Cultural Differences in Managing Cross-Cultural Interaction between German and Chinese Employees

Cultural Differences in Managing Cross-Cultural Interaction between German and Chinese Employees PDF

Author: Laura Schiffner

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2013-01-21

Total Pages: 25

ISBN-13: 3656355665

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Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2012 im Fachbereich BWL - Unternehmensführung, Management, Organisation, Note: 2,0, Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig, Veranstaltung: Topics in Intercultural Communication, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The Chinese market is one of the most successful developing regions of the world. Today, it offers enormous possibilities for (German) companies to invest in this market i. a. though the delegation employees to China as well as the integration of Chinese employees in Germany. Due to the skill shortages it will become more necessary than ever to recruit high potentials, to transfer and to share knowledge about a certain business unit.Integrity and commitment are the most essential factors for a successful cooperation and teamwork within the company as well as for company`s success. Therefore it will be necessary to have a cooperative atmosphere with a mutual cultural understanding. Every employee “must use cross-cultural skills” (Adler 2002: 136). As Adler mentioned, organizations consist of work groups which form the organization structure. The quality of these teams depends on cultural heterogeneities and its productivity and performance “depends on how well the team works together and uses its resources to accomplish the task” (Adler 2002: 139). This goal can only be reached by understanding foreign cultures and using diversity. Diversity implies differences in “preferences, habits, languages and cultures” (Guirdham 2005: 305). Multinational working groups und cultural diversity can be the key for a much higher effectiveness and success than homogenous teams. To develop an understanding for this purpose, Hofstede`s dimensions will be considered and analyzed, esp. against the background of Doing Business. Although, Hofstede`s concept of culture will be the basis for this work but moreover, the works of Adler, Guirdham, Beamer/Varner and Hall/Hall will play an additional role in this paper. This work will focus on multinational companies only, since the importance of intercultural business and cultural diversity is very high in contrast to domestic, multidomestic or multinational companies (cf. Adler 2002: 134). The following work shows the different cultural concepts in China and Germany and its relevance for a successful business, good collaboration and teamwork. Hofstede`s dimensions will be explained and applied in different contexts, by way of using different examples of employee participation, work-related behavioral patterns and conflict solving in organizations of different cultures. The examples refer to settings in organizations in Germany and China.

A comparison of management styles in China and Germany

A comparison of management styles in China and Germany PDF

Author:

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2020-02-26

Total Pages: 17

ISBN-13: 3346120651

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Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,9, University of Cooperative Education Villingen-Schwenningen, language: English, abstract: In the following paper, important factors necessary to excel in international management with a clear focus on China will be discussed, while drawing a comparison to Germany. Throughout the examination, the way of approaching the Chinese market is described. Afterwards, culture is considered with relevant factors like power distance and the leader-follower relationship. Then, values are described with important topics like the decision making processes, meetings and negotiations and conflicts. Afterwards, key factors to success will be mentioned, including personal relationships and the feedback culture. Before drawing a conclusion, challenges likely to occur will be mentioned. Due to the increasing importance of globalization and the emergence of many competitors, management structures have become dramatically different in China. Behaviors, dynamics and team conformations change rapidly, requiring organizations to react respectively to stay competitive. Managers face the challenge to compromise different cultures within the workplace. Practical management techniques of one country cannot be easily adapted in another. They differ greatly depending on the culture. To what extent the organization benefits from a culturally diverse workforce is controversial. National values and culture are the biggest obstacle when it comes to achieving management excellence. It requires culture proficiency and responsiveness to meaningful differences in the working environment. But also other factors like the organization’s strategy, economic conditions or the labor market of the host country have an influence on how management practices should be applied. Thus, developing the ability to manage in a cross-cultural context is a prerequisite in doing business successfully in today’s world.

