Successful Cross-Cultural Management

Globalization and unlimited connectedness to all places in the world give us the impression that our world is growing smaller and smaller. We can get products from all over the world anytime, can easily communicate with people on the other side of the planet with just a mouse click, and travel almost anywhere within a day or two. These developments are very inspiring and open up an array of new experiences and opportunities for us, in our private lives and in international business.

However, all these rapid changes over the past decade often lead people to believe differences between people and cultures have disappeared and that there are less cultural barriers than in our past. But the contrary is true. Despite increasing connectivity and globalization, cultural differences remain. The more connected and international we become, the more differences between cultures, their views on the world, values, and communication styles become evident.

In international management, these differences play an increasingly essential role. International managers are supposed to succeed in an arena where rules are very different and difficult to understand, but often not obvious. They must show interest and openness in foreign cultures and their management practices, in many cases even change their old, often very successful ways to succeed.

This is a huge challenge. Even managers who show great interest in understanding international business culture and who want to experience exotic cultures cannot do this so easily. They still find it difficult to understand colleagues and business people from a different cultural background. On top of this, many work processes have not changed or adapted to a global environment yet and are still performed in the in the traditional way. Thus misunderstandings, conflicts, and stress are frequently accompanying international business activities and end in lost opportunities and business failure.

Successful Cross-Cultural Management: A Guide for International Managers looks at the practical implications of doing business overseas. The book explains how we all have our own cultural programs and how these programs influence our management activities. It discusses which cross-cultural experiences managers have, how they react to stress and misunderstandings during these encounters, and which strategies they can develop to successfully reach their goals. It covers all aspects of cross-cultural management such as cross-cultural negotiations, conflict, and leadership, and explains how to deal with culture shock and which training methods to choose when preparing employees for an international assignment. Mini-case studies and cross-cultural incidents present vivid examples of the international workplace and its cultural challenges. Finally, the book gives recommendations for international managers on how to prepare themselves for a cross-cultural management future.

Successful Cross-Cultural Management: A Guide for International Managersis a book for managers who work overseas or frequently deal with international business partners, students of international business who want to get insights into cross-cultural business activities and their cultural challenges, and also for people who would like to strengthen and improve their cross-cultural relationships and friendships.