the importance of intercultural competencies - how organisations benefit from expats

The Importance of Intercultural Competencies How Organisations Benefit from Expats

CEPA Foundation – University of North Carolina Berlin, 09.03.2016

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Cultural Differences

Please describe your personal observations and experiences!

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Imagine… …there is a company retreat on a small remote island in the Pacific. The CEO brought the whole familiy along. A hurricane warning is issued…

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Culture – 3 Layers Artifacts

Visible and feelable structures and processes

Observed behavior

Difficult to decipher

Espoused Beliefs and Values

Ideals, goals, values, aspirations

Ideologies Rationalizations

May or may not be congruent with behavior and other artifacts

Basic Underlying Assumptions

Unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs and values

Determine behavior, perception, thought, and feeling

(Schein 2010 – Organizational Culture and Leadership)

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Why is culture important?

(Pattanaik 2013 – Business Sutra)

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Cultural Identity Culture is to a group what personality or character is to an individual. (Ed Schein)

=> Culture defines the realm of possibilities!

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The Impact of Religion in a »Secular« Age

Christian Occident • One God • One Lifetime

=> ?

e.g.: India • Many Gods & Godesses • Endless Reincanations

=>?

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Culture and the Organization of Societies

Western World • Universalism • »You millions, I

embrace you!«: The Whole of Mankind

Other Regions • Family • Clan • Tribe • ROW

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Intercultural Competencies? • As long as you can dominate the ROW there

is no need for any intercultural competencies…

• Maybe a question of attitude?

It‘s the culture, stupid!

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Social Capital

Trust

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Trust depends on • Understanding • Familiarity • Experience • Self-confidence

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Understanding Social Behavioural Patterns?

• Subliminal • Experience-based • reflective • ?

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Prerequisite: Respect

Is it wrong? Or is it just different?

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The very beginning

γνῶθι σεαυτόν Know Thyself!

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»Rooted Cosmopolitism« »Global leaders should not seek to sever or hide their own roots to become global citizens. Rather, they should embrace ›rooted cosmopolitism‹ by nurturing their own roots and branching out beyond them to connect with counterparts elsewhere who, like themselves, are deeply rooted in distinct places and cultures. Indeed, studies of expatriate performance confirm that expats who identify strongly with both their home and host cultures perform better than those who identify only with one or with neither.« (Ghemawat 2012 – Developing global leaders)

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The Role of Expats • Please give some Examples!

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How organizations can benefit from expats?

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Benefits – Wrap-up • … • … • … • …

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For further reading… Al-Jafary, A. A.; Aziz, Abdul; Hollingsworth, A. T. (1989): Leadership styles, Machiavellianism, and needs of Saudi Arabian managers. In: International Journal of Value-Based Management 2 (1), S. 103–111. Online verfügbar unter http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01714974, zuletzt geprüft am 30.06.2015. Bouée, Charles-Edouard (2011): China's management revolution. Spirit, land, energy. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire,, New York, [Munich]: Palgrave Macmillan; Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. Online verfügbar unter http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/650213805. Brannen, M. Y.; Thomas, D. C. (2010): Bicultural Individuals in Organizations: Implications and Opportunity. In: International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 10 (1), S. 5–16. DOI: 10.1177/1470595809359580. Cappelli, Peter (©2010): The India way. How India's top business leaders are revolutionizing management. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Press. Drummond, Helga; Bani Al‐Anazi, Fayyadh (1997): Leadership Styles in Saudi‐Arabia. Public and Private Sector Organisations Compared. In: Cross Cultural Management 4 (4), S. 3–8. DOI: 10.1108/eb008425. Ghemawat, Pankaj (2011): Remapping your strategic mind-set. In: McKinsey Quarterly (August), S. 1–12. Ghemawat, Pankaj (2012): Developing global leaders. In: McKinsey Quarterly (June), S. 1–10. Hofstede, Geert H. (2001): Culture's consequences. Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. 2. Aufl. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

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For further reading… Kessler, Eric H.; Wong-MingJi, D. J. (2010): Cultural mythology and global leadership. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Lee, Yih-teen (2010): Home Versus Host - Identifying With Either, Both, or Neither? The Relationship between Dual Cultural Identities and Intercultural Effectiveness. In: International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 10 (1), S. 55–76. DOI: 10.1177/1470595809359583. Lewis, Richard D. (2006): When cultures collide. Leading across cultures : a major new edition of the global guide. 3rd ed. Boston, London: Nicholas Brealey International. NYU Abu Dhabi Institute (2010): Appreciating and Advancing Leadership for Public Wellbeing. Workshop Proceedings. Appreciating and Advancing Leadership for Public Wellbeing. Abu Dhabi, UAE, 14.-16.02.2010. Pattanaik, Devdutt (2013): Business sutra. A very Indian approach to management. New Delhi: Aleph Book Company. Sarayrah, Yasin Khalaf (2004): Servant Leadership in the Bedouin-Arab Culture. In: Global Virtue Ethics Review 5 (3), S. 58–79. Schein, Edgar H. (2010): Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Wiley (Jossey-Bass Business & Management). Spittler, Gerd (1990): Führer und Karawane. In: Hans Oswald (Hg.): Macht und Recht. Festschrift für Heinrich Popitz zum 65. Geburtstag. Opladen: Westdt. Verl., S. 175–195.

# 21 | p.graeser@zentrum-fuer-fuehrung.de

Centre for Leadership ZFF - Zentrum für Führung GmbH Peter Gräser p.graeser@centre-for-leadership.com www.centre-for-leadership.com