Managing Across Cultures

Introduction

In an increasingly globalized world, where organizations are seeking to attract international talents and where individuals are increasingly mobile, cultural awareness and cross-cultural management knowledge and skills are essential. Organizations also need to adjust their human resources management practices to better deal with cultural diversity.

In this course using organizational and psychological research, we explore the concepts of culture, mobility, and cross-cultural leadership and human resource management.  We examine how culture and cultural differences influence human behaviour in the workplace. We discuss the different types of international mobility and their respective challenges and opportunities. We examine how culture and leadership are intertwined, and discuss how cultural diversity affect human resource management, especially within multinational corporations. Finally, we discuss how cultural diversity and its management can trigger ethical dilemmas.

This course will provide the students with a theoretical, analytical and experienced based foundation for understanding the challenges involved in managing a culturally diverse workforce.

Course content

Topics covered:

1. The construct of culture
2. Central theories and research for understanding cultural differences, including comparative theories/research and indigenous theories/research.
3. Central theories and research for understanding international mobility, including research on expatriation and migration
4. Central theories and research for understanding cross-cultural leadership and human resource management, including research on cultural agility and leadership development, on gender, equality, and leadership across cultures, and on human resource management practices in multinational corporations.
5. Ethical dilemmas associated with the management of cultural diversity in the workplace.