Developing Intercultural Competencies through Cross-Cultural Management Education

Abstract

As part of the intense globalization of businesses and societies over the past few decades, millions of people find themselves dealing with colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders who grew up in a culture different from their own and who, in more ways than one, speak a “different language.” Moreover, skills shortages and economic conditions in many parts of the world have elicited mass migration of workers across borders, with some countries experiencing a rapid shift from cultural homogeneity to cultural heterogeneity. As a result, educating managers and employees to deal effectively with cross-cultural management (CCM) issues both domestically and abroad has become a top priority for many organizations. This symposium aims to take stock of and advance CCM teaching and education by exploring how research on cross-cultural management, CCM learning, and expatriate training can assist in the development of approaches to increasing cultural awareness and intercultural competencies; examining the efficacy of current CCM courses offered by academic institutions, training providers, and in-company training units; investigating how learning occurs in CCM contexts; exploring how CCM teaching can be enriched by incorporating international field experiences and other experiential elements into the design of courses and programs; and addressing other important questions related to CCM learning and education.