International Management and Cross-Cultural Competence - Essay Example

Competition is a challenge to any participating firm. This challenge cannot be taken on by new technology and economic resources alone. Technological innovation and resource allocation (as all organizational activities) are results of human processes. Few leaders possess all the attributes, and many non-leaders may possess many or even most of them.

Also, the attribute approach gives no guidance as to how much of each characteristic a person should have. The relations of the Global to Hofstede cultural dimensions can be explained by the fact that managers in a firm (as well as other employees), be they leaders or not, have a culture (not only from the national level) that is more or less shared and common. This fact influences, often implicitly, how they manage themselves and other employees, and how they conduct their business, for example, decisions they make about the organization's relationship with its environment and about its strategy.

It seems as if culture is having a major effect on the success of the business, somehow. It is common to read statements such as 'the well-run corporations of the world have distinctive cultures that are somehow responsible for their ability to create, implement, and maintain their world leadership positions' However, drawing the conclusion from this that a strong and pervasive culture, directed by formal decree, means business success is not correct, as mentioned previously. At a somewhat deeper level lie the hidden values and assumptions -- the fundamental drives and beliefs behind all decisions and actions.

In a business context, this understanding pertains, say, to the importance of listening to peers, what stakeholders to prioritize, the nature of the environment, and what learning and progress are all about (Hofstede Cultural Dimensions 2008). In sum, the Globe project uses Hofstede's theory to investigate and analyze current leadership and organizational trends and create a unique vision of modern business culture and human relations. The actual content of the culture and the degree to which it relates to the environment (present or future) seem like the critical variables here, not strength, pervasiveness, or direction.

People have come to understand that culture is shared, no matter how it is defined. A key issue in discussing culture is then how deep-seated it is. The degree to which a culture is conscious and open rather than nonconscious and covered has implications for how easily a culture can be studied and, in a business management context, be managed.