Intercultural Management

1. COURSE JUSTIFICATION:
Over the last decades, continuous globalization has produced larger and more
international corporations, more diverse cities as migration takes place, and more
diverse and multicultural teams, which seek to tackle the arising issues.
However, within these multicultural teams and corporations, previously unknown
problems have to be dealt with – misunderstandings, lack of communication, a general
lack of “fit”; all of these on the grounds of different cultural backgrounds.
For anyone working internationally, it is therefore of the utmost importance to develop
“cultural intelligence” - to be conscious of one’s own cultural background and
susceptible to cultural differences of others, to be able to meaningfully work in or to
lead a team, to open up and negotiate deals, to motivate and give feedback across
cultural boundaries. These abilities are even more crucial for professionals with a
strong focus on communication and relationships, as are international negotiators.
2. GENERAL OBJETIVE (s):
The students will, after an introduction to the concept of culture and intercultural
communication, realize a self-analysis of their cultural background to gain the empathy
and self-awareness necessary for good communication.
Having learned different concepts of measuring and analysing cultural differences,
students will acquire in-depth knowledge and awareness of different existing cultures
with an impact on their future working life.
Finally, cultural differences will be discussed on the team and organizational level in
order for the students to gain practical tools to limit cultural issues in their workplace,
learnings will be tested in direct application: Identifying a business opportunity or
solving a case study, based on their acquired cultural insight.

1. Week 1: Introduction to Intercultural Management
• Logistics – course overview
• Definition of culture – Levels of Culture
• Definition and delimitation of Intercultural Management
Specific Objective:
Delimit Intercultural Management in relation to other fields, allow the students to recognize
and differentiate various definitions and uses of the term “culture”.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, activity: Wheel of Identity.

Bibliography:
Grove, C. (2003). How People from Different Cultures Expect to Learn. NA: Grovewell LLC.
Roll, M. (3. December 2014). Culture can Make or Break Strategy. Von INSEAD Knowledge:
http://knowledge.insead.edu/strategy abgerufen
Optional:
Deresky, Helen. (2006). Understanding the role of culture. Prentice Hall (Eds),
International Management (pp. 79-115). New Jersey, NJ.
Kevin S. Groves, A. F. (2015). Examining Cultural Intelligence and Cross-Cultural
Negotiation Effectiveness. Journal of Management Education, 209-243.
Hampden-Turner, C., & Trompenaars. (1998). Riding the Waves of Culture. New York:
McGraw Hill.
Bradley Kirkman, V. T. (18. May 2016). The Biggest Culture Gaps are Within Countries,
not Between Them. Von Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2016/05/research-thebiggest-culture-gaps-are-within-countries
abgerufen
Jandt, F. E. (2012). An introduction to intercultural communication : identities in a global
community 7th edition. Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America: Sage
Publications, Inc.
2. Week 2: The impact of culture
• Values defined
• Iceberg and Onion Model
• The deep structure of culture
• Gender Roles
• Archetypes
• The danger of cultural and geographical determinism
Specific Objective:
Give students a first perspective of how culture can impact different opinions, also in the
workplace. Show first models of Culture.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, discussion game: Abigail.
Bibliography:
4/?
Jandt, F. E. (2012). An introduction to intercultural communication : identities in a global
community 7th edition. Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America: Sage
Publications, Inc.
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing values, behaviors institutions,
and organizations across nations, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.
Fang, Tony. (2005). From “Onion” to “Ocean” Paradox and Change in National Cultures.
Int. Studies of Mgt. & Org., 35, (4), 71–90.
Week 3-5: Intercultural Dialogue
• Perception
• Sapir-Whorf-Hypothesis
• Intercultural Dialogue
o Language
o Nonverbal Communication
• Barriers to Communication
o Assumption of Similarities
o Stereotypes
o Ethnocentrism
o Anxiety
• Impact at the workplace
• Stereotypes and Hermeneutics
• High-Context and Low-Context Communication
Specific Objective:
Discuss intercultural dialogue and basic stumbling blocks in intercultural communication.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, Communication game, Simulation: The Derdians.
