Few phenomena have incited as much passion as the unravelling of what 'effective leadership' means in constantly changing environments. It is suggested here that for leading successfully in the digital VUCA a fundamental transformation of individual minds is necessary, due to the novel bio-cultural paradoxes posed by it. Such 'VUCA resilient' minds are claimed to emerge from a specific perceptual architecture built on new, functional connections set up via the integration of cultural otherness into highly interlinked perception, cognition, affect and action systems. The relevant neurobiological underpinnings of this architecture biasing vision are outlined and an innovative perceptuo-cognitive experimental pilot (n = 34) is introduced to visualise the resultant changes in vision. Eyetracking (implicit) and questionnaire (explicit) data are analysed in tandem to improve the quality of data. Based on such promising initial tendencies it is suggested to add visual tools to leadership assessments.
In this conceptual paper, the author explores research on intercultural competence and agility to identify a set of competencies needed to thrive in environments characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity - including flexibility, efficacy, resilience and specific mindsets (growth and global mindsets) - and proposes the concept of global agility to describe this set. Individuals manifest global agility when certain contextual variables are present (e.g., global group members and organisational inclusiveness). Fostering global agility should contribute to creativity and innovation in organisations. Implications for human resource development and organisational development are discussed.
The purpose of this paper is to establish the impact of cultural values and leadership style on the innovative strength of nations in Europe. On the basis of a quantitative web survey research possible relations between cultural values, leadership style characteristics and the innovative strength have been examined. Based on the results of this research we may conclude that there is a correlation between several cultural characteristics and leadership style characteristics of countries in question and their innovative strength. The results of this study provide us with the insight that the innovative strength of a nation or organisation can be altered by changing (parts of) its culture and management style. By critically evaluating the qualitative cultural frameworks of several well-known scholars (part 1) and relating then to quantitative statistical data about the innovative strength of nations (part 2), this study has combined the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
This paper seeks to add to the understanding of how to conceptualise and promote intercultural competencies in a VUCA world by reviewing core elements of cultural intelligence and parameters of VUCA. We argue that recommendations for how leaders can positively face VUCA in their organisations and core elements of cultural intelligence conceptually correspond to such an extent that promoting students' cultural intelligence may also equip them with the necessary skills to deal with VUCA. Specifically, teaching cultural intelligence should focus on the role of self-reflection, mindfulness, and self-efficacy. Based on these theoretical propositions, we designed, conducted, and evaluated a university course aimed at promoting students' cultural intelligence and self-efficacy. Quantitative and qualitative data provide evidence for its effectiveness. Overall, the data offer insights into how to teach transferable skills at universities to prepare students to become global leaders, able to confidently engage with cultural diversity in a globalised, VUCA world.
Today's world is characterised by change at a rapid pace. A concept that describes this demanding environment is the acronym VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. These four dynamics affect not only organisations but also leaders. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of leadership under VUCA conditions remains vague. To fill this research gap, we conduct a systematic literature review to classify the existing leadership literature under VUCA conditions. Our research contributes to the field by synthesising the vast amount of literature, aiming for a more structured overview of research outcomes over the past 20 years (2000-2020). Since leadership is more and more a global activity in organisations, we furthermore analyse these findings from an intercultural perspective, linking the field of cross-cultural management, especially that of intercultural competence, to the leadership environment in the VUCA world.
Intercultural competence is increasingly important to cope with the challenges of the globalised and dynamic world. Therefore, there is considerable interest of researchers and companies in gaining insights into the development of intercultural competence and its relationship with personality traits. This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between stays abroad, intercultural competence and individual personality traits of 202 academic subjects. It was also examined how intercultural competence is related to the length of stay, the attitude to work and patterns, and the level of integration. The results show a positive relationship between duration and cognitive, motivational and behavioural intercultural competence. Moreover, the results reveal that the relationship between a person's behavioural patterns and intercultural competence is mediated by the type of stay abroad and social competence. The study contributes to the development of intercultural management, reflecting on the state of literature and showing relevant predictors for the development of intercultural competence.
As organisations become more involved in international business and management, there has been an increased attention to the issue of cross-cultural assessment and the utility of an assessment measure across cultures. Although advantages to using universal measures may exist, at issue is the cross-cultural construct equivalence of the constructs measured by such assessments. Cultural factors may impact the nature of constructs across cultures. This study examines the cross-cultural construct equivalence of perceptual fit constructs across two countries: the USA and the Netherlands. Results indicate differences in the structure of the perceptual fit constructs across these countries, suggesting that the use of a universal fit measure may not yield valid measurement of the fit constructs in each of these countries.
To cope effectively in diverse cultural contexts has become a necessity in the business world faced with contemporary challenges such as globalisation, internationalisation and multiculturalism. With the business environment being increasingly diverse, managers in multinational companies work across continents and time zones on global projects, connecting with colleagues spread out across the world. But what is it that enables individuals to interact effectively with representatives of other cultures? What skills are necessary for such interaction and how they can be trained in the academic setting? In an attempt to answer these questions this paper proposes the application of an action oriented method, focused on solving problems in a small group of multicultural learners, while developing their intercultural competences.
