Cross Cultural Management

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
	Daniela Noethen	Dirección de Personas y Organización	ENG

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM

During your studies (at ESADE and otherwise) you come across many management theories, models, and "best practices" - but we often forget that most of these theories were developed in Western countries (and here mostly in the United States) - and do not necessarily hold true in other cultural contexts. Indeed, many of the management approaches that are extremely successful in the US or in (Northern) Europe can have detrimental effects when put into practice in Asia or the Middle East. As global leaders, it is of utmost importance to not only know about these cross-cultural differences, but to also demonstrate behavioral flexibility to effectively manage and lead people in different cultural contexts as well as culturally diverse teams. The goal of the present course is to give you a more nuanced understanding of many of the contents taught in other classes, and, more importantly, to help you become a versatile and truly global leader.

Course Learning Objectives

In "Cross Cultural Management", we will explore how different aspects of culture affect a large range of management practices. The goal is to not only raise your awareness regarding the variety of cross-cultural differences and their effect on organizational structures and behavior in organizations, but to also find ways to increase your cross-cultural competence and ability to adapt, thereby strengthening your skills as a global leader. By engaging in and with a large number of cases, scenarios, videos, guest speakers, and problem solving activities you will:
- become aware of the typical aspects in which attitudes, values, communication and behaviors differ across cultures.
- gain deep knowledge about the management practices and models that are affected by these cross-cultural differences, as well as about effective practices in different contexts.
- obtain a deeper understanding of a wide range of cultures, such as Japan, Brazil, Russia, or China.
- realize how your own socialization limits your view of the world and how you can break these limitations.
- improve your skills as global managers in practicing behavioral flexibility to lead in different cultural contexts as well as culturally diverse teams.

CONTENT

1. Introduction: The Concept of Culture In the introductory session we will discuss what culture is and means (and what it is not), where it originates and changes, how it is transmitted, influences behaviors, and to what extent your own socialization conditions your view of the world.
2. Differences in Values -> Motivation, Leadership Focusing on Hofstede's framework, we will discuss cross-cultural differences in values and ideals and how these influence "what makes people tick", how you need to motivate them, and, more generally, which type of leadership style is preferred. Hint: transformational leadership is not always the right answer.
3. Differences in Values -> Organizational Structure, Change Management, Entrepreneurship Focusing on Hofstede and the GLOBE, we will further explore how differences in underlying cultural values translate into different organizational structures and how they facility or hinder change management and entrepreneurship.
4. Behavioral Differences - > Dealing with Time, Space, and Relationships (Nepotism) Based on the work of Edward Hall, we will consider some important behavioral differences between different cultures that have a strong influence on how people organize their work (or not), how they deal with time, and how important the relationship factor (nepotism?) is in doing business. We will discuss ideas such as "time is money" as well as concepts such as "guanxi" and "wasta".
5. Differences in Communication -> Feedback, Negotiation Communication is essential for any type of business or management interaction. We will discover that verbal as well as non-verbal communication conventions differ tremendously between different cultures and that this has a huge impact on management practices such as giving feedback (e.g., the balance of positive and negative feedback, the directness) and negotiation. We will get "lost in translation".
6. Solving Cross-Cultural Conflicts Seeing all the differences between cultures, it is almost inevitable that cross-cultural interactions will lead to one conflict or another. We will discuss and practice different approaches how to deal with such conflicts and will discover that certain cultures prefer some of these approaches over others.
7. Recurrent Issues in Global work: Fraud, Cultural imperialism, Culture Shock There are some issues that seem inevitable to deal with when you work globally and move through different cultural contexts. We will take a culture-relative stance and discuss moral implications as well as practical considerations.
8. Becoming a Global Leader We will discuss requirements of different forms of global work (such as being an expatriate, frequent business traveler, leader of cross-cultural teams, or global leader), aspects of cross-cultural competence and the necessary steps to continue to develop your cross-cultural IQ and skills.

1. Introduction: The Concept of Culture

In the introductory session we will discuss what culture is and means (and what it is not), where it originates and changes, how it is transmitted, influences behaviors, and to what extent your own socialization conditions your view of the world.

2. Differences in Values -> Motivation, Leadership

Focusing on Hofstede's framework, we will discuss cross-cultural differences in values and ideals and how these influence "what makes people tick", how you need to motivate them, and, more generally, which type of leadership style is preferred. Hint: transformational leadership is not always the right answer.

3. Differences in Values -> Organizational Structure, Change Management, Entrepreneurship

Focusing on Hofstede and the GLOBE, we will further explore how differences in underlying cultural values translate into different organizational structures and how they facility or hinder change management and entrepreneurship.

4. Behavioral Differences - > Dealing with Time, Space, and Relationships (Nepotism)

Based on the work of Edward Hall, we will consider some important behavioral differences between different cultures that have a strong influence on how people organize their work (or not), how they deal with time, and how important the relationship factor (nepotism?) is in doing business. We will discuss ideas such as "time is money" as well as concepts such as "guanxi" and "wasta".

5. Differences in Communication -> Feedback, Negotiation

Communication is essential for any type of business or management interaction. We will discover that verbal as well as non-verbal communication conventions differ tremendously between different cultures and that this has a huge impact on management practices such as giving feedback (e.g., the balance of positive and negative feedback, the directness) and negotiation. We will get "lost in translation".

