Cultural Differences

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.

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.

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.

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.