Cross-Cultural Differences

Cross-Cultural Differences PDF

Author: Veronica Wellein

Publisher: diplom.de

Published: 2008-10-24

Total Pages: 122

ISBN-13: 3836621177

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Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: We are living in an internationalized world; global trade keeps increasing and more companies from many countries around the world are going national at an astounding rate. This is a reflection of strong economic growth around the world and the globalization of the economy and corporations. Offices are spread from one continent to another and travel is essential to business. This is the reason why business travel is increasing, states Hubert Joly, president and chief executive officer of CWT. In today s business world, you might well find yourself as an international manager in a foreign subsidiary of an American firm, facing on a daily basis all aspects of international management. Or you could end up at the home office in Germany coordinating operations with foreign affiliates. Or you could travel to countries like Japan or China, negotiating export sales or dealing with suppliers, customers, or franchise parties. Many different kinds of positions are available in the global arena, and training in international and cross-cultural management and negotiation styles is becoming a critical ingredient in moving up to high-level positions in global organizations. In 2006, a record 30.1 million U.S. travelers visited overseas markets, an increase of five percent from 2005. One of the top five overseas markets visited by U.S. travelers in 2006 was Germany. China (if combining travel the PRC and Hong Kong) would have tied as second. Contributing to the new record for outbound travel, seven of the top 20 U.S. outbound destination markets posted records in 2006, including Japan and China. Hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Germany owe their existence and sustainment to business travel. In Germany, the effects of a growing European Union and worldwide business travel create a stable demand for modern transport infrastructures and services. The USA is one of the two most important business travel destinations for the German economy, closely followed by China. Two markets will dominate travel interests in the future: the USA and China. No other countries will be as important for business trips as these two different giants. China's economy still enjoys a huge growing potential although its gross domestic product (GDP) has maintained a double-digit growth for four straight years and hit a new high of 10.7 in the first three quarters of 2006. The growth rate of China's labor productivity stood at 9.5 percent last year, [...]

The Culture Map (INTL ED)

The Culture Map (INTL ED) PDF

Author: Erin Meyer

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 2016-01-05

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1610396715

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An international business expert helps you understand and navigate cultural differences in this insightful and practical guide, perfect for both your work and personal life. Americans precede anything negative with three nice comments; French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans get straight to the point; Latin Americans and Asians are steeped in hierarchy; Scandinavians think the best boss is just one of the crowd. It's no surprise that when they try and talk to each other, chaos breaks out. In The Culture Map, INSEAD professor Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain in which people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together. She provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business, and combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice.

Doing business in China. Negotiating cross cultural communication

Doing business in China. Negotiating cross cultural communication PDF

Author: Hakime Isik-Vanelli

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2004-07-05

Total Pages: 41

ISBN-13: 3638288056

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Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: Distinction, Bond University Australia, language: English, abstract: China is the most populous country in the world with a population of 1.25 billion and the third largest country after Russia and Canada is China. For many this is an opportunity. China is rich in culture and this guide is created to look specifically at cultural dimensions and assist companies with the cross-cultural aspects of doing business in China. As the culture varies from region to region this guide uses a holistic approach. It addresses how the Chinese culture is different from other cultures and demonstrates different situations to consider before doing business in China. This guide is an adventure divided into six major sections including cultural dimensions, communication cross culturally, negotiation cross culturally, team work in China, selection of expatriates, and business ethics for China. Recommendations are made within each section. The appendix enclosed is also very useful for further explanation of examples given within this guide. Although China is the largest market it is also is one of the greatest cultural challenges. Deeply rooted into the Chinese society is a partnership waiting to blossom. This guide is created to prepare companies for the cross-cultural aspect of the partnership. As the Chinese proverb says each journey begins with one single step.

Managing Cultural Differences

Managing Cultural Differences PDF

Author: Robert T. Moran

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 585

ISBN-13: 1856179230

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This new eighth edition provides a leading edge text that provides insight for interacting with other cultures, working on cross-cultural teams and provides a framework for building long-lasting relationships in a diverse global business environment.

