In his groundbreaking book “Awe” which I have just finished reading, renowned psychologist Dacher Keltner explores the transformative emotion that makes us feel part of something larger than ourselves. While awe is an emotion that is beneficial in all life domains, I have found that his insights have particular resonance for those of us navigating […]
Cultural Differences: Are We Oversimplifying?
Globalism, crossing borders and interacting with people from other countries go hand in hand with cultural intelligence, that is, being aware of cultural differences, and being willing and able to adapt to them. With that notion in mind, I would dare to say that the majority of international companies take at least some initiatives towards […]
How Should We Learn about Cultural Differences?
Integral to the global business landscape is intercultural contact and communication. As such, one of the basic requirements for people to successfully deal with this diverse landscape is cultural sensitivity, or cultural intelligence (CQ). Be it international student-trainees, temporary expatriates, permanent migrants, or local workers of a multinational company, we would want these people to […]
Working in a Cross-cultural Environment: Where to Look for Cultural Gaps?
Multicultural, multinational, and multilingual teams are part and parcel of global organizations of today. This highlights the importance of cultural competencies, cross-cultural cooperation, and leadership of multinational teams. Indeed, the main question for many is how to do business and effectively manage in such a culturally diverse environment? Cultural competence: too broad to grasp? Well […]
Gender Diversity on a Global Scale: Different Perspectives
Gender diversity in organizations and female underrepresentation in management teams has been a widely discussed topic in global business. While I have already reviewed it in several of my previous blog posts, there are more recent publications that are very relevant and worth discussing. So, why are women still underrepresented in leadership positions? Is it […]
Why cultural differences matter and how they can be managed: Managing People across Cultures at IESE Business School
Dealing with cultural differences is an inevitable part of every cross-cultural encounter and one that simply cannot be overlooked. Scientific research implies that there are very real differences in how people from different cultures process information. However, the brain processing patterns are not permanent, as cross-cultural experiences can change them. So what does this mean for managing people across cultures?