Self Learning Material
         International Human
        Resource Management
                (MBA-967)
         Course: Master Business Administration
               Semester-IV
           Distance Education Programme
       I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University
                Jalandhar
                                                 TableofContents
                Lesson Title                                      Written by                              Page
                No.                                                                                       No.
                   1      Introduction to Cross Cultural          Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,               1
                          Management                              USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                   2      Role of culture in strategic decision   Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              21
                          making, Influence of national           USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                          culture on organizational culture
                   3      Cultural and behavioural differences    Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              42
                          across the world                        USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                   4      Shift in Culture                        Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              63
                                                                  USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                   5      Cross cultural communication            Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              81
                                                                  USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                   6      Cross cultural HRM; Staffing and        Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              102
                          Training for global operations;         USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                          global staffing choices
                   7      Dynamics for cross cultural             Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              120
                          leadership                              USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                   8      Managing and motivating                 Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              139
                          multicultural teams                     USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                   9      Cross cultural negotiation and          Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              152
                          decision making                         USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
                  10      Cross cultural ethics                   Dr. Geeta Bansal, Professor,              172
                                                                  USOL, Panjab University, Chd.
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            LESSON 1
            INTRODUCTION TO CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
            Structure outline
            1.1 Learning objectives
            1.2 Introduction to cross-cultural management
            1.3 Significance of culture for international management
              1.3.1 Meeting  the  challenge  of  managing  global  firms  across  various
                    cultures
              1.3.2 Cross-cultural differences and similarities
              1.3.3 Appreciating cultural diversity
            1.4 Cultural dimensions
              1.4.1 Hofstede's cultural dimensions
              1.4.2 Trompenaars seven dimensions of culture
            1.5 Impact of cross-cultural management on organizations
            1.6 Summary
            1.7 Glossary
            1.8 Answers to check your progress
            1.9 References
            1.10Suggested readings
            1.11Terminal and model questions
            1.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
            After going through the lesson you should be able to;
                Outline  the  significance  of  cross-cultural  management   on  today€s
                  multicultural organizations.
                Understand  the  impact of  cross-cultural  management  in  international
                  business.
                Appreciate the cultural dimensions as outlined by thinkers like Hofstede and
                  Trompenaars
                                            Page 1 of 190
        1.2 INTRODUCTION TO CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
        The world is a global village, where people from different parts of the world
        and  with  different  cultural  backgrounds  are  working  and  communicating
        together. Since culture may be defined as “the inherited values, concepts, and
        ways of living which are shared by people of the same social group.” Culture is
        not possessed by a certain social class; in fact each and every person has not
        only one culture but cultures which causes the complexity of the term. Simply,
        cross- culture  is  the  difference  in  culture  among  different  countries.  Cross-
        cultural management is the effective interaction and understanding of people
        who represent different cultures.
        According  to  Nancy  Adler  (2008),  “cross-cultural  management  explains  the
        behavior of people in organizations around the world and shows people how to
        work  in  organizations  with  employees  and  client  populations  from  many
        different cultures.”
        With the advent and influx of multinational organizations with multicultural and
        multigenerational workforce manning today€s organizations, it becomes all the
        more imperative to understand and be sensitive to people and their needs across
        the  world.  Since  people  coming  from  different  backgrounds  are  converging
        together at a common platform called an organization to achieve its desired
        objectives, it is necessary that cross cultural training be imparted to them. This
        will  not  only  improve  the  interaction  amongst  the  employees  coming  from
        diverse cultures but will also improve the interpersonal relationships  between
        them  which  is  very  important  for  a  congenial  and    a  productive  work
        environment . Thus the need for cross cultural management is there to enhance
        the scope of domestic management to entail multinational management which
        would  be  helpful  to  understand  the  behavior  of  people  in  multinational
        organizations
        1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF CROSS CULTURE ON ORGANISATION
        Since organizations do not operate in a social vacuum but are influenced by
        socio-cultural  context,  the  socio-cultural dimensions  at  a  national  level  are
        likely to influence the dimensions of organizational practices selected for the
        present framework. Cultures have their own way of interpreting things and what
        is good for one may be bad for others. And what is believed to be an essential
        for one group may not be necessary for others. Hence with this diversity an
        organization has to understand and adapt sensitively to different group€s want
                              Page 2 of 190