Cross Cultural Management - Assignment Example

Cross Cultural Management In organizational management today, the issue of cross cultural communication and management is very important. In this paper, I set to find out just how important cross cultural management is to an organization. I have analyzed material from different sources, and chosen two of these sources to base my findings. The two sources that I have used in this paper are ideal for my report since they are reliable, credible and authoritative. One of the sources, a journal article focuses on the influence of cross cultural management on quality management. The other source is a newspaper article that talks about the benefits of embracing multiculturalism in today’s corporate word. The paper is an analysis of the issue of managing across cultures for the benefit of an organization. Practice Report Cross cultural management is a very important in the daily operations of any organization that is situated in a multicultural environment. Understanding different cultures and appreciating their differences is essential in determining how people within the organization are going to interact with each other and with other people outside the organization. Proper cross cultural management ensures that there is understanding in and out of the organization (Tjosvold and Leung, 2003). This helps create conducive working environment, which eventually translates into better returns for the company. In this paper, I will look at different sources that have information about cross- cultural management and communication. I will analyze all the sources, and pick two which are most relevant to my area of research. Cross-cultural communication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-cultural_communication Currency: it is not clear how recent the information is. However, it is indicated at the bottom of the article that the webpage was last updated on 22nd November, 2010. the information seems to be up to date with the requirements of my topic. Reliability: The information in this article is basically about what cross cultural communication is all about, its global rise and its incorporation into educational organizations. The content appears to be well balanced. The author does provide some references for his article. This adds to the reliability of the content. Authority : No one is indicated to be the author of the article, but Wikipedia may be regarded as its owner. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that can be accessed free of charge by anyone. Wikipedia is not a very reputable source since nothing is known of the credentials of the author. The publisher (Wikipedia) does not have any interest in the content of the article. There are no advertisements on the webpage. Purpose/Point of View: The purpose of the author is to highlight the different aspect of cross cultural communication and why it is important in the management of today’s organizations. The content in the article is mostly fact, therefore it is not biased. The author is not trying to sell anything to the reader. I think that the information contained in the website is relevant to my research, but it is not right for my level. Quality management: a cross-cultural perspective http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=4E6779B84E7B9FB1689E81123174751F?contentType=Article&contentId=1786448 Currency: This article is contained in the cross Cultural Management international Journal which was published in 2009. This means that the information contained in the article is quite current. It is up to date for my topic. Reliability: The information contained in this article is about the influence of cross cultural differences using Hofstede’s framework on quality management. The information is all based on research; the authors do not offer their opinions. The content seems balanced since it is all based on facts. Therefore, I can rely on it for my research. Authority: the article is authored by Alessandra Vecchi and Louis Brennan. They are both professors at the School of Business in Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. The article has been published in an international business journal: Cross cultural Management: An International Journal. The journal is reputable and can be relied on for credible information. Purpose/Point of View: The purpose of the author is to highlight the validity culture management as a means of quality management. The contents of the paper are based on facts collected from a survey administered to individuals in 23 different countries. The information does not seem to be biased in any way. The author is not trying to sell anything. The information here is relevant for my research and it is also at the right level for my research. Cross-cultural training: Learning to make the most of increasing internationalisation http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/300d8cea-c1f4-11d9-866a-00000e2511c8.html Currency: This article was published on 11th may, 2005 and was last updated on the same day. The website FT.com was last updated on 24th November, 2010. Although the article was done in 2005, it is relevant to the multi cultural management situation today. Reliability: The information in the article is quite reliable. It focuses on the need for cross-cultural training as a way of reaping maximum benefits from globalization. The content is well balanced, and is based on the opinions of different players in the multicultural management field. The author provides references and quotations in her statements, which only adds to the article’s credibility and reliability. Authority: the author is Sarah Murray, a professional writer who specializes in business and society and sustainability. The publisher of Murray’s article is Financial Times, a respectable financial and business newspaper. The publisher has no direct interest in this article, although it stands to gain financially. There are a number of financial related advertisements on the webpage that contains this article. I can say that the article itself is authoritative since it has been written by a credible author and published on an equally credible website. Purpose/Point of View: The purpose of the article is to highlight the importance of cross cultural training in organizations. The author writes from the point of view of a professional financial or business analyst. The information contained in the article is opinion based on concrete facts; therefore it is not biased in any way. The author is trying to convince the reader that there is need to enhance cross cultural training in all organizations, and I find this information relevant to my research. The article is at the right level for my research. Handbook of cross-cultural : social behavior and applications http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Z0L7dwJKel8C&pg=PA380&dq=multicultural+communication+management&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=NAnCSoDaG4eSNaKJ8fAD&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=multicultural%20communication%20management&f=false The book written by John Berry is over 10 years old having been published in 1997. Compared to other sources it is less current. Given that the book is published by author, it may not really clear how reliable may be. It would be easier to establish the reliability of the source by considering the reputation of the publishing