Intercultural Competence in the Workplace: Recognizing the Cultural Self . . .
"What competencies are needed to successfully lead a
multinational company, as opposed to leading a company that does
business in a single country and has multiple cultures working together?"
This blog will feature questions (ranging from leadership and diversity to culture-specific communication, global team-building, and the nuances of business and social protocol in different countries and cultures) raised by working, adult students in higher education. You are invited to share your insights and perspectives based on your own personal work experiences. See "Welcome . . . more about this blog" for additional information about the blog's history and purpose.
I believe that leadership in a multinational company is challenging because it requires an in-depth understanding of the essential cultural differences and expectations in the way that business is transacted in each individual country. Effective leadership may often be based on how each culture’s traditions can impact its perception and interpretation of a leader’s ability to inspire a group to adopt a vision and work toward it in the most effective way. Essential competencies can include understanding the differences in emotional and cultural intelligence that drive each particular situation as well as being able to create a work environment that is flexible enough to accommodate the cultural diversity of the group. In a single country based company the various cultures will tend to sync themselves to the overall customs and ethics of the business environment and employees typically have a more coherent understanding of its mission and vision. This can lessen the breath of the cultural understanding required to be an effective leader.
ReplyDeleteFrank,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts on this question of competencies necessary to successfully lead a multinational company versus a company that does business in a single country and has multiple cultures working together.
I am wondering about the first step(s) required in preparing to successfully work abroad with multicultural teams or domestically with multicultural teams. Any thoughts?
In both instances I think it is important to first establish effective communication, followed by building trust, and then clarifying the ground rules and roles for the individual group members.
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