Cross Cultural Management MGT2034M

Lecture Three – Cross Cultural Training

October 2021 Dr. Mahdieh Zeinali
 To understand how cross
To explore the need for
cultural training is
cross cultural training
defined

Objectives To explain the term

for the To explore the benefits
of cross cultural training
‘cultural agility’ in the
context of team working

lecture
To question the impact
To consider the nature
of cross cultural training
of ethics in cross-cultural
on the individual [critical
training
thinking]
The notion of a common culture
• According to Trompenaars
(2012) there is a presumption
that internationalisation would
create a common culture
worldwide.
• It is important to consider is
what such global brands mean to
the people in each culture.
How the challenges of globalization
impact on managers
• While globalization has brought a great deal of business opportunity, it
has also presented new challenges in cross-cultural communication.
• For example: How can the manager of a global team more fully
understand the cultural context behind co-worker or colleague
interaction, without having had direct experiences of visual cues and
nuances in that culture?

Today’s best cross-cultural training in the business world serves

employees who are globally mobile, and globally interactive. Exploring
and encouraging cultural agility is crucial to developing deeper
awareness and stronger communication skills for all employees.
What is cultural agility?
• Freedman (2003) saw cultural agility to be needed in teams
working around the world.
• Cultural agility is the ability to quickly, comfortably and effectively
work in different cultures and with people from different cultures”
(Caligiuri, 2012: 7).
• Multinational enterprises (MNEs) today often use the term
“cultural agility” to describe their expectations regarding
employees’ “flexibility.” The ability to adapt culturally intelligent to
local situations, from such a usage perspective, addresses the
need to be responsive in a global marketplace (Sager, 2019).
So, what is Cross-cultural Training?
• No formal definition of cross-cultural training exists, perhaps
pointing to its sometimes rather broad interpretations and
applications.
If you Google it……..
Findings from the Global Cross-cultural Training Market
2017-2021

This industry research report identifies top 5 key vendors in the

global cross-cultural training market:

Babel Language and Cross Cultural Training,

http://www.babelgroup.co.uk/
Commisceo Global,
https://www.commisceo-global.com/
Global Integration,
GROVEWELL, and
London School of International Communication
Cross-cultural Training can be identified
as…….
The term 'cross-cultural' explicitly refers to any sort of interaction
where more than one culture is involved.

Many interpretations see this as relating only to national cultures,

i.e. American, Chinese, Korean, etc. although technically it can
refer to any sort of cultural difference, say regional, generational
or company culture.

Essentially, it is about identifying differences in the way we do

things
3 minute task for students
• Give an example of regional differences in your own country

• [Discuss with the person nearest to you]

Approaches to CCT
• There are many different approaches when it comes to the
content, delivery and ethos of cross cultural training.

• An important point to remember is the CONTEXT

• We need to consider who the training is for, why, when and

how?
Some examples….
• A training course for a group of high flying business
leaders in the UK/USA/China require is going to be very
different to that of a group of engineers travelling to
Nigeria for the first time.

• Or

• Developing the cross cultural awareness in undergraduate

students to enable them to work more effectively in cross
cultural teams
Mary Frances Winters
CEO and civil rights activist &
successful director

refers to multi-generational as examples of

cross cultural groups

link to a conversation with Mary F Winters

What do you think is the current
focus/concern of cross cultural
training?
Global teams and the need for cross cultural
awareness
• There are also now many employees who live and work in their home
country, but must think and communicate globally.

• Multinational company managers are in charge of global teams. These

teams collaborate across many borders and cultures. Managers, who have
perhaps never been globally mobile themselves, guide these teams to
achieve results. These managers may also have colleagues in other cultures
with whom they regularly negotiate, or do business.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74i5szpdOsk
The following steps help teams become
more culturally agile:

The following steps help teams become more culturally agile:

1. Develop self-awareness of your cultural biases.

2. Become attuned to cultural differences.
3. Exercise flexibility during team meetings.
4. Learn about visible and invisible aspects of other cultures.
5. Encourage curiosity and, especially, understanding.
Cross Cultural Training Content – Two
approaches
The use of academic models
• This training usually takes the form
of looking at ‘the other’, i.e. the
rationale being that if we can
study and understand ‘their’
behaviour and actions then we can
have strategies to deal with them.
• Hofstede
• Trompenaars
Understanding the ‘self’
• Stresses that first one must
understand ‘the self’, i.e. why
you do what you do (not what
others do).
• The idea behind this approach is
more about realised empathy
and developing cultural
awareness through emotional
intelligence.
Types of Cross Cultural Training
• Cross-cultural Orientation (pre-departure stage)
• Cross-cultural training during a foreign posting
• Diversity training; including development of cultural sensitivity
• Immersion in cultural experiences
• Membership of cross-border global teams with debriefing
• Global meeting coaching with debriefing
• International assignment by rotation
• Language training to support cross-cultural and diversity training

