1. Academy of Management Conference, PDW,
Anaheim, August
Interactive Teaching Methods in International Management: Enriching Case Discussions by Incorporating Experiential Exercises
Günter K. Stahl, INSEAD 1

2. Using Exercises to Enrich Case Discussions: Examples
Subject
Examples of Case(s)
Exercise(s)
Managing Across Cultures
David Shorter/Bob Chen (Ivey); Johannes van den Bosch (Ivey); The Floundering Expatriate (HBR); Lenovo-IBM (INSEAD, FT article)
Role plays; Video clips; Cultural assessment; Coaching exercise; Negotiation simulation
Managing Change
IBM Turnaround (HBS, INSEAD) Guangdong Electronics (INSEAD)
Video clips; ChangePro Simulation
Performance Management
Wolfgang Keller at Koenigsbraeu (HBS)
Role plays; Coaching exercise
Aligning People With Strategy
Southwest Airlines (Stanford) GE Talent Machine (HBS)
Strategy Mapping; Alignment audit
International Assignments
Andreas Weber (INSEAD) Jaguar or Bluebird? (INSEAD)
Europa Construction Intl. exercise (LBS)
Ethics
Changmai Corporation (INSEAD)
Negotiation simulation; Role plays
CREATES IDENTITY

3. Using Exercises to Enrich Case Discussions: Examples
Subject
Examples of Case(s)
Exercise(s)
Managing Across Cultures
David Shorter/Bob Chen (Ivey); Johannes van den Bosch (Ivey); The Floundering Expatriate (HBR); Lenovo-IBM (INSEAD, FT article)
Role plays; Video clips; Cultural assessment; Coaching exercise; Negotiation simulation
Managing Change
IBM Turnaround (HBS, INSEAD) Guangdong Electronics (INSEAD)
Video clips; ChangePro Simulation
Performance Management
Wolfgang Keller at Koenigsbraeu (HBS)
Role plays; Coaching exercise
Aligning People With Strategy
Southwest Airlines (Stanford) GE Talent Machine (HBS)
Strategy Mapping; Alignment audit
International Assignments
Andreas Weber (INSEAD) Jaguar or Bluebird? (INSEAD)
Europa Construction Intl. exercise (LBS)
Ethics
Changmai Corporation (INSEAD)
Negotiation simulation; Role plays
CREATES IDENTITY

4. Cases: David Shorter – Bob Chen Source: Joe DiStefano & Neil Abramson, Ivey Business School
James-Williams: The New Enterprise Group Organizational Chart
Pat Czarski
Mary Delehanty
Joe Silverman
Bob Chen
Erin Cole
Jane Klinck
Tak Li
Mike McLeod
David Shorter
Practice Director
Partners

5. Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences
Shorter/Chen Cases: Suggested Timing (3-hour session)
Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences
14:00 – 14:30
Introduction: Culture and its impact on management
14:30 – 14:50
Table discussion: Personal experiences working across cultures
14:50 – 15:30
Understanding cultural differences: Cultural frameworks
15:30 – 15:45
[Break]
15:45 – 16:15
Group work: Shorter/Chen cases (case analysis and role play preparation)
16:15 – 17:00
Role plays and debriefing
[17:00 – 18:00]
[Creating cultural synergy: The Map-Bridge-Integrate approach (if time permits)] 5

6. Perceptual Processes and Mental Models Vary Across Cultures
Source: Nisbett (2003). The geography of thought: How Asians and Westerners think differently. New York: Free Press.
Example of item measuring whether judgments of similarity are based on family resemblance or rules

7. Speaking Patterns Vary Across Cultures
Conversational Overlaps: Who Interrupts Whom?
United States
Alternating
Japan
Silent Periods
Brazil
Overlapping
A two-person negotiation is diagrammed here for three countries. A line indicates that negotiator 1 or 2 is speaking. Blanks indicate that both negotiators are silent. Overlaps indicate that both negotiators are speaking at the same time.
Source: Graham (1985), The Influence of culture on the negotiation process. Journal of International Business Studies, 16, pp

8. Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences
Shorter/Chen Cases: Suggested Timing (3-hour session)
Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences
14:00 – 14:30
Introduction: Culture and its impact on management
14:30 – 14:50
Table discussion: Personal experiences working across cultures
14:50 – 15:30
Understanding cultural differences: Cultural frameworks
15:30 – 15:45
[Break]
15:45 – 16:15
Group work: Shorter/Chen cases (case analysis and role play preparation)
16:15 – 17:00
Role plays and debriefing
[17:00 – 18:00]
[Creating cultural synergy: The Map-Bridge-Integrate approach (if time permits)] 8

9. Cultural Orientations
Basic issues that all societies throughout history faced, but different societies developed different ways of coping with these issues.
Environment: What is our relationship with the world around us? (Harmony-Mastery-Subjugation)
Human Nature: What is the basic nature of humans? (Good-Mixed-Evil)
Relationships: To whom and for whom do we have responsibility? (Hierarchical-Collective-Individualistic)
Mode of Activity: What is the primary mode of activity? (Being-Doing-Thinking)
Time: How do we think about time? (Past-Present-Future)
Space: How do people see and use space? (Private-Public)
Source: Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck (1961). Variations in value orientations. Evanston: Row, Peterson and Company.

10. Example: Cultural Analysis (Mapping)
Indonesian Culture
German Culture

11. Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences
Shorter/Chen Cases: Suggested Timing (3-hour session)
Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences
14:00 – 14:30
Introduction: Culture and its impact on management
14:30 – 14:50
Table discussion: Personal experiences working across cultures
14:50 – 15:30
Understanding cultural differences: Cultural frameworks
15:30 – 15:45
[Break]
15:45 – 16:15
Group work: Shorter/Chen cases (case analysis and role play preparation)
16:15 – 17:00
Role plays and debriefing
[17:00 – 18:00]
[Creating cultural synergy: The Map-Bridge-Integrate approach (if time permits)] 11

12. Cases: David Shorter – Bob Chen Source: Joe DiStefano & Neil Abramson, Ivey Business School
James-Williams: The New Enterprise Group Organizational Chart
Pat Czarski
Mary Delehanty
Joe Silverman
Bob Chen
Erin Cole
Jane Klinck
Tak Li
Mike McLeod
David Shorter
Practice Director
Partners

13. David Shorter – Bob Chen: Case Questions
1. Taking the perspective of either David Shorter or Bob Chen (depending on the case you were assigned), please explain the situation as of the end of the case. What are the causes of developments up to now?
2. Prepare to play the role of either Shorter or Chen in their upcoming meeting.
a) What is the outcome you desire for the meeting?
b) What will you do or say to help this come about?
c) What assumptions do you have about the other person's motives and his likely responses to your plan for the meeting?
Source: Joe DiStefano, IMD, Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.

14. David Shorter and Bob Chen: Different Perspectives
Issue
Shorter and others
Chen
Motivation
Get Chen to comply with doing the Softdisk audit Loyalty to client and to the organization
McLeod and Silverman frustrated, low confidence
Get transfer now, as promised (friends have been transferred without any audit responsibilities)
Loyalty to mentor and to the organization
Discouraged about chances of resolution, feels trapped
Perception
Chen is disloyal and hypocritical, is not being straight
Personality problem
Shorter hasn’t protected me, others want to persuade me
Problem is firm’s need
Communi- cation
Tell Chen to do the audit
Meetings are for disclosure and discussion
Express disagreements openly and directly
Get others to tell them no
Meetings are for persuasion and coercion
Express disagreements indirectly and avoid conflict
Source: Joe DiStefano, IMD, Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.