Evaluation:
Evaluation of first shared learning papers: Week 3, second shared learning paper Week
4,
Bibliography:
Barna, LaRay M. (1998). Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication. Basic
Concepts of Intercultural Communication, edited by Milton J. Bennett
Jandt, F. E. (2012). An introduction to intercultural communication : identities in a global
community 7th edition. Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America: Sage
Publications, Inc.
5/?
Landis, D., Bennet, J. M., & Bennet, M. J. (2004). Handbook of Intercultural Training.
Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Singer, Marshall (1971). Culture, a perceptual approach (Occasional paper) Unknown
Binding – 1971 (also appeared in: Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication:
Paradigms, Principles, and Practices, edited by Milton J. Bennett)
Gudykunst, W. B. (2003). Cross-Cultural and Intercultural Communication. Thousand
Oaks: Sage Publications.
3. Week 6-7: Measuring culture/Understanding values:
Hofstede and other approaches to culture
• Approaches to cultural differences
• Quantitative approaches.
o Hofstede’s Model
o Globe Study
• Overview of dimensional approaches
o Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner
o E.T. Hall
o Erin Meyer
o World Values Survey
o Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck
• Metaphors and other descriptive approaches
o Richard Lewis
o Martin Gannon
Specific Objective:
Review the classical proposals of differentiating culture, their similarities and differences.
Through student involvement in a workshop (comparing different analysis of the same
country or an in-depth presentation of Hofstede’s dimensions), deepen understanding and
reflection.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, Student Workshop.
Bibliography:
Gannon, Martin. (2004). Understanding global cultures. Sage Publications (Eds.),
Understanding cultural metaphors,
Lewis, R. D. (2012). When Teams Collide: Managing the International Team. London:
Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
6/?
Meyer, E. (2014). The culture map: Breaking through the invisible boundaries of Global
Business. New York: Public Affairs.
Hampden-Turner, C., & Trompenaars. (1998). Riding the Waves of Culture. New York:
McGraw Hill.
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing values, behaviors institutions,
and organizations across nations, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture. New York: Anchor Books.
House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (2004). Culture,
Leadership and Organizations: The Globe Study of 62 Societies. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications.
Meyer, E. (December de 2015). Getting to Si, Ja, Oui, Hai, and Da. Retrieved 17th of
January 2016, from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2015/12/getting-to-si-ja-oui-hai-andda?utm_campaign=HBR&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social
Evaluation:
Essay on Culture of Origin and Impact on Cross-Cultural Interaction (20% - due
Beginning week 6)
4. Week 7: Globalization and cultural identity.
• Presentations on different approaches
• Globalization and its impact on culture
o Hybridization of cultural identity
o The diminished importance of the principle of nationality
• Global culture
• Multiculturalism
o Salad Bowl or Melting Pot?
Specific Objective:
Discuss the impact of globalization on different cultures, changes over time in society and
the future relevance of intercultural management.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement. Recommended movie: Coca-Colonization (1998),
Director: Irene Angelico, Producer: Abbey Neidik, Irene Angelico
Bibliography:
Scholte, Jan Aart. (N.D). Globalization: a critical introduction. Globalization and identity:
from nationalism to hibridation. (pp. 224-255).
7/?
Inglehart, Ronald(1997). Modernization and Postmodernization: Cultural, Economic, and
Political Change in 43 Societies. Princeton University Press
Chua, A. (2004). World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic
Hatred and Global Instability. New York: Anchor Books.
Friedman, T. (2005). The World is flat. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Kim, Y. Y. (2015). Finding a "home" beyond culture: The emergence of intercultural
personhood in the globalizing world. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 3-12.
