Intercultural management
SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Understanding the influence of national cultures on organizations:
✓ Showing the relationship between practices, values and perceptions
✓ Presenting different theoretical approaches for analyzing these differences
✓ Presenting the elements of national contexts influencing management practices
✓ Analyzing the national influences on local practices of multinational companies as well as the
importance of other contextual effects
CASE STUDY
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
RAO VS MERKLE ; CASE ON MOODLE
: non verbal communication (example: he is shaking his head while saying yes)
: strict vs relax environment (issue of time pressure)
: task vs relationship (German doesn’t accept other ways of working (a cultural thing))
: hierarchy is different – power distance (cleaning the floor: in India the cleaning teams are untouchable) –
he touched me after cleaning the floor Rao says, for them it is disgusting
: Absence of collegues by a wedding and family sickness, this annoys the German (priorities/seperation
between private and professionel spheres, social vs religious dimension)
: constitution for seniority
: differences in considering the ethical rules (bringing the nephew in, who is only a student)
Cultural differences
OTHER SOURCES OF DIFFICULTIES
: Age differences
: no cultural awareness of Merkle
: German does not accept other ways of working
: who is the boss? Merkle or Rao? It should be Rao
: poor work/ethical standards
: low quality communication
: lack of preparation
: neo colonial approach/behaviour
: priorities of exports (a step in the CV)
1
, Intercultural management
SOLVING THE PROBLEM HERE AND NOW
: organise meetings/ communication
: training session/ diversity and cultural differences
: getting an intermediary/mediator interface (boundary spanners)
: clarify responsibilities
: organising informal meetings
PREVENTING PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE
: clarifying roles
: cross cultural training on both sites
: organize open mindfulness on both sides
: cross cultural competence curiosity; willingness to learn, adaptability; empathy – flexibility (but
ambition, openness to the others)
2
, Intercultural management
SESSION 2: NATIONAL CULTURES
LEARNING ABOUT CULTURE
Hall’s Iceberg Model explains the layers of
culture:
• External culture: the tip of the iceberg
represents behaviours, which are the
observable things people say and do.
• Internal culture: the large base below
the water represents values, which are the
underlying beliefs about what is right or
wrong.
Culture is like an iceberg
Key concept: external behaviors are driven by these deep, invisible internal
values.
VALUES
This defines the relationship between values, attitudes
and behaviours, providing a deeper breakdown of the
internal and external layers of culture shown in the
Iceberg Model.
LEVELS OF CULTURE
The onion model (Hofstede 2004) explains that culture consists of
layers, ranging from visible manifestations to deep-seated beliefs.
Symbols: visible signs like food, logos
Heroes: influential figures such as athletes or company founders
Rituals: social activities like meetings or karaoke that define “how
we act”
Values: invisible, fundamental beliefs regarding safety, money,
family and work.
National culture is rooted in values which are learned early and are difficult to change. Organizational
culture resides in practices, meaning companies can manage behavior even if they cannot change an
employee’s underlying values.
3
, Intercultural management
Schein’s three levels of culture
A framework that explains how organizational culture operates at
varying depths of awareness and visibility. The three levels:
• Artifacts and creations: these are the visible and audible
behaviors and structures. They include things like the office
layout, dress code. While they are easy to see, they can be
difficult for an outsider to decipher or understand correctly.
• Valeus: this level involves a greater level of awareness. These
are the strategies, goals and philosophies that the organization
explicitly states – often referred to as ‘espoused values”. They
serve as the justifications for how the group behaves.
• Basic assumptions: these are the invisible, “taken-for-granted” beliefs that are pre-conscious
and rarely questioned. They include fundamental views on the nature of reality, time, space and
human relationships. This core is the ultimate source of an organization’s values and actions.
THE DESERT LOCUST
Bad guy, always together with multiple animals. He has a bad behaviour, very aggressive, only behaves in
groups, destroys everything.
The niece of the bad guy, peaceful one. Has a good, quiet behaviour. How are these nephews because
they have another behaviour?
He saw his nephew and looked for a better behaviour than his nephews behaviour.
THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS
◼ A learning process
▪ Objective : being a member of a group, being integrated in the social group, gaining an
identity
▪ Learning the alternatives and the preferences of the social group
▪ „Trial-and-error“ learning process
◼ A communication process
▪ “Communication is culture and culture is communication”
▪ Permanent signalling and feedback on adequate behaviors
▪ Learning in the group and from the group by adapting in a continuous way
THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS – CONTINUED
◼ Culture and Identity
▪ Knowing and using the behavior standards of the group shows your belonging to the
group
▪ Sharing standards, values and perceptions allows to define the borders of your group
(similarities and differences to others)
4
SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Understanding the influence of national cultures on organizations:
✓ Showing the relationship between practices, values and perceptions
✓ Presenting different theoretical approaches for analyzing these differences
✓ Presenting the elements of national contexts influencing management practices
✓ Analyzing the national influences on local practices of multinational companies as well as the
importance of other contextual effects
CASE STUDY
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
RAO VS MERKLE ; CASE ON MOODLE
: non verbal communication (example: he is shaking his head while saying yes)
: strict vs relax environment (issue of time pressure)
: task vs relationship (German doesn’t accept other ways of working (a cultural thing))
: hierarchy is different – power distance (cleaning the floor: in India the cleaning teams are untouchable) –
he touched me after cleaning the floor Rao says, for them it is disgusting
: Absence of collegues by a wedding and family sickness, this annoys the German (priorities/seperation
between private and professionel spheres, social vs religious dimension)
: constitution for seniority
: differences in considering the ethical rules (bringing the nephew in, who is only a student)
Cultural differences
OTHER SOURCES OF DIFFICULTIES
: Age differences
: no cultural awareness of Merkle
: German does not accept other ways of working
: who is the boss? Merkle or Rao? It should be Rao
: poor work/ethical standards
: low quality communication
: lack of preparation
: neo colonial approach/behaviour
: priorities of exports (a step in the CV)
1
, Intercultural management
SOLVING THE PROBLEM HERE AND NOW
: organise meetings/ communication
: training session/ diversity and cultural differences
: getting an intermediary/mediator interface (boundary spanners)
: clarify responsibilities
: organising informal meetings
PREVENTING PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE
: clarifying roles
: cross cultural training on both sites
: organize open mindfulness on both sides
: cross cultural competence curiosity; willingness to learn, adaptability; empathy – flexibility (but
ambition, openness to the others)
2
, Intercultural management
SESSION 2: NATIONAL CULTURES
LEARNING ABOUT CULTURE
Hall’s Iceberg Model explains the layers of
culture:
• External culture: the tip of the iceberg
represents behaviours, which are the
observable things people say and do.
• Internal culture: the large base below
the water represents values, which are the
underlying beliefs about what is right or
wrong.
Culture is like an iceberg
Key concept: external behaviors are driven by these deep, invisible internal
values.
VALUES
This defines the relationship between values, attitudes
and behaviours, providing a deeper breakdown of the
internal and external layers of culture shown in the
Iceberg Model.
LEVELS OF CULTURE
The onion model (Hofstede 2004) explains that culture consists of
layers, ranging from visible manifestations to deep-seated beliefs.
Symbols: visible signs like food, logos
Heroes: influential figures such as athletes or company founders
Rituals: social activities like meetings or karaoke that define “how
we act”
Values: invisible, fundamental beliefs regarding safety, money,
family and work.
National culture is rooted in values which are learned early and are difficult to change. Organizational
culture resides in practices, meaning companies can manage behavior even if they cannot change an
employee’s underlying values.
3
, Intercultural management
Schein’s three levels of culture
A framework that explains how organizational culture operates at
varying depths of awareness and visibility. The three levels:
• Artifacts and creations: these are the visible and audible
behaviors and structures. They include things like the office
layout, dress code. While they are easy to see, they can be
difficult for an outsider to decipher or understand correctly.
• Valeus: this level involves a greater level of awareness. These
are the strategies, goals and philosophies that the organization
explicitly states – often referred to as ‘espoused values”. They
serve as the justifications for how the group behaves.
• Basic assumptions: these are the invisible, “taken-for-granted” beliefs that are pre-conscious
and rarely questioned. They include fundamental views on the nature of reality, time, space and
human relationships. This core is the ultimate source of an organization’s values and actions.
THE DESERT LOCUST
Bad guy, always together with multiple animals. He has a bad behaviour, very aggressive, only behaves in
groups, destroys everything.
The niece of the bad guy, peaceful one. Has a good, quiet behaviour. How are these nephews because
they have another behaviour?
He saw his nephew and looked for a better behaviour than his nephews behaviour.
THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS
◼ A learning process
▪ Objective : being a member of a group, being integrated in the social group, gaining an
identity
▪ Learning the alternatives and the preferences of the social group
▪ „Trial-and-error“ learning process
◼ A communication process
▪ “Communication is culture and culture is communication”
▪ Permanent signalling and feedback on adequate behaviors
▪ Learning in the group and from the group by adapting in a continuous way
THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS – CONTINUED
◼ Culture and Identity
▪ Knowing and using the behavior standards of the group shows your belonging to the
group
▪ Sharing standards, values and perceptions allows to define the borders of your group
(similarities and differences to others)
4