Scholars have started considering cultural values as factors affecting entrepreneurship, so that cross-cultural entrepreneurship has gradually emerged as a specific branch, aimed at developing knowledge about the cultural norms and values which impact on the inclination towards entrepreneurship in different countries (Engelen et al., 2009). According to Hofstede (1980), previous studies reached different and sometimes contrasting results. This paper aims at contributing to the debate on the topic by investigating if cultural values impact on the individual perceptions and entrepreneurship intentions across-countries. To fairly study cultural values across the European countries, the Hofstede's framework and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) have been applied.
India emerged as an investment destination and subsequently many German companies have expressed substantial interest in Indian operations as a cornerstone of international business. However, there is an increasing realisation that there are managerial practices and cultural specificities in India and managers need to comprehend them in corporate interactions. This paper aims to analyse the cultural dimensions in the Indo-German industrial setting. A rigorous literature analysis and case study research methodology was utilised to identify the cultural dimensions in India from the perspective of German operations managers. Key informant method enabled gather specific qualitative information. The results provide intercultural cues and implications for managers in business encounters.
The article aims at analysing the international entrepreneurial orientation of firms operating in the shipping industry. The analysis is expanded by the focus on the forms of integration to create and maintain a competitive advantage over time in a context that is no longer characterised only by national borders, and that is represented by a different culture. The paper presents a specific case-study, which shows how international entrepreneurship (IE) can direct and modify the actions of companies that need to face new context and cultures in order to hold an increasingly important competitive position in the international market and to obtain strategic advantages.
While contemporary theories and models of intercultural competence (ICC) development such as the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity and the intercultural development continuum offer much insight for individuals and organisations that value effective, appropriate and satisfactory intercultural interactions, practitioners need a way to visualise these models that better aligns with the lived experiences of expatriates and other 'culture-crossers'. Representing the orientations of the intercultural development continuum on the arc of a pendulum rather than on a linear continuum not only more fully illustrates the fluid and complex nature of developing and maintaining intercultural competence but also highlights how competency has both globally applicable and locally dependent characteristics. In this article, a narrative of expat life is presented alongside a pedagogical tool that depicts stage-based intercultural competence development as a pendulum. Implications of using this metaphor to explicate stage-based development, including greater accessibility and reduced affective barriers, are discussed.
Because of their mobility and capability to adapt, self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) are very attractive for transnational companies, which increasingly view international business skills development and foreign work experience as part of career progression. SIEs are highly skilled professionals who decide to expatriate independently of any employer and mostly without organisational assistance. However, SIEs' lack of organisational embeddedness poses some challenges for companies, which need to understand how they can keep valuable resources inside the organisation. More needs to be known about the factors influencing SIEs, and about the motivations, which could help companies in attracting them in the long-term. This paper aims at exploring the impact of previous international experience of SIEs, and understanding more about the individual cultural values affecting their decisions.
The purpose of this paper is to address the impact of cultural values and leadership style on the innovative strength of nations. In this paper the theoretical frameworks of the well-known scholars Hofstede, Schwartz and Cameron and Quinn are critically evaluated and compared with each other. Based on literature review we may conclude that there is a correlation between cultural values and leadership styles of countries in question and their innovative strength. This research has assessed the relation between national cultures in general on the innovative strength of nations. In 'Cultural values and leadership styles as determinants of innovative strengths of nations. Part 2' this has been assessed by quantitative research and analysis. By critically evaluating the qualitative cultural frameworks of several well-known scholars and relating then to quantitative statistical data about the innovative strength of nations, this study has combined the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
This paper looks at a particular feature of international business (IB) research on culture that seems to be, on reflection, a curious omission from existing reviews and analyses - its potential for interestingness. To tackle this issue, we ponder two interconnected issues that sociologists and management scholars have wrestled with for quite some time: namely, what exactly is interesting research and why does it matter? We promote the value of the notion of contextualisation, highlight the need for more research into language and advance the case for research into intracultural variation. Conducting research on these three topics involves a break with national value systems, on the one hand, and the embrace of non-cultural variables, on the other. The current shifts and changes in the world open up new vistas of truly interesting research, at which IB scholars can and indeed should be at the forefront.
Using a unique case history of a highly qualified migrant family pushed from its country of origin due to war, I elucidate the emotional, cultural, societal and situation-specific challenges that its members faced in their new country of destination.I then link their stories to the current literature in the field of migration studies and formulate several avenues for future research.By allowing narrative theory to guide the field, I make a contribution to the current discourse and formulate questions that truly matter.
Cultural intelligence is part of a process that is traditionally directed towards adaptive learning. However, it has another important component frequently forgotten, that of creative learning. Here, we adopt the context of international joint alliance development where partners in a joint alliance are seen as parents, and their joint venture offspring is a child company. We then adopt agency theory to explain that cultural intelligence is not an adequate term, rather adopting the replacement term that is cultural figurative intelligence. The concept of figurative intelligence arose with Piaget and represents a network of processes that facilitate the creation of new knowledge that, when coupled Vygotsky's ideas, can explain how child corporations emerge and develop, and to the function of adaptation and innovation. A brief case study is provided that supports the theory.
