Michael Frese

Professor and Provost’s Chair, Department of Management & Organisation, NUS Business School

Michael Frese is a professor and Provost’s Chair with the Department of Management & Organisation at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School. His research spans a wide range of basic and applied topics within organisational behaviour and work psychology. Most important are his longitudinal studies on psychological effects of unemployment, impact of stress at work, predictors of personal initiative, as well as psychological success factors of entrepreneurs. He is also known for his cross-national research on innovation. His field studies on errors, error management and error management culture have received wide attention.

Attendees browse as a humanoid robot stands in the exhibition display area at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, 9 July 2020. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Society

'Kiasu' Singapore, 'yao mianzi' China, and 'leela' India: How does culture influence innovation?

By Sylvia Hubner , By Michael Frese , By Song Zhaoli 28 Jul 2020

In a study conducted by academics from the NUS Business School surveying the China, India, and Singapore landscape, respondents often described the Chinese as disciplined and focused, Singaporeans as structured, fearing failure and sticking to the plan, and Indians as creative, flexible and frugal. While it is not the only or most pertinent factor, cultural traits matter when it comes to managing teams and maximising their potential to innovate.