Expatriates. Success in cross-cultural adaption

Expatriates. Success in cross-cultural adaption PDF

Author:

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2021-05-04

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 3346399850

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Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,3, Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe - University of Applied Sciences, course: International Aspects of Managment, language: English, abstract: The internationalisation of the economy is evident in many areas. The exchange of goods services and technologies, as well as the foreign direct investments (FDIs) of multinational companies (MNCs), increased rapidly over the past decades. The increased FDI volume led to an increasing number of expatriates that are sent from MNCs to observe and support the successful implementation of the investment. Expatriates are getting in contact with a new and unknown culture, which might cause problems in cross-cultural interaction. Many different studies show that a significant share of foreign assignments fails. In the studies, the share varies between 16-40 % of expatriates that fail to execute their business tasks and/or are not able to adapt to the new culture and environment. This can cause tremendous costs and loss of image for the MNC. The objective of this scientific paper is to define success and failure in cross-cultural adaption as an expatriate. It should become clear which characteristics and skills are particularly important in the selection process. Different measures should be presented that increase the chance of success for effective implementation of the business task, as well as intercultural integration. The scientific paper contains four chapters. At the beginning of chapter two, the key terms culture and expatriate are defined before their relation gets explained. Afterwards, possible problems and conflicts during the cross-cultural adaption in the new living and working environment are stated. In the new culture, many expatriates experience a culture shock. The w-curve model shows the emergence and recovery of a culture shock in the new country and after returning home. Then important skills and criteria for selecting are explained to find the most suitable expatriate. The second chapter ends with pre-departure measures that can enable a faster and better cultural-adaption process for the expatriate. The third chapter contains a case study based on a German expatriate in China. The cultural standards of the two countries are compared to discover cultural differences. Various measures are given to show how the execution of the business task and the cross-cultural adaption can be successful. In the last chapter, the key findings of this paper are summarised. The paper ends with a conclusion and an outlook, where further significant research needs are addressed.

Cross-Cultural Management in Practice

Cross-Cultural Management in Practice PDF

Author: Henriett Primecz

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 085793872X

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ÔPrimecz, Romani, and Sackmann provide managers and educators with a powerful framework that goes beyond simple categorization of national and cultural differences in business. Their framework of negotiated meaning systems, and the rich cases that illustrate the Òin-the-momentÓ experiences of global managers as they conduct business in culturally unfamiliar milieus provide managers and educators with a powerful tool for developing global managerial skills. This is a book every global manager and cross-cultural educator should have on his or her bookshelf.Õ Ð Mark E. Mendenhall, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, US ÔThis is a unique, alternative view of culture that has both practical and theoretical significance. The creative analysis of cases from around the world moves the field beyond the sophisticated stereotyping that can result from relying solely on cultural value dimensions to decode interactions. The cases address significant cross-cultural issues, providing useful lessons and richer perspectives on culture.Õ Ð Joyce Osland, San JosŽ State University, US ÔThis book is an excellent collection of practical and useful cases in cross-cultural management, with some that are very different from what we would call ÒtraditionalÓ cases in cross-cultural management. They are excellent teaching material with an introduction and a conclusion that show students and practitioners how meanings are negotiated in diverse and complex cross-cultural situations.Õ Ð Marie-Therese Claes, Louvain School of Management, Belgium ÔA fascinating book for both the diversity of cultures that are touched upon (from Asia and Africa to Europe and America) and the cultural analyses that are made of various management situations resulting from the transfer of management techniques across countries or the encountering of those embedded in different cultures.Õ Ð Philippe dÕIribarne, CNRS, France ÔA group of multidisciplinary authors from various countries and cultures bring rich experience to this volume. The focus on real-life situations offers a fresh perspective on culture in organizations and management through in-depth case studies including both academic and pedagogical sides. It addresses multi-level cross-cultural issues of international strategic importance for globalizing workplaces. This insightful book is excellent reading for practitioners as well as scholars and students interested in applications in the field of cross-cultural management.Õ Ð Cordula Barzantny, Toulouse Business School, France ÔThis volume offers an insightful introduction to qualitative field research aiming to understand the dynamics in intercultural business interactions. Based on the findings provided in ten rich cases from Asia, Europe, North Africa, USA and Latin America, the editors also propose strategies for more effective collaboration in challenging multiple-cultures contexts. The authors and editors have succeeded in transforming the field studies into cases that are stimulating and thought provoking readings, both for practitioners and students of cross-cultural management.Õ Ð Anne-Marie S¿derberg, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark Based on the view that culture is dynamic and negotiated between actors, this groundbreaking book contains a collection of ten cases on cross-cultural management in practice. The cases draw on field research revealing challenges and insights from working across nations and cultures. Each case provides recommendations for practitioners that are developed into a framework for effective intercultural interactions as well as offering illustrations and insights on how to handle actual cross-cultural issues. This enriching book covers various topics including international collaborations across and within multinational companies, organizational culture in international joint ventures and knowledge transfer. Based on empirical fieldwork and qualitative analyses, this path-breaking book will appeal to graduate and postgraduate students in international management as well as practitioners.

