Cross-cultural Management

Name of the Faculty: Ritu Tripathi, Ph.D

Designation:
Assistant Professor (OB/HRM)
Teaching Area:
(such as Finance & Accounting; Marketing; Production &
Operations Management; Strategy) OB
This course may be offered to:
(PGP, FPM, PGPEM, PGPPM, EPGP)
http://www.iimb.ernet.in/programmes PGP
Credits (No. of hours):
(3 credits=30 classroom hours; 1.5 credits-15 classroom
hours; session=90 minutes) 3
Term / Quarter:
(Starting April /June /September/December) Starting June,2019
Course Type:
(Core or Elective)

Offered as:
(Regular Course: staggered across the term or
Workshop1 Course: 3-5 continuous days) 3-credit Regular Course
Are there any financial implications to
this course?

Additional information required

1
Workshop course: Please provide reasons as to why the course is being offered in workshop mode and why it cannot be offered
as a regular course (that is spread over 10 weeks). As an institution, IIMB prefers courses offered in the regular mode, since it
results in better learning experience for the students and avoids overlapping of courses.
Course Summary
Course Overview:

Think global, act local, clichéd as it may sound, is, nevertheless, the dictum that most global
business managers vouch for. This course is designed to offer you a scientifically grounded
knowledge of cultural differences across nations. The focus of the course is to view culture as the
organizing principle of work-life, and to help you appreciate how cultural identity affects diverse
aspects of business such as communication, negotiation, leadership and team effectiveness in real
and virtual platforms.

Rationale:
In order to overcome the occasional discomfort of differences in cross-cultural encounters, the
natural tendency is to rely on mental shortcuts, or stereotypes. Stereotypes, however, are fraught
with uncertainties and biased judgments. In contrast, recent decades have seen many significant
advances in scientific research in cross-cultural differences. Cross-cultural researchers develop
theories that are grounded in established scientific knowledge and that can be tested empirically,
in other words, that can be tested through scientific observation and experimentation. This
scientifically grounded knowledge is an asset for Global Managers when cross-cultural
encounters—in real and virtual platforms—potentially make or break the deal. The setbacks
suffered by Disney in France, and Chrysler and Walmart in Germany are classic examples of cross-
cultural clashes.

Learning Objectives / Outcomes

This course is designed to help you:
• gain a comprehensive understanding of how and why cultural groups differ.
• develop sensitivity to cultural variations in thinking, feeling, and behaving.
• learn management and interpersonal skills to reckon, predict, and leverage cultural
differences.
• develop an appreciation for the global mindset vis-à-vis Indian cultural identity.
• know more about diverse national cultures and countries from class projects and
presentations.

Pedagogy
The course would be conducted via a diverse mix of pedagogical tools, such as case studies, videos,
and team exercises and role plays.
Required Text:
Madhavan, S. (2011). Cross-cultural management: Concepts and cases. New Delhi: Oxford.

The supplementary readings, including book chapters, case studies, and journal articles will be
provided in the course pack.
Prerequisites:

All students enrolled in the course will participate remotely in a Global Virtual Team (GVT)
experiential learning exercise being coordinated with the Yale School of Management with its
partner schools in the Global Network for Advanced Management. In order to keep the class profile
consistent with the students of the participating schools, only those who have work experience
of 5 years or more can enroll in the course.

Course Evaluation & Grading Pattern

Performance Assessment:

• Movie Analysis: 15% (Pre-mid term)

• Mid-term exam: 30%
• Class Preparedness: 10%
• Long Quiz: 15% (Post-mid term)
• Team Presentations and Project: 30%

Mid-term Exam: Open book, comprising multiple-choice and/or short answer/essay-type

questions.

Post Mid-term Long Quiz: Open book, comprising multiple-choice and/or short
answer/essay-type questions on a select set of topics. Held outside of the class sessions on
a day discussed with the PGP office.

Class Preparedness: Many classes in the course rely on members’ prior preparedness for
the class. A quick 2-3 marks assessment would be given at the beginning of the class. It
will be closed-book. You don’t have to memorize the case—the assessment would tap
something very obvious and straightforward—that anyone who has done a thorough
reading of the case just can’t miss. Those who plan on being absent would have to e-mail
a detailed summary of the case prior to the beginning of the class.

Movie Analysis: Movies from different parts of the world provide unique glimpses of the
cultural landscape. A few such movies are selected for the course (available either on You
Tube or through DVDs from the instructor). You will be assigned to one or more movies
in the course. You will have to write a reflective analysis of the movie based on cultural
perspective. The details of the reflective analysis will be provided at the beginning of the
course.

Team Presentations and Project: Students will be randomly assigned to 4-6 member teams
(the composition depends on the class strength). There will be regular in-class team
presentations—focused either on a business case or a specific country’s culture. The final
project, due at the end of the term, will mainly involve analysis of a business case, and will
require a written report and an oral presentation. Details will be given in class at the
beginning of the term.
Session wise Plan
(the chapters refer to the text book)
Session Topic Readings/Cases
1,2 Culture: • Chapter 1
Tangible and Text book Case: Jayanth gets the Blues
Intangible • Molinsky, A., Davenport T.H., Iyer, B., & Davidson, C.
Three Skills Every 21st-Century Manager Needs,
HBR
3,4 Dimensions of • Chapter 2
Cultural • Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G.J., & Minkov, M. (2010).
Differences Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind,
chapter 1, 2,3
5, 6 Culture and • Nisbett, R (2005). The Geography of Thought, chapter
Thinking Styles 4

7,8 Cross-cultural • Chapter 3

Communication • Hall, E.T. (May, 1960). The Silent Language in
Overseas Business, HBR
• Chen & Thomas (July, 2003) Cultural Foundations in
Communication: Relationship-Building in the
Chinese Context, HBR
• Case: Gladwell, M (2008). Outliers, chapter 7: The
Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes

9 Multicultural • Brett, J, Behfar, K., Kern, M.C. (Nov, 2006) Managing

Work Teams Multicultural Teams, HBR.
• Text book case: ERP Implementation at Maya
Steering Wheels Ltd.
10 Negotiating • Chapter 5
Globally • Textbook Case: Negotiating an Outsourcing Deal in
China—Canadian Outdoor Recreational Equipment
11,12 Culture & • Chapter 4
Marketing • Holt, D.B., Quelch, J.A. & Taylor, E.L. (Sep, 2004)
How Global Brands Compete, HBR
• Matusitz, J. (2011) Disney’s successful adaptation in
Hong Kong: A glocalization perspective. Asia Pacific
Journal of Management, 667-681.

13 Global • Javidan et al. (2006) In the eye of the beholder: Cross

Leadership Cultural lessons in leadership from Project GLOBE,
Academy of Management Perspectives, 67-90.
• Case (coursepack): Leading Across Cultures at
Michelin (A,B,C)
14,15 Global • Chapter 9
Assignments: • Garcia, C., Reiche, S., Harzing, A.W. Management of
Expatriates and International Staff, HBR
Sojourners • Case (coursepack): The Expat Dilemma
• Case (coursepack): Intel in China
16 Cultural • Chapter 7
Dimension of • Text book case: Global Expansion of Linkideas Inc.—
HRM The Challenges of Global HRM
17 Cultural • Earley, C., & Mosakowski, E. (Oct, 2004). Cultural
Competence and Intelligence. HBR.
Adaptation • Ghemawat, P. (June, 2012). Developing Global
Leaders, Mckinsey Quarterly
• Tripathi, R. (2014). The art and science of learning
about cultures: Descriptions, explanations,
and reflections. In conversation with Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar. IIMB Management Review. in press
18-20 Project • Serendipity India Case: Integrating the Learnings across
Presentations Countries