15. Some Clues to Cross-Cultural Conflict
Bob Chen's current behavior vs. his reputation in the firm
Resistance to doing the audit vs. previous accommodating behavior
"He's out of line; fire him!" vs. solid performer, potential partner, liked by colleagues
"He's acting crazy; must be a personality clash” vs. polite (indirect), civil (modest)
Disclosure of reluctance to do audit to colleagues vs. shy, private person
Apparent agreement to do the audit vs. signals that he won't do it
Seems to agree to audit three times vs. Mike doesn't sense real agreement
Seems to accept 3 year tax program vs. tells Shorter he doesn't want it
Agrees during the 3 hour meeting vs. Mike hears indirectly he won't do it
Past self-sufficiency vs. requests for help
Has only dealt with Shorter regarding career issues vs. asks Jane for help
Source: DiStefano, J., Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.

16. Example: Cultural Analysis (Mapping)
Chinese Culture
Canadian Culture

17. Example: Cultural Analysis (Mapping)
Chinese Culture
Canadian Culture
Significant differences between Chinese and Canadian culture

18. High Context and Low Context Cultures
Japanese
High
Arabs
Latin Americans
Context
Italians/Spanish
French
English
North Americans
Scandinavian
Germans
Low
Swiss
Explicit Implicit
Messages
Source: Hall & Hall (1995)

19. Sixteen Ways to Avoid Saying ‘No’ in Japanese
Vague ‘no’
Vague and ambiguous ‘yes’ or ‘no’
Silence
Counter question
Tangential responses
Exiting (leaving)
Equivocation or making excuse
Criticizing the question itself
Refusing the question
Conditional ‘no’
‘Yes, but …’
Delaying answers
Internally ‘yes’, externally ‘no’
Internally ‘no’, externally ‘yes’
Apology
The equivalent of English ‘no’
Source: Ueda (1974)

20. High Context and Low Context Cultures
Circling round or getting straight to the point
Diffuse, high context (from general to specific)
Specific, low context (from specific to general)

21. Sixteen (and More) Ways to Avoid Saying ‘No’ in High Context Cultures: Bob Chen’s Communication Style
Vague ‘no’
Vague and ambiguous ‘yes’ or ‘no’
Silence
Counter question
Tangential responses
Exiting (leaving)
Lying equivocation or making excuse
Criticizing the question itself
Refusing the question
Conditional ‘no’
‘Yes, but …’
Delaying answers
Internally ‘yes’, externally ‘no’
Internally ‘no’, externally ‘yes’
Apology
The equivalent of English ‘no’
Avoid the other person(s)
Get another person involved …

22. Common Stereotypes About Asian Americans
Observed Behavior of Asian Americans
Common Stereotypical Misinterpretations
Possible Cultural Explanation
Nonconfrontational
Passive; does not care one way or another
Values harmony
Quite; reserved
Has no opinions
Values opinions of others and fitting in with group
Agreeable; dependable follower
Unassertive; no leadership qualities
Values what is good for group; can be assertive if needed for the group
Industrious
Make good “worker bees”
Values carrying their share of work; believes hard work will be recognized
Technically and scientifically competent
No management skills or leader-type charisma
Values science as universal language crossing cultural barriers; believes leadership comes in many forms
Deferential to others
Not committed to own opinions, judgments, or preferences
Values being respectful of others; believes in “saving face” for self and others; values age and wisdom
Source: Osland, Kolb & Rubin (2001). Organizational behavior: An experiential approach (7th ed.). Prentice Hall: NJ.

23. Update: What Happened During and After the Meeting
The meeting was, in Shorter’s words, “a disaster”. Chen felt that he had no choice but to resign. He was sure that his relationships with the partners had been so badly damaged that he could never recover. He also felt that he was being taken advantage of because of his easy nature and that there were other people who could have done the audit.
Shorter was stunned. He never expected such a turn of events. Even worse, he hadn’t ever faced a male employee breaking down and crying in his office. He didn’t know how to handle the emotions being displayed by the normally reserved Bob Chen.
Shorter was unhappy to lose a good employee (and the Softdisk audit still had to be done!), and Chen was unhappy to leave the firm that had given him the opportunity to work and live in Canada.
Chen obtained employment as a financial analyst in a financial institution in Toronto within three weeks of resigning at James-Williams.
Source: DiStefano, J., Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.