Evaluation:
Short presentations on different approaches to differentiate culture 4%
5. Week 8- 12: Different Cultures on different continents
• Present cultures and relevant information according or cultural clusters:
o Latin America and Latin Europe
o Anglo Cultures and Northern Europe
o Germanic and Eastern Europe
§ Use of national stereotypes
§ History
o Sub-Saharan Africa and Arab Cultures
§ Ubuntu
o Southern and Confucian Asia
§ Face
§ Guanxi
§ Confucianism
§ Chaebol and Keiretsu
§ Ringi-sho
• Religions and systems of thought
• Differences in Management
• Decision making across cultures
• Cases
Specific Objective:
Provide necessary information and perspective on different ways of living and doing
business in different countries, stressing similarities and differences and their impact on
future business relations.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, presentations.
Bibliography:
8/?
Li, Tianbo and Moreira, Gillian Owen. (2009). The Influence of Confucianism and Buddhism
on Chinese Business: the Case of Aveiro. Journal of Intercultural Communication, (19), p8-
8, 1p, 4 color.
Gannon, Martin. (2004). Understanding global cultures. Sage Publications (Eds.). China’s
Great Wall (pp. 433-443). The Japanese Garden (pp. 35-57). India: The dance of Shiva
(pp. 469-491). Bedouin Jewelry and Saudi Arabia (pp. 67-77).
Gannon, Martin. (2004) Understanding global cultures. Sage Publications (Eds.). The
Russian Ballet (pp. 413-429). The Traditional British House (pp. 273-293). The German
Symphony (pp. 133-148). French Wine (pp. 227-245).
Gannon, Martin. (2004). Understanding global cultures. Sage Publications (Eds.).
American Football (pp. 249-272). The Mexican Fiesta (pp. 397-411). The Brazilian Samba
(pp. 94-110).
Gannon, Martin. (2004). Understanding global cultures. Sage Publications (Eds.). The
Sub-Saharan African Bush Taxi (pp. 553-568). The Nigerian marketplace (pp.311-329).
Lewis, R. D. (2012). When Teams Collide: Managing the International Team. London:
Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Meyer, E. (2014). The culture map: Breaking through the invisible boundaries of Global
Business. New York: Public Affairs.
Hampden-Turner, C., & Trompenaars. (1998). Riding the Waves of Culture. New York:
McGraw Hill.
Rodrigues, Carl (2009). International Management: A Cultural Approach (third Ed.) Sage
Publications
Mangaliso, M. P. (2001, August). Building Competitive Advantage from Ubuntu:
Management Lessons from South Africa. Academy of Management Executive, 15, 23-33.
Suedo, K. (2004). Differences in the Perception of Face: Chinese Mien-Tzu and Japanese
Metsu. En F. E. Jandt, Intercultural Communication: A Global Reader (págs. 292-304).
Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.
Nishiyama, K. (2009). Japanese Style of Decision Making in Business Organizations. En
R. E. Larry A. Samovar, Intercultural Communication: A Reader 12thE (págs. 295-301).
Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Leonore van den Ende, A. v. (2015). The social construction of cultural differences in a
Siberian joint-venture megaproject. Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation, 168-
185.
Evaluation:
9/?
Start of PRESENTATIONS, 26%, weeks 8-10.
Evaluation of shared learning papers 3 and 4
6. Week 13: Ethics – No easy choices.
• Ethics
• Relativism vs. Universalism
• Corruption
• Principles and Perspectives on Ethics
Specific Objective:
Discuss the validity of different philosophical approaches to ethical action in different
settings of intercultural management.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, case.
Bibliography:
Meyer, E. (2014). The culture map: Breaking through the invisible boundaries of Global
Business. New York: Public Affairs.
Hampden-Turner, C., & Trompenaars. (1998). Riding the Waves of Culture. New York:
McGraw Hill.
Rodrigues, Carl (2009). International Management: A Cultural Approach (third Ed.) Sage
Publications
Donaldson, T. (2003). Values In Tension, Ethics away from Home. In D. C. Thomas,
Readings and Cases in International Management, a Cross Cultural perspective (pp. 35-
96). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Xin, K., & Haijie, W. (2011). HBR Case Study: Culture Clash in the Boardroom. Harvard
Business Review, NA.
7. Week 14-15: Teambuilding across Cultures.
• Multicultural Teams
• Teambuilding and Group dynamics
o Stages and Models of teambuilding
• Trust
o Quick Trust
Specific Objective:
10/?