Source: Caligiuri, Lazarova and Taririque (2005) in French (2007)

Cross-cultural competence
• The most important factor in predicting successful outcomes of
cross-cultural training is the possession and/or development of
identifiable competencies. (French, 2007)
• However
• Inter-cultural competencies alone will not ensure that cross-
cultural training will be successful
• There must be a willingness/reason to focus the
business/develop a cross-cultural team.
Challenges to cross cultural awareness training
include:
What is the most common reason given?
Cross-cultural training and workplace perf
ormance
 Resistance to training
• “I live in a multi-cultural environment, why do I need training?”

• Resistance to training
is a common problem
• Many people feel that they
have a natural cultural
awareness so do not
require specialist training
https://www.commisceo-global.c
om/blog/living-multicultural-envir
onment-cross-cultural-skills
Challenges of Cross Cultural training
within organisational settings:
1. Cultural awareness approaches to be over-generalizing,
simplistic and impractical.
2. They may even induce unintended negative consequences.
3. Decades of research point to their failure to realize meaningful
outcomes in health care settings and beyond.
4. Broader expectations of their capacity to reduce health
disparities are almost certainly unachievable.

Shepherd (2019)
https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-progra
ms-fail

https://hbr.org/2019/07/does-diversity-train
ing-work-the-way-its-supposed-to?ab=at_ar
ticlepage_relatedarticles_horizontal_slot1
Robert Bean Consulting (2008) , Cross Cultural Training &
Workplace Performance

Link to Report
The nature of cross-cultural competence
• Hofstede (2001) proposed that
cultural competence is a process
that requires the following:
• Awareness
• Knowledge
• Skills
• He suggests that these can be
taught but also knowledges that
personality factors affect the levels
of competence that can be
achieved.
In contrast……
• LaFromboise et al (1993:6) in
Johnson et al (2006) suggests
that individuals should:
• Possess a strong personal
identity;
• Have a knowledge of and
facility with the beliefs and
values of the culture;
• Display sensitivity to the
culture;
• Communicate clearly in the
language of the cultural
group;
• Perform specially sanctioned
behaviour;
• Maintain active social
relations with the group;
• Negotiate the institutional
structures of that culture.
Some research argues that …
• An individual’s ability to step
outside their own cultural
boundary is key (Byram, 1997
in Johnson et al (2006)
• Motivation to use the new
knowledge available. (Earley,
2002 in Johnson et al 2006)
Personality of the individual is key to
successful cross-cultural training
• The Self-oriented dimension – a person’s ability to act differently in a
new location;
• The others-oriented dimension – an individual and their family’s ability to
form relationship with people in the new culture;
• The perceptual dimension – affects a person’s ability to understand and
respect new behaviour, which influences the extent to which the person is
marginalised from the new culture rather than being assimilated to the new
culture. (In extreme cases ‘falling in love’ with the new culture and rejecting
their original culture) French (2007)
Ethical dimensions
• There are a number of ethical dimensions faced by
cross-cultural managers operating in different cultures.
• These include:
• Managing the diverse workforce and gender issues;
• Corruption
and bribery
Training to deal with ethical dilemmas
• Avoiding – turning a ‘blind • Negotiating agreeing
eye’ compromise on both sides
• Forcing – making the other • Accommodating – conceding
party do things your way in part to the ethical position
• Educating – using rational • Collaborating – both parties
argument or appeal at an working mutually together
emotional level • (Kohls et al, 1999 in French,
2007)
Variable for success: Trust
• Good cross-cultural training programmes should
consider how trust is built in each culture.
• Considerations should be given about the best
way to provide criticism and praise.
• These two things have a big impact on the
workforce and can lead to the most
misunderstandings.
Effectiveness of Cross-cultural training
• Recent research suggests
that the most effective forms
of cross-cultural training is
‘systematic coaching’ (Abbott,
Stening and Atkins, 2006)
• Mentoring is an invaluable
form of support for people
who are required to undertake
overseas work.
References
• French, R. (2007) Cross-cultural Management in Work
Organisations. London: CIPD
• Johnson, J.P., Lenatowicz, T. and Apud, S. (2006) Cross-
cultural competence in international business: toward a
definition and a model, Journal of International Business
Studies, 37, 525-543
• Trompenaars, F. and Hampden-Turner, C. (2012) Riding the
waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business.
London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing