonomy, task significance, empowerment, supervisory control, and performance-reward contingency) com pared to those in the public sector.