Cross Cultural Competences and Management

http://icampus.uclouvain.be/claroline/course/index.php?cid=LSMS2065

There are no official prerequisites of the course, but please consider the prerequisites mentioned above in the section administrative information.

The following themes are examples of what will be addressed in this course:

• Understanding and analysing cultural differences and the impact of culture on organizations, teams, individuals
• Applying culture theories and frameworks in the business context
• Culture learning and (self-)development of cross-cultural competence and a global mindset
• Communicating effectively across cultures
• Cultural adjustment and training of expatriates
• Diversity, female global managers
• Acting responsibly in the global arena and coping with ethical and cultural dilemmas

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. Gain a deep understanding of the nature of cultures, the theoretical concepts and frameworks used to identify and highlight similarities and differences across cultures and increase awareness of the impact of culture on individuals (especially on yourself!), teams and international organisations and appreciation for diverse cultural backgrounds.
2. Apply these theories and frameworks to understand and diagnose critical cross-cultural interaction situations (critical incidents) and to make effective cultural attributions.  
3. Adopt a critical point of view on the literature, on the one hand, and on managerial attributions and decisions in cross-cultural contexts, on the other.
4. Improve the ability and competence to work in, interact with and lead across different cultures.
5. Increase your awareness of the economic, social, environmental and ethical issues related to globalisation and improve your skills to deal with cultural paradoxes and ethical dilemmas.

The final aim is to develop practitioners who are capable of using academic knowledge on culture to analyse and understand cultural interaction situations and who are capable of developing effective, trustful, responsible and durable relationships across cultures in the business context.

1. Corporate citizenship
1.1.Demonstrate independent reasoning, look critically
1.2.Decide and act by incorporating ethical and humanistic values
1.3. Decide and act responsibly
2. Knowledge and reasoning
2.1. Master  the core knowledge  of each  area  of management.
2.3. Articulate the acquired knowledge  from different areas
2.4. Activate and apply the acquired knowledge
2.5. Contribute  to the  development and  advancement of the  man- agement field.
3. A scientific and systematif approach
3.1. Conduct a clear,  structured, analytical  reasoning
3.2. Collect, select  and  analyze  relevant  information
3.3.Consider  problems using  a  systemic and  holistic  approach
3.4. Perceptively  synthesize  demonstrating a certain  conceptual distance
3.5.Produce, through  analysis  and  diagnosis, implementable solutions
4. Innovation and entrepreneurship
4.4.Reflect  on  and  improve professional practices.
5. Work effectively in an international and multicultural environment
5.1.Understand the  inner  workings  of an  organization
5.2.Position the functioning  of an organization, in its socio-economic dimensions
5.3.Understand and  establish their own role and  scope for action
6. Teamwork and leadership
6.1. Work in a team...
6.2.Exercise  enlightened leadership skills
7.1.Analyse a project within its environment and define the expected outcomes
7.2. Organize, manage and control the process
7.3.Make decisions and  take responsibility  for them  in an uncertain world 
8. Communication and interpersonal skills
8.1. Express a clear and structured message
8.2. Interact  and  discuss effectively
8.3. Persuade and  negotiate
9. Personal and professional development
9.1. Independent self-starter
9.2. Self-awareness and  self-control
9.3. Self-motivation
9.4. Quick study, lifelong learner

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

The evaluation or assessment methods of the course are linked to the knowledge, attitude and behavioral objectives of the course and emphasize group performance.

The assessment of your performance in this course will be composed of the following individual and group-related elements:

1. Participation and performance (4/20)
2. Group project and presentation (10/20)
3. Individual reflection paper (6/20)  

Group assessment is based on the performance in a group project (group presentation and written group paper) and on group participation to the course. It is expected that you attend and contribute to all sessions actively. The assessment of your individual performance is based on an individual self-reflection paper.

Different teaching methods will be used such as lecture input, case analysis, role playing, videos, guided readings, group discussions and guest speakers. Interacting and communicating with people from diverse cultures is one of the key objectives of this course, hence, students are required to prepare the courses and to contribute as actively as they can within the course setting. We expect you to prepare the required readings and cases (see course schedule) before class in order to be able to contribute in a competent way to the discussions and exercises.

1. Working with people for other cultural backgrounds has become part of the daily activities in organizations today for employees at all levels. The global pressure for competitiveness and effectiveness has increased the number of strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, with the objective of having access to resources, capital and new market opportunities. The travelling distance of managers has increased i.e. even short trips can be from one continent to another. People who have never met each other need to work together in multicultural virtual teams.
2. It is no longer sufficient, that managers are able to communicate effectively and work with people from one culture and that they understand and learn how to adapt to this particular culture. Instead, managers must interact simultaneously and effectively with people in multiple cultures or with a poly-cultural background.
3. This course is based on research and insights from diverse disciplines, including cross-cultural psychology, social psychology, cultural anthropology, organizational behaviour, international human resource management, business ethics and corporate social responsibility.