company, the author being different. The source seems to present unbiased facts and relevant information without seeming to be trying to sell any product. The authors are authoritative given that at least one is a university professor in a reputable university - John W. Berry. The book has a clear purpose and is generally beyond reproach. The facts presented are well research, well researched and credible and may be an alternative source for my research. Managing cross-cultural differences http://www.1000ventures.com/ten3_operations/customized/cross-cultural_differences_china-us.html Currency: it is not very clear on the website how current the article is, but the information is quite relevant to my research. There is no indication on the website as to when it was last updated, this make sit hard to determine when the article could have been written. Although the information is not out of date for my topic, issues such as lack of evidence make it hard to rely on. Reliability: The information contained in the article covers issues related to multicultural differences and management. The author includes information about the meaning of culture and different cultural dimensions. He also mentions something about cross cultural communication challenges and how to overcome them. It appears that the information may have been from certain sources, but the author does not reference the article, or use any quotations. Authority: the authors of this article are Anastasia Bibikova and Vadim Kotelnokov. Their credentials include being the founders of the Ten business e-Coach, which is a business related training program. They are also authors of many business articles. The article’s publisher is a website that the authors run. The author has no direct interest in this information, other than the financial gain that comes with it. There are several advertisements on this website, but they are selling products created by the authors. Purpose/Point of View: The purpose of the article is to highlight the main challenges that characterize cross cultural management and how to deal with them within an organization. The information is purely opinion; therefore it is biased by a great margin. The author is clearly trying to convince the reader that his opinion is right. I do not think that this article is at the right level for my research. Anthropologists in cross-cultural management (Culture Matters) http://culturematters.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/anthropologists-in-cross-cultural-management/ Currency: This is a blog by alfonsvanmarrewijk that was posted on 28 February, 2009. The website information is relatively recent as it was only posted less than 24 months ago. The website, wordpress.com was last updated in 2010. The information is not out of date for my topic since it mainly focuses on the analysis of works of multi cultural authors such as Hofspede and Trompenaars. Reliability: The blog is all about the manageability of culture and the costs and sustainability that this management can have on an organization. The author uses the works of Hofspede and Trompenaars to evaluate cross cultural management in an organization. The content is balanced as it does not include only the author’s opinion only. He uses other references to substantiate his arguments. This means that the blog is reliable. Authority: The author of this article goes by the name alfonsvanmarrewijk and he is a blogger. There are no credentials about the author in the article. The blog is published and sponsored by wordpress, a well known online blogsite that enables bloggers to create posts and comments. There is no evidence that the publisher (Wordpress) has got any interest in this information. There are no advertisements on the website. Although the article is sponsored by a well known publisher, it lacks authority since the author lacks personal and professional credentials. Purpose/Point of View: This article is a mixture of fact and opinion. The author gives his point of view, but at the same time, he uses external sources to support his arguments. His opinions are a bit biased as they are based on what he has observed and what he believes to be true. I do not think that the article is the right level for my research, though it appears to be relevant. My Chosen Material for the Subject “Managing Across Cultures” I have decided to use: 1. Quality management: a cross-cultural perspective http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=4E6779B84E7B9FB1689E81123174751F?contentType=Article&contentId=1786448 2. Cross-cultural training: Learning to make the most of increasing internationalization: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/300d8cea-c1f4-11d9-866a-00000e2511c8.html These two resources have all the CRAP criteria used in choosing research paper sources. They are current, reliable, and authoritative and they both have a credible point of view. Their purposes rhyme with the purposes of my research paper. While ‘Quality Management: A Cross cultural Perspective” focuses on the need for organizations to embrace cross cultural management, Murray, brings onto focus the need for training employees on cross cultural communication. Both Murray (2005) and Vecchi and Brennan (2009) hold that cross cultural management is essential in helping employers and employees deal with and understand the diverse cultures represented in their organizations. This understanding will go a long way in improving the performance of employees, thus raising the competitiveness of the organization (Murray, 2005). Conclusion As Murray (2005) and Vecchi and Brennan (2009) point out, it is becoming increasingly important for organizations to embrace cross cultural management in order to remain relevant in the market. A single company may have a wide range of people from different cultural backgrounds and if there is no structure as to how they can interact, there is likely to be trouble. However, if an organization puts in place firm measures that will guide everyone on how to interact with other people from different cultural backgrounds, then it is likely to prosper. Reference Tjosvold, D and Leung, K, 2003, Cross-Cultural management: Foundations and Future, London: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. xxxxx 1. Quality management : a cross-cultural perspective http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=4E6779B84E7B9FB1689E81123174751F?contentType=Article&contentId=1786448 2. Cross-cultural communication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-cultural_communication 3. Cross-cultural training: Learning to make the most of increasing internationalisation http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/300d8cea-c1f4-11d9-866a-00000e2511c8.html 4. Managing cross-cultural differences http://www.1000ventures.com/ten3_operations/customized/cross-cultural_differences_china-us.html 5. Anthropologists in cross-cultural management (Culture Matters) http://culturematters.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/anthropologists-in-cross-cultural-management/ 6. Handbook of cross-cultural : social behavior and applications http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Z0L7dwJKel8C&pg=PA380&dq=multicultural+communication+management&lr=&as_brr=1&ei=NAnCSoDaG4eSNaKJ8fAD&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=multicultural%20communication%20management&f=false Read More