Managing Corporate Values In Diverse National Cultures

How should a Western company manage cross-culturally corporate values in its foreign subsidiaries? Do these values make sense everywhere and can they assumed to be universal or, on the contrary, are they culturally Western specific? Philippe d’Iribarne provides answers to these timely and urgent questions, based on research carried out in the subsidiaries of a leading global company, Lafarge, in the contrasting cultural environments of China, the United States, France and Jordan. It appears that, in a large part of the world, people's expectations are similar; they expect from a good employer clear and decisive leadership, and fair and compassionate treatment, helping them to live a good life. But treating these expectations as the ‘same’ could be misleading. Western companies with a humanistic orientation are well positioned to fulfil them, provided they are willing, in each and every geography, to take into account the local vision of the right way to achieve a good life. By following the example presented in this book, companies who care can deliver economic efficiency as well as progressive people management in the countries in which they operate.

Looks at the way teams work, how people managed in organizations, and how it can understand the impact of organizational and national cultures. Includes a range of topics including team dynamics, managing human resources, and managing.

Managing Change Across Corporate Cultures peels away the mysteries of corporate culture to reveal why it has such a powerful influence on every aspect of the performance of a business. It shows how to shape high-performing corporate cultures in a complex international environment. As the natural successor to Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner?s landmark bestseller, Riding the Waves of Culture, Managing Change Across Corporate Cultures shows exactly how to create an environment where astonishing business breakthroughs are possible. You will also learn how to renew cultures as part of change and how to integrate cultures successfully following mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. New research shows that in cross-border business, differences in corporate culture have more far-reaching repercussions than even differences in national cultures. Never before has there been such enormous interest in shaping and changing the cultures of our businesses, whether to revitalise them after restructuring or to provide the glue that holds them together through the sea changes of globalization.

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,3, Berlin School of Economics and Law, course: Work Business and Society, language: English, abstract: This term paper explores the effect of culture on international business. In order to do so, it first evaluates the influence of national culture and then the influence of corporate culture on international management. In the end it presents and analyzes a new framework which argues that these two types of culture interrelate and that both shape international management practices. In 2010 Wal-Mart Inc. has been the world’s top retailer with revenues of US$ mil 405,046. However, they have never managed to establish Wal-Mart Germany since they have entered the market in late 1997. They left the market with huge losses in 2006. “In Germany, analysts say, Wal-Mart never got traction in a market characterized by unrelenting price competition, well-established discounters and the cultural resistance of German shoppers to hypermarkets, which sell fresh vegetables a few aisles away from lawn mowers.”

An introduction to culture - The one best way of organizing does not exist - The meaning of culture - Relationships and rules - The group and the individual - Feelings and relationships - How far we get involved - How we accord status - How we manage time - How we relate to nature - National cultures and corporate culture - Towards international and transnational management - Reconciling cultural dilemmas - South Africa : the rainbow nation - Gender, ethnicity and functional diversity.

ÔPrimecz, Romani, and Sackmann provide managers and educators with a powerful framework that goes beyond simple categorization of national and cultural differences in business. Their framework of negotiated meaning systems, and the rich cases that illustrate the Òin-the-momentÓ experiences of global managers as they conduct business in culturally unfamiliar milieus provide managers and educators with a powerful tool for developing global managerial skills. This is a book every global manager and cross-cultural educator should have on his or her bookshelf.Õ Ð Mark E. Mendenhall, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, US ÔThis is a unique, alternative view of culture that has both practical and theoretical significance. The creative analysis of cases from around the world moves the field beyond the sophisticated stereotyping that can result from relying solely on cultural value dimensions to decode interactions. The cases address significant cross-cultural issues, providing useful lessons and richer perspectives on culture.Õ Ð Joyce Osland, San JosŽ State University, US ÔThis book is an excellent collection of practical and useful cases in cross-cultural management, with some that are very different from what we would call ÒtraditionalÓ cases in cross-cultural management. They are excellent teaching material with an introduction and a conclusion that show students and practitioners how meanings are negotiated in diverse and complex cross-cultural situations.Õ Ð Marie-Therese Claes, Louvain School of Management, Belgium ÔA fascinating book for both the diversity of cultures that are touched upon (from Asia and Africa to Europe and America) and the cultural analyses that are made of various management situations resulting from the transfer of management techniques across countries or the encountering of those embedded in different cultures.Õ Ð Philippe dÕIribarne, CNRS, France ÔA group of multidisciplinary authors from various countries and cultures bring rich experience to this volume. The focus on real-life situations offers a fresh perspective on culture in organizations and management through in-depth case studies including both academic and pedagogical sides. It addresses multi-level cross-cultural issues of international strategic importance for globalizing workplaces. This insightful book is excellent reading for practitioners as well as scholars and students interested in applications in the field of cross-cultural management.Õ Ð Cordula Barzantny, Toulouse Business School, France ÔThis volume offers an insightful introduction to qualitative field research aiming to understand the dynamics in intercultural business interactions. Based on the findings provided in ten rich cases from Asia, Europe, North Africa, USA and Latin America, the editors also propose strategies for more effective collaboration in challenging multiple-cultures contexts. The authors and editors have succeeded in transforming the field studies into cases that are stimulating and thought provoking readings, both for practitioners and students of cross-cultural management.Õ Ð Anne-Marie S¿derberg, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark Based on the view that culture is dynamic and negotiated between actors, this groundbreaking book contains a collection of ten cases on cross-cultural management in practice. The cases draw on field research revealing challenges and insights from working across nations and cultures. Each case provides recommendations for practitioners that are developed into a framework for effective intercultural interactions as well as offering illustrations and insights on how to handle actual cross-cultural issues. This enriching book covers various topics including international collaborations across and within multinational companies, organizational culture in international joint ventures and knowledge transfer. Based on empirical fieldwork and qualitative analyses, this path-breaking book will appeal to graduate and postgraduate students in international management as well as practitioners.

Based on the premise that in an era of rapid globalization, while there is a great deal of convergence on many aspects of group processes and interactions across national cultures, it is the understanding and appreciation of the divergence among people of different national cultural backgrounds that make all the difference.

A leader’s role in the management of change is a critical issue for successful outcomes of strategic initiatives. Globalization and economic instability have prompted an increase in organizational changes related to downsizing and restructuring in order to improve financial performance and organizational competitiveness. Researchers agree that a leader’s inability to fully understand what is needed in order to guide their organization through successful change can be a reason for failure. Proper planning and management of change can reduce the likelihood of failure, promote change effectiveness, and increase employee engagement. Yet, change in organizations must be viewed as a continuous activity that affects both organizational and individual outcomes. If change management can be considered as an event induced by socio-cultural factors, the cultural variable gains greater significance when applied to the quality of the relationship between a leader and their team. Many organizations today are on the verge of internationalization. It is here that the cultural context can affect behaviors and, in the same way, leadership style. The research presented in this book by an eminent group of scholars explores the influence of culture – ethnic, regional, religious – on how leaders manage change within organizations.