Article by Luciara Nardon & Richard M. Steers PowerPoint by Michael Varnell

 Education  Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil  Graduate degree in accounting from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, Brazil  Two master’s degrees in business from  Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales, Argentina  Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management, Claremont Graduate University, U.S.A.  Ph.D. in international management and strategy from the University of Oregon, U.S.A.  Currently an Assistant Professor at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University  Research areas:  Cross-cultural management  Virtual organizations  Cultural approaches to technology management  Socio-cognitive institutions

 Education:  Ph.D., University of California, Irvine (Management and Industrial Psychology), l973  M.B.A., University of Southern California (Industrial Relations), l968  B.A., Whittier College (History), l967  University of Copenhagen, Denmark (Scandinavian Studies), l965-l966  Currently a Professor Emeritus of Organization and Management at Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon  Research Areas  Organizational behavior  Work motivation theory  Cross-cultural management

 Interacting in a global economy  The problem is not just differences in language, but in cultures.  “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one group or category of people from another” - Hofstede  Technological advancements increased the pace and complexity to new heights  Preconceived notions hinder successful relationships between cultures

 Issues:  How do we succeed in a highly competitive global economy?  How can we learn new cultures and adapt?  Three key strategies  Cultural Fluency  Developing a Global Mindset  Learning Cultures on the Fly

 Mastering the culture and language of a specific country  Most used for long-term periods of time (living abroad for a year, etc)  Is not as good if business will be done across several cultures; today’s business environment  Does require time and immersion, difficult to do in your home country.

 “An ability to develop and interpret criteria for personal and business performance that are independent of the assumptions of a single country, culture or context and to implement those criteria appropriately”  Allows you to interpret situations then choose the most appropriate action for each particular situation  Learn a bit about a lot of different cultures that you may come across  This is most used when you know you will be doing business with many cultures concurrently

 Other preparations may be better, but not always practical.  Principal challenges to adaptation:  “Many intercultural encounters… leave little time to learn about the other culture”  May have many cultures working together and is unclear which culture to adapt to.  The increase of virtual meetings are making inter- cultural interactions happen more quickly and may require learning on the fly.  “Learn how to learn”  Create a climate and culture of learning (Slater)

 Developed by David Kolb  Based on Dewey “Theory of experience” (Kolb)  Composed of Four stages that include two modes of constructing knowledge  Learn  Concrete experience  Observation and Reflection  React  Abstract Concepts and Generalizations  Testing Implications of Concepts  May begin in any of the four stages.

Concrete Experience

 Concrete Experience  Results from actual interactions  “We all share the same intensity of experience”  How did you feel  Observation and Reflection  What are the facts and details  What did you take away from the experience  Does this shape the experience

 Abstract Concepts and Generalizations  Develop a theory explaining the experience  And alternative courses of action  Testing Implications and Concepts  Utilize the process to change concrete experiences  Continual process

 Developed because the other theory does not account for the social aspect of learning  “The learning process is seen as interdependent and interactive”  The best intercultural interaction results from all parties learning to work together efficiently  Four Steps:  Negotiating Identity  Negotiating Meaning  Negotiating New Rules  Negotiating New Behaviors

Step 1: Negotiating Identity  Self identity  A cultural audit (Begley)  Individuals define themselves in relation to others  We often view others based on our own opinions and biases  Identity negotiation is critical  Self-awareness  Empathy

Step 2: Negotiating Meaning  Understand viewpoints  Clarify and create certainty  Negotiate meanings involves  Inquiry  Advocacy  Focus on  Information gathering; collecting information from any and all sources  Information analysis; interpret the information in light of the context

Step 3: Negotiating New Rules  Needed to inform and guide future interactions  Should cover crucial obstacles  Can combine cultures or implement new one  May intel un-intuitive methodologies (Metters)  Key skills  Integration of information  Transformation of information

Step 4: Negotiating New Behaviors  Implementing the negotiated rules requires commitment and flexibility  Utilize self-awareness and utilize strengths  Continue the process for new problems encountered

 Multicultural experiences are an increasing reality in today's business environments and managers must be able to work within many cultures to be successful.  In order to achieve this results managers:  Should observe there environment  Assess the context of the environment  Analyze alternative actions  Implement actions  Review results and reapply

1.Nardon, Luciara and Steers, Richard M. “The New Global Manager: Learning Cultures on the Fly.” Organizational Dynamics; 37.1 (2008): A.Y. Kolb and D.A. Kolb, “Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experimental learning in higher education,” Academy of Management learning and Education, 2005 volume 4 issue Slater, Stanley F. and Narver, John C Market Orientation and The Learning Organization volume 59 issue 3 pp Metters, Richard 2008 A case study of national culture and off shoring Internal Journal of Operations & Production Management volume 28 issue 7- 8 pp Begley, Thomas, Boyd, David Why Don't They Like Us Overseas? Organizing U.S. Business Practices To Manage Culture Organizational Dynamics volume 32, Issue 4, November 2003, Pages _research/Inardon.html