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How should you address the President of a French Company? Should you reward workers in Turkey by giving them envelopes full of money? Why are so many good international managers coming out of Eastern Europe? Few enterprises nowadays remain untouched by global influences. Few managers can expect to go through their professional lives without the need to interact with people from other cultures; as a result it has become essential to understand the culture and social and economic institutions of other countries in order to maintain and run a successful business. This series looks at three different perspectives on managing across different national contexts as we hear from experienced international managers and from academics around the world about managing globally.
This material forms part of the Open University course B848 Leadership and management in intercultural contexts
- Duration 45 mins
- Updated Thursday 24th May 2012
- Posted under Money & Business
Track 2: Cultural Differences
Culture affects how we behave in any given situation, it varies between groups in different places, it includes values and is learned as we grow up in a particular social context. At the same time because our own culture is the water in which we swim, most of the time we are unaware of it. It shapes our behaviour and how we understand the world at a level that is mostly out of our conscious awareness.
© The Open University 2012
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Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to International Management | In this series we are going to take a look at three different perspectives on managing across cultures. In each we will hear from experienced international managers and from academics around the world who have studied these problems. Play now Introduction to International Management |
| 2 | Cultural Differences | Culture affects how we behave in any given situation, it varies between groups in different places, it includes values and is learned as we grow up in a particular social context. At the same time because our own culture is the water in which we swim, most of the time we are unaware of it. It shapes our behaviour and how we understand the world at a level that is mostly out of our conscious awareness. Play now Cultural Differences |
| 3 | Institutional Differences | Many of the facts which we know to be true are in fact social facts; they are only true so long as enough people believe them. These self-perpetuating clusters of shared beliefs are referred to by sociologists as ‘institutions.’ Institutions may vary from culture to culture.The idea of a manager is an institution too. Like many institutions you can find different versions of this idea in different locations. Play now Institutional Differences |
| 4 | Intercultural Skills | Working across national boundaries and with multi-cultural groups is a skilled activity. Some of the required skills are learned, through experience and study, but others are more innate. In this podcast we will break down the ways that multinational organizations are measuring these skills, and we will hear from the managers and academics who have practical advice to dispense. Play now Intercultural Skills |
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