1. Adjusting to a Distant Space Cultural adjustment and interculturally fluent support W. Baber, Kyoto University SIEM 2010
2. March 2010 SIEM Symposium 2
3. Question 2 Who are these individuals who impact the adjustment of foreign managers?
Cultural informants
Interculturally fluent informants
Mentors
March 2010 SIEM Symposium 3
4. Definitions What Cultural Adjustment means (Berry, 1997)
Integrated-Assimilated-Separated-Marginalized Integrated: able to access home/host cultures
Culture the widely understood and accepted ways of doing things (Hunt, 2007)
Mentors
Cultural informants
Interculturally fluent informants
March 2010 SIEM Symposium 4
5. Cultural Informants Who potentially any individual around the manager
Boss, Co-worker, Spouse, Expat, Local, In-laws, Children
Generally drawn from the networks around the foreign manager
March 2010 SIEM Symposium 5
6. Cultural Informants March 2010 SIEM Symposium 6
7. Cultural Informants - Descriptors Partially or very proficient in target language and culture;
Not necessarily related to work world;
Need not be established in work or society;
Need not be technically proficient;
Advises in situational incidents in business and other areas;
Expatriates may have more than one cultural informant;
Need not be a deep personal relationship;
Provide ad hoc advice;
Accessible, even giving instant feedback;
Socially embedded in the target culture, or even in both cultures;
Advise on social cues; 7
8. Cultural Informants Examples A: significant other, co-worker
C: acquaintance with relevant business and life experience
D: superior with extensive business and cultural experience in both home and target cultures
E: spouse and business partner
F: familiar with Japan and the home country, but low accessibility
G: acquaintance with extensive business and cultural experience in both home and target cultures 8
9. Cultural Informants Not defined by quality!
Not defined by ability to transmit or interpret knowledge! March 2010 SIEM Symposium 9
10. Cultural Informants Examples A: significant other, co-worker
C: acquaintance with relevant business and life experience
D: superior with extensive business and cultural experience in both home and target cultures
E: spouse and business partner
F: familiar with Japan and the home country, but low accessibility
G: acquaintance with extensive business and cultural experience in both home and target cultures 10
11. Highly fluent in home and host languages, work and life culture;
Aware of subtle variations among groups and regions in home and host cultures;
Embedded in social networks of home and host cultures, for example:
Professional associations; Alumni networks; Social organizations;
Readily available and in frequent contact;
Interculturally Fluent Informants March 2010 SIEM Symposium 11
12. Very likely to accurately transmit deep understanding of host culture to the foreign manager Interculturally Fluent Informants March 2010 SIEM Symposium 12
13. Hybrid Manager Notion from Schlunze and Plattner
A manager with one foot in each of two (or more) worlds
Not a manager with abstract knowledge
Real cultural, professional, personal knowledge
Local network, local language, cultural skills
Hybrid managers develop over time if the conditions are right
March 2010 SIEM Symposium 13
14. Elements of Cultural Adjustment 12 elements identified in interviews for managers who are or are becoming hybrids
Other aspects of cultural adjustment:
cultural distance, language proficiency, expatriate type, and personality traits such as emotional stability and cultural empathy (Peltokorpi, 2008)
psychic distance
March 2010 SIEM Symposium 14
15. Next Questions Is there a Hybrid Track?
Where is a person in the process?
How can we compare managers?
How can we know what should be developed in order to generate well rounded hybrids? March 2010 SIEM Symposium 15
16. Hybrid Track Language skills
Networks
foreigner/Japanese, professional/personal
Involvement
Decision making
Day-to-day work participation
Ambition/Strategic Intent
Informants (Business/Life)
Personal relationship(s)
Cultural skills
Capacity for synergy: globalizer, localizer, local/global networker (Schlunze) March 2010 SIEM Symposium 16
17. March 2010 SIEM Symposium 17
18. Mentor Functions and Attributes Guide into management;
Established person in their field, but not necessarily socially embedded;
Technically proficient in their field;
Offers work related network access;
Offers some behavioral guidance;
Advises in situational incidents related to business and management;
May support specific career goals with mentee;
Because of high status, may offer only low or moderate accessibility, but is committed;
Mentee usually has only one mentor;
Trusting relationship;
On-site or home country;
March 2010 SIEM Symposium 18
19. Bibliography March 2010 SIEM Symposium 19
20. Bibliography March 2010 SIEM Symposium 20
