The Intercultural Dynamics Of Multicultural Working

This book is a theoretical and practical discussion of intercultural communication and interaction and is aimed at academic courses as well as professional development programmes. It focuses, from a critical perspective, on the intercultural dynamics established between the members of multicultural groups/teams in various types of work environments. Selected academics and other experts on intercultural communication and interaction, representing different approaches and professional experience, joined, collaborated and contributed to the fulfilment of a three-year project where they developed a model in eight axes: - Intercultural Responsibility, Emotional Management, Intercultural Interaction, Communicative Interaction, Ethnography, Biography, Diversity Management and Working in Multicultural Teams. Each chapter provides an interdisciplinary account of its topic as well as an activity which aims to illustrate the ideas proposed.

Measureable, data driven outcomes are not the only indicators of success in today’s multicultural and globalized workforce. How employees interact with their colleagues and customers is also a significant factor in their career development. Luciara Nardon draws on her extensive research and international experience to guide employees and managers through the ambiguous and uncertain waters of today’s multicultural workplace. Each intercultural encounter is unique, involving different people, contexts, dynamics, and actions which general cultural protocols are unable to address. In Working in a Multicultural World, Nardon offers a comprehensive framework for understanding intercultural interactions and developing skills for successful intercultural situations. Numerous examples and exercises, including how to reconcile personal beliefs of equality with a hierarchical workplace and how to respond to perceived aggressiveness in business negotiations, enable employees and managers to embark on reflective processes that will springboard their intercultural competence. Working in a Multicultural World is an accessibly written and valuable resource for all professionals in today’s workplace as well as students and travelers interested in intercultural relations.

The work will explore issues related to educational leadership in various settings in the 21st century. It will argue that the context for leadership within many nation states and international scenarios involves interaction between multiple and diverse social cultures. A further proposition is that the dominant leadership theory and discourse in the past reflects forms of western hegemony and mono-cultural assumptions drawn largely from the Anglo-American worldview. It will argue that such frameworks have limited validity in multicultural societies such as Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe and the USA and with indigenous communities within such nations. These societies contain significant populations which do not share the core values which inform established leadership practice and institutional paradigms in such nations. The consequence can often be insensitivity towards non-mainstream cultures, inappropriate structures, failed interventions and alienation of individuals from major institutions and traditions. Another proposition is that as more developing nations increase in affluence and view education as a key economic strategy, they become increasingly exposed to western discourses about leadership and management. Whilst acknowledging that western traditions have much to offer, there is a danger that this can involve forms of cultural imperialism whereby local traditions are ignored or subjugated. There is a need for developing nations to recognise and value the traditions and practices from their own cultures and assess the extent to which they are compatible with borrowings from other nations. Such processes require a sophisticated degree of reflective analysis to determine potential compatibilities and conflicts. This is an alternative to unmediated cultural borrowing, cloning, and hybridization. Western leadership scholars who work in such contexts have some responsibility to address this interaction instead of blithely offering practices and recipes from their metropolitan world views. The final proposition is that there is a need to develop models and practices for intercultural dynamics which are responsive to intercultural complexity. When these are thoroughly developed there will be clear implications for education. The unique features of this book include; • It introduces a new theoretical perspective on leadership and intercultural issues which builds upon the previous work of cross-cultural theorists from previous decades in educational leadership discourse • It will explore the three primary contexts for leadership and intercultural interaction; with indigenous communities in nation states, with multicultural communities in nation states and with international education and development programs • The book will draw upon a variety of authors from across the globe; from Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Mexico Sweden and the United States • The book will provide opportunities for the development of comparative and wide ranging perspectives within specific fields. For instance students will be able to compare issues related to indigenous education in New Zealand, Canada and Fiji. Multicultural perspectives can be informed by experiences from Britain, Canada and the US. One of the strong chapters in the book is on A First Nation leadership program in the US. International programs can be compared from contexts as diverse as Bellarus, China and Pacific Islands. • As such the book will supplement and challenge the mono-cultural texts which tend to dominate leadership preparation programs in both developed and developing nations. The intended audience for this book includes academics and students in the fields of education, health, public administration and community development in both the developed and developing world. It will also appeal to practitioners in national state and local sites who operate in intercultural contexts.

