Ways for Managers to Develop Cross—Cultural Competence

Yuan++Ni（倪媛）

（Southeast University，School of Economics and Management.）

Abstract： With the trend of globalization， many companies contribute to the international business. Therefore， improving cross-cultural competence of the managers has been an urgent affair for multinational companies. Under the background， this essay clarifies three ways for managers to develop their cross-cultural competence and then give some concrete suggestions.

Key words： cross-cultural competence（CC） managers methods

1.Introduction

As the paces of globalization speed up， increasing number of the companies contribute to the international business. However， it is a great challenge to manage effectively in the complex cross-cultural environment， which may in turn sharpen their competence and even lead to business failure. Cross-cultural competence is “the ability of individuals to function effectively in another culture”（Gertsen， 1990）， the low level of CC may be one of the main causes of business failure. Thus， it is necessary for managers to improve their CC. This essay suggests three ways for managers to develop cross-cultural competence including obtaining relevant cultural knowledge， mastering several business skills such as communication skills， interpersonal skills and managerial skills and promoting managers personal qualities like emotional stability， openness and responsibility.

2. Ways to develop cross-cultural competence

First of all， having basic knowledge about host countries is the foundation to develop CC. Cultural knowledge is an important ability which can decrease misunderstanding and improve cross-cultural competence（Wiseman et al， 1989）. Because cultural knowledge can help managers understand the values and beliefs of the foreigners and then make right responses. So they will be more likely to adjust the cross-cultural communication context which is beneficial for cross-cultural businesses. Johnson also supported this opinion， he said that in the international field， cultural knowledge is the basis of obtaining other relevant knowledge and skills which can facilitate CC（2006）. The diversity of cultural knowledge can broaden the managers horizons and help managers ‘step out the mindset of their own countries， so they will be more likely to put themselves in the host natives shoes to understand the natives needs and behaviors. If managers do not the know the culture and customs of their foreign cooperators， it is possible that the plan cannot well meet the foreign clients real requirements which may cause business failure. Thus， acquiring cultural knowledge is the basic way to develop cross-cultural competence.

There are lots of ways for managers to obtain cultural knowledge. Most of them can be acquired from books， lectures or some specific cultural training courses. However， some are personal and informal which is hard to be conveyed or taught by class or training programs. Participating in cross-cultural projects and taking charge of overseas positions maybe effective ways. For example， the Renault company in French cooperated with the Japanese company， Renault makes their employees work together with the monozukuri teams in Japan， learn the production processes of Nissan and then apply them in the Renault way to the local company. The Renault company benefits a lot from the different culture because they obtain something which they could not done by themselves.Above all， all those ways can be used by managers to acquire the cultural knowledge.Although acquiring the cultural knowledge has positive influence on developing managers cross-cultural competence， it is not the only way. Mastering necessary business skills is also an effective way， which includes communication skills， interpersonal skills and managerial skills.

Communication skills have a positive influence on expatriate managers CC（Wang et al， 2014）. Communication is an effective way to know others cultural values， which can help managers accept the new ideas and behaviors， react appropriately and avoid unnecessary cultural conflicts. So an effective communication is beneficial for managers to know the foreign partners needs and requirements， make appropriate plans and strengthen mutual cooperation in the international business. Besides， interpersonal skills can enhance managers abilities to better motivate， communicate， set and maintain relationships with trade partners of different backgrounds（Khan & Ahmad， 2012）. If the managers can quickly find the common language and show their interest in the topic， the cooperators will be more willing to engage in the communication. A humble and win-win attitude can also decrease the partners discomfort and increase their trust which will benefit the following cooperation. These skills can be practiced and improved by team work， cooperating projects and even daily social activities. Thirdly， traditional managerial skills including planing， organizing， leading and controlling attach great importance to CC. For example， if the managers can make a detailed and comprehensive plan， have an efficient work team or render excellent services， the clients are more inclined to cooperate with them. These skills are often taught in business schools and cultural training programs. Generally speaking， communication skills， interpersonal skills and managerial skills can decrease cultural conflict， facilitate mutual understandings and strengthen business cooperation， so managers should apply these skills to the international business environment so that effectively develop managers CC.

In addition to obtaining essential cultural knowledge and mastering several business skills， promoting managers personal qualities is another way.

Firstly， managers should keep their emotions stable when dealing with cross-cultural affairs. Because it is found that emotional stability can remain the managers desire to accomplish the assignment and help them handle stress in foreign environment which benefits adaptation（van Oudenhoven etal. 2003）. For example， managers may face lots of challenges when doing international business including the inadequate training organized by their companies， the uncertainties brought by cultural difference and the financial stress of supporting their families in foreign countries. These challenges will increase the managers physical discomfort which will in turn sharpen their confidence to achieve their goals and the ability to adapt the new environment. Secondly， openness is an important quality for managers. The open-minded managers are willing to learn new things so that they can listen to and accept suggestions from host-country nationals， which can facilitate the accumulation of their business experience（Huang etal. 2005）. In addition， the open-minded managers are more flexible because they have an open attitude to different values and opinions， so they can understand the natives environment and behaviors subconsciously and make suitable responses which will win the natives trust and respect. Finally， responsibility is a desirable quality which can improve managers performance and cross-cultural competence （Wang etal. 2013）. Managers should not only observe the rules of their own company such as use their rights reasonably， but also work hard to meet the cooperating partners requirements based on complying with the local regulations. It is a practical way to convince the foreign partners and motivate them to maintain long-term cooperation relationships with local companies.

3. Conclusion

This essay proposes three ways to improve managers cross-cultural competence ： acquiring necessary knowledge about culture， mastering business skills and improving individuals personal qualities. Cultural knowledge can be acquired by reading， listening to lectures， taking cultural training courses，traveling and using the experience of other managers. Business skills refer to communication skills， interpersonal skills and managerial skills which can be improved by practicing and specific training. Managers qualification mainly include emotional stability， openness and responsibility. These three ways have positive influence on cross-cultural competence， so it is desirable for managers to develop their CC in these ways.

References：

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