International Management & Cross Cultural Dimensions

The role of manager is evolving in response to the needs of companies operating worldwide. Recent globalisation has engendered a heightened complexity of the management role. The 21st century manager is now required to expand and adapt his/her leadership and communication skills across cultures in order to be effective.

The majority of companies can no longer escape the need to buy, sell or work with people from different cultures. Multinationals have offices spanning the globe; manufacturers increasingly rely on foreign markets and distributors; services and products are no longer solely marketed at native audiences and many industries rely on immigrant labour. This necessitates an understanding of the issues relating to International management cross cultural dimensions and their impact on leadership and communication in the workplace. Much has been written theoretically about these dimensions, but for practical purposes they affect management behaviour in respect to working practices such as:

relationship styles
centralized versus decentralized decision making
adherence to time
level of team work and delegation
feedback
management of conflict
risk orientation
openness to change
preferred styles of communication
problem-solving,
status and hierarchy

As a result, companies are increasingly recognising that in order to grow, diversify and retain a competitive advantage, cross cultural management skills are critical. Managers are required to communicate and deal effectively with people from different cultures both internally and externally and a good understanding of these cross cultural dimensions can influence success. The role of international manager entails acting as a medium between senior personnel and staff; communicating clearly and effectively with colleagues; building and nurturing efficient intercultural and transnational teams and displaying strategic global thinking.

Today, International management entails ensuring that communication between colleagues, clients and customers is clear, coherent and free from intercultural misunderstandings. Ideally, the international manager possesses hands on experience of living and/or working in different cultures, in order to understand how international management and cross cultural dimensions manifest themselves in interpersonal interactions.

If you think you or your organisation could gain from a better understanding of how cross cultural dimensions impact your business, your leadership communication, your management behaviour and your approach to customers and would like to ensure success in your international transactions, then click here.