International Management - Essay Example

Running Head: International Management International Management [Institute’s International Management In human society, different individuals with different responsibilities and diverse backgrounds are responsible for carrying out important tasks. In the context of business, manager, chairperson, dean, governor, mission incharge, and human resources manager are some of the designations associated with the position of management in different parts of the globe. These individuals may work in different organizations with different purposes; however, they all have one thing in common. They are responsible for practicing management by putting efforts to manage arrangement of the work to ensure cooperation among the workers, employees, staff, etc1. In addition, it is the responsibility of managers to manage their work, their employees, and associates to ensure successful proceedings in the organization. Specifically, various factors are responsible for the effectiveness of a manger. Particularly, communication and interpersonal skills play a vital and crucial role in efficacy of the managers2. In specific, this paper will endeavor to identify some of the communication skills that facilitate managers in acquiring efficient outcomes, especially the communication competence and intercultural communication. Moreover, case study indicated that HTT teams are successful in winning the social war in Afghanistan through different intercultural strategies, and thus, the paper will attempt to understand different theories while referring to examples from the case study3. Since decades, experts have been endeavoring to define communication; however, brief analysis of the literature indicated complex and diverse definitions and explanations of the term. In general, in different cultures and context, individuals utilize the tool of messages to communicate with each other that result in the generation of messages, essential for data exchange between the humans4. In this regard, communication plays a crucial role in the success or failure of any project, mission, or objective of an organization. In the past recent years, the world has altered rapidly, and it is continuously changing due to advancement that is one of the outcomes of globalization. In other words, globalization has inclined organizations, institutions, and agencies to work and carry out missions in different parts of the globe internationally5 that has resulted in emphasized importance of intercultural communication, and thus it remained a major concern and focus of experts around the world. Moreover, incidents of September 11 enforced military organizations and agencies to travel to Asian parts and deal with insurgency in Afghan terrains. Case study6 indicated that although destruction of Afghan territory was the major objective of military operations; however, HTT teams A major notion of intercultural communication is cultural and ethical relativism that emphasizes consideration and respect of norms and values of different cultures and societies, essential for successful intercultural communication7. In other words, it is very imperative for managers, as well as individuals involved in international missions or working at intercultural arena to respect ideas and values of individuals from diverse backgrounds that has now become a major tool of creating bridges between different societies8, especially in military missions. Although destruction is the basic objective of military; however, studies9 have indicated that there has been a major shift in approach of military strategies from geographical to cultural studies and understandings, imperative for acquiring support of local people during military missions. Various other cultural notions play a crucial role during the implementation of intercultural communication in an organization. Some of these terms are myths, sagas, legends, stories, folktales, symbols, languages, gestures, physical objects, and artifacts10 of a particular culture in a specific geographical location. In this regard, cultural awareness11 is the basic component essential for cultural relativism, as lack of knowledge about a culture will not allow a manager or an organization to understand and respect individuals from diverse backgrounds. For instance, case study indicated that HTT team focused on understanding basic philosophy behind sympathetic attitude of local people towards Taliban, and cultural awareness enabled members of the team to understand that it was nothing but exploitation of vulnerable population12. However, lack of intercultural strategies would have not allowed the team to know about different aspects of the Afghan society, essential for winning that social war in Afghanistan. Moreover, recent studies related to intercultural communication has emphasized the significance of motivation that plays a critical role in the success of communication in an intercultural environment. In this regard, managers need to be good listeners, in order to be motivational according to experts, and thus, listening and feedback are the two factors that contribute effectively in the employment of a successful intercultural environment. For instance, a term in an American culture might be different and diverse in Afghan culture, and thus, it is very important for individuals to be good listeners, in order to motivate communication that will enable organizations to acquire efficient outcomes13. Besides theoretical understandings of cultural values and awareness of cultural or ethical relativism, it is very important for organizations to formulate strategies and implement them as well for successful results. In this regard, formulation of intercultural strategies is an important phase that requires transformational leadership14, and thus, leaders at the management level should be motivational and considerate enough to accept and allow inclusion of different cultural considerations in the strategies. In other words, uncooperative or culturally ignorant leadership will always result in unwanted results. For instance, analysis of the case study indicated implementation of anthropological methodologies by the HTT team that was beneficial for the mission15. In this regard, studies16 related to organizational culture and intercultural communication specified that two elements of communication: verbal, and non-verbal factors play a crucial role in the success of any mission or objective, and thus, inclusion of verbal, as well as non-verbal cultural expressions will allow consolidation of the two elements of communication in an efficient manner. In addition to the three elements, social interaction is another significant tool in the intercultural communication that enables individuals to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Results have indicated that social interaction has so far been the most beneficial strategies in the studies related to intercultural communication. For instance, case study17 conversed about examples when the HTT focused on chatting with local people rather than using survey forms that enabled the team to acquire an accepted place in the Afghan society, and they were successful in building a sense of trust with the local people to some extent. Although implementation of abovementioned aspects of intercultural communication indicate successful results; however, one may confront apprehension in different cultures that is where the third element of communication comes in: perception. As earlier mentioned, transformational leadership will play a critical role in dealing efficiently with such nervousness by the application of discussed strategies that will facilitate in the alteration of perception of local people, essential for continuation and success in any mission or objective of intercultural organizations18. As case study19 indicated that people are not geographical locations, and thus, it is very important to understand their behavior changes, and understanding of their cultural and social background will only allow recognition of their existence. Conclusively, the paper has discussed some of the significant aspects of communication, and specifically, intercultural communication in conjunction with examples from the case study. It is an expectation that the paper will be beneficial for students, teachers, and professionals in better understanding of the topic. References Denison, Deniel R. 2005. Towards a Theory of Organizational Culture and Effectiveness. University of Michigan Press. Dwivedi, R. K. 1995. Organizational Culture and Performance. M.D. Publications Private Limited. Featherstone, Steve. 2008. “Human Quicksand.” The Australian Financial Review. Friday, October 31, 2008. Hyde, Martin. 2004. Intercultural Communication. Routledge. Perito, Robert. 2007. Guide for Participants in Peace, Stability, and Relief Operations. US Institute of Peace Press. Porter, Richard E. 2005. Intercultural Communication. Thomson Wadsworth. Schultz, Majken. 1995. On Studying Organizational Cultures: Diagnosis and Understanding. Walter de Gruyter. Scollon, Ronald. 2001. Intercultural Communication. Wiley-Blackwell. Smith, Ian G. 2001. Work and Employment in a Globalized Era. Routledge. Williams, Chuck. 2001. Effective Management. Southwestern Publishing. Read More