Getting the very best results through their employees is the value of a great manager. In a changing world, their are huge opportunities where intercultural challenges can be both overcome and leveraged.
It's a valuable manager indeed who is able to work across the cultural divide. Having an ability to get the best performamce from employees, often spread across the globe, is a quality a new breed of intercultural managers have in abundance.
Nowadays, being 'international' is not an exotic adventure in business, it's the way that businesses have to operate, through sourcing, manufacturing and, of course, selling.
Every well known worldwide business has a global reach today, both to create new markets, as well as sourcing opportunities.
Those most in demand as 'intercultural managers' are those who can leverage the potential and opportunity in a very different world than most of us experience.
Intercultural Management - The Basic Issues
The bottom line is that there is now, in a tough marketplace, a need for exceptional managers who can work worldwide to get the best from cultural differences.
The term "intercultural management skills" is loosely defined as the ability of a manager to deal and communicate with people from different cultures.
Just imagine the incredible importance of communication across the void of different cultures and the value it can unlock.
It's vital to recognize just how shared understanding is the most important piece of the puzzle in businesses that work across international boundaries.
Where a manager is able to inform, communicate (and this means 'two-way' of course!) and value the local population, business will grow and flourish.
The manager must also build and oversee an efficient team of often worldwide employees to ensure that and strategies and global plans get delivered at the sharp end.
One way that a manager who works in diverse lands can make rapid progress is by living and working in the environment they are attempting to leverage. Carefully choosing appropriate personnel ready for such challenges is paramount.
Negotiation and client conflicts should be managed.
Potential areas of success and failure arising from culture differences must be analyzed carefully, managed effectively and, where possible leveraged for the value such expertise brings.
Intercultural Management - Worldly Experience Counts
The first challenge that a manager in such a suituation is likely to face will be about even understanding the langauge.
Then it's down to work and life experience, added to previous opportunities to work elsewhere on the planet. These four angles are worthy of consideration:-
1. A focused awareness of the target location(s)
2. An ability to create value from new cultures
3. A flexible approach to different cultures
4. Taking change on board with ease
If a manager has been able to live in a different country - any country apart from their own - they will undoubtedly have a capacity to live as differently as neccesary to get by.
Knowledge about the different relationships and their manifestations across international boundaries is necessity, because such managers can only develop the requisite skills by absorbing the many intercultural differences in the target country.
International Managers Must Be Resourceful
Simply having lived in a number of different countries gives people the capacity to work almost anywhere. Their approach is to be flexible and ensure that they pace themselves and understand that things do not always go to plan.
When you have a flexible approach these problems can be handled with a certain amount of ease.
It's amazing how those who do really well, learn fast how to get the best from their local environment, leveraging local knowledge and radical solutions that come from out-of-the-box ideas that may be completely unexpected elsewhere.
Thus the assessment of the potential of personnel, products and policies leveraging cultural differences is a huge opportunity.
Managed well, by an effective manager, experienced in extracting the benefits of such a role, will lead to added value for the organization, as well as to the advantage of employees in the target country too.
"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains", as the Dutch are known to say.
Patience, perception, persistence and resourcefulness, all coupled with a vison for what might be possible, all are the trademarks of the truly valuable intercultural manager. - 15478
It's a valuable manager indeed who is able to work across the cultural divide. Having an ability to get the best performamce from employees, often spread across the globe, is a quality a new breed of intercultural managers have in abundance.
Nowadays, being 'international' is not an exotic adventure in business, it's the way that businesses have to operate, through sourcing, manufacturing and, of course, selling.
Every well known worldwide business has a global reach today, both to create new markets, as well as sourcing opportunities.
Those most in demand as 'intercultural managers' are those who can leverage the potential and opportunity in a very different world than most of us experience.
Intercultural Management - The Basic Issues
The bottom line is that there is now, in a tough marketplace, a need for exceptional managers who can work worldwide to get the best from cultural differences.
The term "intercultural management skills" is loosely defined as the ability of a manager to deal and communicate with people from different cultures.
Just imagine the incredible importance of communication across the void of different cultures and the value it can unlock.
It's vital to recognize just how shared understanding is the most important piece of the puzzle in businesses that work across international boundaries.
Where a manager is able to inform, communicate (and this means 'two-way' of course!) and value the local population, business will grow and flourish.
The manager must also build and oversee an efficient team of often worldwide employees to ensure that and strategies and global plans get delivered at the sharp end.
One way that a manager who works in diverse lands can make rapid progress is by living and working in the environment they are attempting to leverage. Carefully choosing appropriate personnel ready for such challenges is paramount.
Negotiation and client conflicts should be managed.
Potential areas of success and failure arising from culture differences must be analyzed carefully, managed effectively and, where possible leveraged for the value such expertise brings.
Intercultural Management - Worldly Experience Counts
The first challenge that a manager in such a suituation is likely to face will be about even understanding the langauge.
Then it's down to work and life experience, added to previous opportunities to work elsewhere on the planet. These four angles are worthy of consideration:-
1. A focused awareness of the target location(s)
2. An ability to create value from new cultures
3. A flexible approach to different cultures
4. Taking change on board with ease
If a manager has been able to live in a different country - any country apart from their own - they will undoubtedly have a capacity to live as differently as neccesary to get by.
Knowledge about the different relationships and their manifestations across international boundaries is necessity, because such managers can only develop the requisite skills by absorbing the many intercultural differences in the target country.
International Managers Must Be Resourceful
Simply having lived in a number of different countries gives people the capacity to work almost anywhere. Their approach is to be flexible and ensure that they pace themselves and understand that things do not always go to plan.
When you have a flexible approach these problems can be handled with a certain amount of ease.
It's amazing how those who do really well, learn fast how to get the best from their local environment, leveraging local knowledge and radical solutions that come from out-of-the-box ideas that may be completely unexpected elsewhere.
Thus the assessment of the potential of personnel, products and policies leveraging cultural differences is a huge opportunity.
Managed well, by an effective manager, experienced in extracting the benefits of such a role, will lead to added value for the organization, as well as to the advantage of employees in the target country too.
"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains", as the Dutch are known to say.
Patience, perception, persistence and resourcefulness, all coupled with a vison for what might be possible, all are the trademarks of the truly valuable intercultural manager. - 15478
About the Author:
(c) 2008 Martin Haworth has written Super Successful Manager!, an easy to use, step-by-step weekly development program for managers of ANY capability. You can get a sample lesson for free at http://www.SuperSuccessfulManager.com.