Managing Cultural Differences

Managing Cultural Differences PDF

Author: Robert T. Moran

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-06-07

Total Pages: 613

ISBN-13: 1136385339

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This new edition of a business textbook bestseller has been completely updated to reflect the numerous global changes that have occurred since 1999: globalization, SARS, AIDS, the handover of Hong Kong, and so forth. In particular, the book presents a fuller discussion of global business today. Also, issues of terrorism and state security as they affect culture and business are discussed substantially. The structure and content of the book remains the same, with thorough updating of the plentiful region and country descriptions, demographic data, graphs and maps. This book differs from textbooks on International Management because it zeroes in on culture as the crucial dimension and educates students about the cultures around the world so they will be better prepared to work successfully for a multinational corporation or in a global context.

Cross-Cultural Differences - Japanese and German Management Styles from the German Perspective

Cross-Cultural Differences - Japanese and German Management Styles from the German Perspective PDF

Author: Markus Richwien

Publisher: diplom.de

Published: 2002-08-07

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 3832457186

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Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: As the idea of Japan as a leader in management styles and the mythos 'collectivism' as a key to high quality performance and productivity is still in mind of German managers, this work tries to compare actual leadership styles of Japanese and German managers on the level of cultural dimensions. In the study the sample consisted of 119 persons in middle management positions (82 male and 37 female), 60 persons with work experience in Japan and 59 without experience. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding 52 leadership characteristics (e.g. the ability to assert oneself, to cooperate or to delegate) within five cultural dimensions. Participants then rated the importance of this characteristic for the specific category. Findings of the study showed significant differences in experienced and estimated management styles between the countries as well as significances regarding management traits of the german culture after working in Japan. Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents: CHAPTER ONE9 1.1INTRODUCTION9 1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM11 1.3RESEARCH QUESTION14 CHAPTER TWO15 2.1INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT15 2.1.1Culture15 2.1.2Cross-cultural Communication22 2.2.2Cross-cultural Management25 2.2.3Significance for Organization29 2.3SUCCESS FACTORS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS31 2.4CULTURALLY COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT RESEARCH35 2.4.1Management-oriented Cultural Research36 2.4.2Cultural Dimensions according to Hofstede40 2.4.2.1Dimension of power distance41 2.4.2.2Dimension of collectivism versus individualism43 2.4.2.3Dimension of masculinity versus femininity44 2.4.2.4Dimension of uncertainty avoidance46 2.4.3The Dimension of the Confucian Dynamic47 2.4.4Further Dimensions of Culture51 2.4.4.1Basic dimensions of culture according to Adler52 2.4.4.2Dimensions of culture according to Trompenaars54 2.5THE SOCIO-CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF JAPANESE MANAGERS57 2.5.1Japanese Confucianism58 2.5.2Corporate collectivism: The uchi mentality60 2.5.3Consensus and participation in management63 2.6THE PRESENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GERMANY AND JAPAN63 2.6.1General and political relationships63 2.6.2The Economic Relationships65 2.6.2.1Relationships to the European Union (EU)65 2.6.2.2Foreign Trade between Germany and Japan66 2.6.2.3Special Features67 2.6.3Cultural Contacts69 2.7LEADERSHIP STYLES70 2.7.1Definition and aspects of leadership70 2.7.2Differencies in the leadership [...]