Research in Russia reveals lack of transferable cross-cultural management (CCM) skills in young graduates

Abstract

Purpose Researchers in Russia wanted to find out if education-job mismatches affect recruitment in the international employment market. Design/methodology/approach There was a three-stage process. Stage One involved organizing interviewer-led focus groups with 18 Russian recruiters. In Stage Two the authors carried out face-to-face interviews with 17 CCM research-informed teachers and 11 recruiters. Finally, the third part of the study was an interactive seminar with 297 graduate job seekers in Russia. Findings The main issue was the overwhelming lack of transferable cross-cultural management (CCM) skills, especially among young graduates. The authors interviewed university teachers who felt that graduate job seekers lacked a wide range of basic skills and knowledge. Meanwhile, they interviewed recruiters who were concerned about the inability of graduates to apply their knowledge in a global business context. The recruiters were also critical of the teachers for not supplying graduates with the right soft skill set. Originality/value Research in the field has been rare, especially in Russia. The results point the way forward for academic researchers, but also practicing teachers