6. Solving Cross-Cultural Conflicts

Seeing all the differences between cultures, it is almost inevitable that cross-cultural interactions will lead to one conflict or another. We will discuss and practice different approaches how to deal with such conflicts and will discover that certain cultures prefer some of these approaches over others.

7. Recurrent Issues in Global work: Fraud, Cultural imperialism, Culture Shock

There are some issues that seem inevitable to deal with when you work globally and move through different cultural contexts. We will take a culture-relative stance and discuss moral implications as well as practical considerations.

8. Becoming a Global Leader

We will discuss requirements of different forms of global work (such as being an expatriate, frequent business traveler, leader of cross-cultural teams, or global leader), aspects of cross-cultural competence and the necessary steps to continue to develop your cross-cultural IQ and skills.

Relation between Activities and Contents

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Individual contributions (Participation, small assignments)
Teamwork - presentations and projects along the course
Final Assignment

Methodology

This is a highly interactive course with a mix of exposition of content, case analysis, simulations, short video cases, guest speakers, student presentations and projects, and group as well as class discussions. Students are expected to prepare for the sessions with readings, case analysis, and occasional short assignments. In-class active participation is vital, where students are asked to critically reflect the content and frameworks presented, relate to their own experience, and draw connections to the business world. In culturally heterogeneous teams, students will get first-hand experience of potential cross-cultural challenges and their solution, working on different projects, cases, and a presentation to be held in class, while at the same time reflecting on their own personal cultural lenses and how these play out in their interactions with team mates from different cultures.
At the end of the course, students will be asked to demonstrate their learning in a final assignment that requires the application of class concepts to a research question of each student's choice.

You will receive more detailed guidelines during the course.

The program is subject to modification in light of the group composition or other factors, and the order of presentation of content may be changed. We may not be able to cover all the material described.

Description	%
Individual contributions (Participation, small assignments)	30
Teamwork - presentations and projects along the course	30
Final Assignment	40

Assessment criteria

30% Individual contributions - participation, reading, preparation, brief assignments and contribution during the course
30% Teamwork - presentation and projects along the course
40% Final exam.

Individual contributions to course

In-class Participation (discussions, role-plays, mini-cases etc.):
Students are expected to
1) Follow class discussion to make relevant comments. Offer (relevant) input often, but without being dominant. Comments are clear and succinct.
2) Prepare for class. This is demonstrated by applying and integrating ideas from previous classes as well as the readings (including cases) to discussions, activities, presentations etc.
3) Be willing to take risks: challenge ideas from the readings or the lecture, your own assumptions, group conventions and practices.
4) Show consideration for others:
a. Not interrupting others, talk loudly during their input or behave in a disruptive way.
b. Provide developmental feedback.
c. Help others to make progress, i.e., help others learn.

Note regarding attendance:
Students are expected to attend all 9 sessions. To receive full marks in participation, students have to attend 8 out of the 9 content sessions. Students are requested to contact the professor in advance should any incident (academic, professional, personal) arise that conflicts with their attendance of a session. Non-attendance of two sessions for these motives implies that the students will be evaluated in an extra-ordinary additional assignment to compensate for the low level of attendance. Students who failed to contact the professor in advance will not be given this option and will be graded with 0 for the hours missed. As with all courses of the program, non-attendance of more than two sessions will automatically lead to an "NP" grading unless justification of the absences has been presented to program management.

Assignments:
After several session, students will be given a question or task to be completed individually before the following session. This can either be a question for individual reflection of the material presented, a question for discussion in an online forum on moodle, or a small task such as a brief case. Submissions for online participation are always due two days before the following class, 12h (i.e., 1.5 days before class).

Student presentations

Students are required, in groups of 2-5 (depending on class size), to prepare and hold a 15 min presentation as well as a 10min critical discussion on a topic assigned during the first session. Students will be provided with a basic reading as a starting point, but a thorough research of the topic and a critical presentation of the information found are essential. Content and form of the presentation will be evaluated, and students will receive constructive feedback from the professor as well as from peers.

Students are expected to:
1) Research the topic well and find diverse, reliable sources of information.
2) Structure and prepare the content in a way that enables the best possible learning experience for their peers.
3) Present the content in an engaging and informative way.
4) Cite their sources properly and according to academic standards.
5) Lead a critical classroom discussion about ideas and concepts presented.

Final Assignment

The final paper is thought to be a short academic paper, based on appropriate primary or secondary research, i.e., based on own data (such as a survey or interviews) or existing literature or both. You can choose the topic but it must be an application of ideas and frameworks on culture covered in the course, e.g., cross-cultural communication or the impact of culture and cultural diversity on business. You may choose to analyze a specific issue (e.g. the effect of culture on promotion and staff selection), a cultural feature (e.g. individualism), or particular culture (e.g. Indian, Arab world, Brazilian etc.). The paper should be around 3000 words of length (this is approx. 6 pages, 12 point font, single spaced), written in an academic format.

Type:	OP	Curs:	1	Period:	S semester
ECTS Credits:	3 ECTS

Cross Cultural Management (CI10489)

General information

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Previous Knowledge

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