RU-NSM-0031 Cross-Cultural Management and Communication

Cross-Cultural Management and Communication

• The lectures of Sibel Ozasar Kacar and guest lecturers are part of the course RU-NSM-0031.
• The course is based on the book "Management across Cultures: Challenges, Strategies, and Skills" by Steers and Osland (2020).

Cultural Competencies

• Stereotypes are not always inaccurate, but cultural stereotyping can lead to negative imagery and hostile attitudes towards stereotyped cultures and individuals.
• There are three theories on the degree of culture transformation:
  • Cultures are dissimilar and will always remain different.
  • Cultures are convergent and will eventually merge into one global culture.
  • Hybridization: cultures will mix and blend in the future.

Glocalization

• Glocalization is the creation of products and services intended for the global market but customized to suit local cultures.
• Example: McDonald's provides fast food globally, but customized to local tastes, such as the McKroket in the Netherlands.

Who are the losers of globalization?

• Anti-globalists, who protest against the power of large corporations and multinationals.
• Anti-EU parties, who are concerned about the impact of globalization on local communities.

Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

• Cultural intelligence (CQ) refers to the ability to function and manage effectively in culturally diverse settings and environments.
• CQ consists of 4 dimensions:
  • Meta-cognitive aspect: controlling cognition by thinking about thoughts and being aware of one's thinking.

Individual Cultural Intelligence

• CQ is a dynamic construct, meaning it can be learned and developed through emotions, adjustments, and interactions.

Global Partnerships

• Benefits of global partnerships include:
  • Promoting growth
  • Acquiring new technologies
  • Responding to government pressures
  • Reducing operation costs
  • Taking advantage of exchange rates
  • Diversifying operations and markets
• Challenges of global partnerships include:
  • Overlooking long-term objectives
  • Underestimating cross-cultural differences
  • Difficulty of merging
  • Lack of long-term commitment

Communication across Cultures

• Effective communication is about attention and interpretation: messages are effective only to the extent that recipients are both paying attention to them and capable of processing the information in ways that facilitate common meaning.
• The symbolism of cross-cultural communication has many layers of meaning, and even within our own culture or language group, communication can be problematic.
• Example: John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" statement, which was misinterpreted as "I am a jelly doughnut".

Managerial Standpoint

• Managing is communicating, and the management challenge is to communicate across cultures.
• Miscommunication can erect barriers to organizational success, and more knowledge is necessary to understand how to deal with communication across cultures.