Discuss the differences between culturally heterogeneous and homogeneous teams and
different approaches as to how to achieve performance.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, workshops.
Bibliography:
Lencioni, Patrick. The five Dysfunctions of a Team. (1998) John Wiley and Sons
Javalgi, Rajshekhar G.; Pioche, Virginia; Gross Andrew C.; Scherer, Robert F. (2005). An
application of the consumer ethnocentrism model to French consumers. International
Business Review, 14, 325–344.
Gannon, M. J. (2008). Paradoxes of Culture and Globalization. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications
Neeley, T., & Kaplan, R. S. (September 2014). What’s Your Language Strategy? Retrieved
17th of January 2016, from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2014/09/whats-your-language-strategy
Evaluation:
Shared Learning Paper 5
8. Week 15: Motivation across Cultures.
• Overview theories of Motivation
o Maslow
o Herzberg
o Vroom (Expectancy Theory)
• Differences in Motivation across cultures
• Case
Specific Objective:
Present different perspectives on motivation, then discuss the differences across cultures
and how to effectively motivate in a multicultural setting.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, workshops.
Bibliography:
Lencioni, Patrick. The five Dysfunctions of a Team. (1998) John Wiley and Sons
Triandis, H. C. (2002). Individualism-Collectivism and Personality. Journal of Personality,
69(6), 907-924.
Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and Motivation. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
11/?
Hofstede, G. (1987). The Applicability of McGregor's Theories in South East Asia. Journal
of Management Development, 6(3), 9-18.
Smith, K. K., & Berg, D. N. (1987). Paradoxes of group life: Understanding conflict,
paralysis, and movement in group dynamics. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gannon, M. J. (2008). Paradoxes of Culture and Globalization. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications.
9. Week 15-16: Virtual Teams.
• Role, characteristics and challenges in virtual teams
• Importance
• Adapting choice of technology and communication media according to culture
o Asynchronous vs. Synchronous media
o Social Presence
Specific Objective:
Present the importance, difficulties and characteristics of virtual teams, and then
emphasize the role of culturally adequate management.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures and student involvement, workshops.
Bibliography:
Lencioni, Patrick. The five Dysfunctions of a Team. (1998) John Wiley and Sons
The Place of Face-to-Face Communication in Distributed Work Bonnie A. Nardi, Steve
Whittaker
Duarte, D. L., & Snyder, N. T. (2006). Mastering Virtual Teams. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Cellich, C., & Jain, S. C. (2012). Global Business Negotiations Across Borders: Practical
Solutions,. NA: Business Expert Press.
Cramton, C. (2001). The Mutual Knowledge Problem and its Consequences for Dispersed
Collaboration. Organization Science, 12(3), 346-371.
Duarte, D. L., & Snyder, N. T. (2006). Mastering Virtual Teams. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Leidner, D. E. (1998). Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Team.
NA: NA.
12/?
Lau, D. a. (1998). Demographic diversity and faultlines: The compositional. Academy of
Management Review, 325–340.
Veinott, E. O. (1999). Video Helps Remote Work: Speakers who need to negotiate common
ground benefit from seeing each other. Proceedings of the Conference on Computer
Human Interaction (pp. 302-309). Atlanta: CHI'99.
Evaluation:
Work on Business case starts
10. Week 16: Wrap up
• Group work on case
• The beauty of working across cultures
• The value of a crisis
• Wrap-Up
Specific Objective:
Present and discuss student’s final presentations, the positive aspects of intercultural
management and do course wrap-up.
Teaching Learning Strategies:
Lectures, student participation, group work.
Evaluation:
Final 30%: written case solution.
Bibliography: -
5. EVALUATION
• 4% First Shared Learning Paper
• 4% Second Shared Learning Paper
• 20% First Essay
• 4% Short presentation on different approached to cultural differences
• 26% Presentation
• 4% Third Shared Learning Paper
• 4% Fourth Shared Learning Paper
• 4% Fifth Shared Learning Paper
• 30% Final Case