Featuring contributions from some of the world's most renowned cross-cultural management theorists and commentators, this breakthrough text explores the cross-cultural dynamics within organizations. The book examines the evolving role of cultural diversity in the workplace, the application of cultural comprehension to organizations, and the measurement of various aspects of intercultural competence.

This volume explores the work environment in multinational corporations. To do so, it integrates studies on the organizational sciences, cross-cultural management, positive psychology and sociology within a single comprehensive framework. Twenty-two authors from six countries identify the challenges in multicultural workplaces, the positives of interactions, cultural clashes and their organizational preconditions. They add inter-organizational, institutional and critical perspectives to the analysis within the framework of multinationals and complex, hybrid cultural environments. The book addresses the needs of researchers in the areas of intercultural management, and those of practitioners in international human resource management.

This book addresses one of the most critical issues facing global business leaders and the multicultural workforce – how to work and relate effectively in the intercultural contexts. The author presents business professionals, practitioners and academics with the Collaborative Intercultural Competence Model. Based on solid theoretical assumptions and real intercultural experiences, this model is to help professionals work more effectively across and within cultures. This book expands the traditional presentation of existing knowledge by providing a unified discussion of intercultural communication and its conceptual foundations. The book offers readers with a contemporary insight into the intercultural competence phenomenon and highlights the basis for its experience-based inquiry, assessment and development. A distinctive feature of Intercultural Competence in Organizations is its comprehensive coverage of the intercultural competence framework from both communication and organizational behavior perspectives. This book does not cover traditional areas of international business, international management, global management strategy and policy and cross-cultural comparative management, but focuses on theoretical foundations of intercultural competence and intercultural competence research and practice. The author describes the complex nature of intercultural competence in a straightforward format which helps professionals, practitioners and students to envision a variety of intercultural situations in which they may behave competently. Thus, the conceptual acumen of this title is to understand the premises of intercultural competence, embrace its theoretical assumptions, see its practical applicability, and advance individual intercultural competence. Featuring examples and skill development exercises, this book will be appealing to professionals, practitioners, students, academics and policy makers in the field of international business, management and communication. “Dr. Matveev challenges his readers to develop their intercultural competence so as to make themselves more effective, more humane and more socially skilled in a world that increasingly involves extensive contact across various groups of people.” --from the Foreword by Richard W. Brislin, University of Hawaii “Dr. Matveev creates an awareness of intercultural competence by exposing the reader to the theoretical concepts and practical tools. Business people and academics will use this book to recognize and leverage the benefits of cultural diversity.” --Berthold Mukuahima, Director of Human Capital, Ohlthaver & List Group, Namibia “Dr. Matveev reveals how intercultural competence of professional multicultural teams helps in achieving corporate competitive advantage and longevity in a challenging globalized world. This book is very useful for managers, scholars and students who want to elevate the efficacy of intercultural relationship in their professional and personal lives.” --Srečko Čebron, Management Board Member, Sava Reinsurance Company, Slovenia /div

This theory-based text is a comprehensive guide to cultural diversity in the workplace. The book will be of use to undergraduate students in business and management.

This book considers what is at stake for professionals whose work increasingly involves communicating in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts, and argues for the need to better understand the crucial role of languages and cultures in the modern workplace. With a focus on the experience of multilingual professionals, the author's position is that such professionals, exemplified by those who have relocated internationally, deploy their unique linguistic, cultural and intercultural repertoires in their work. This book examines the ways in which professionals interpret and manage their experience of working within and across languages and cultures in ways that create affordances for them, their professional practice, and those who depend on their knowledge and expertise. It will be relevant to undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking studies in applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, intercultural education and professional communication in any discipline.