| Building global mindset for competitive advantage: A conceptual integration of global mindset, international human resource management and organizational performance in multinational corporations |
| | Beechler, Schon L. | Columbia U. | slb7@columbia.edu | 212-854-4416 |
| | Taylor, Sully | Portland State U. | sullyt@sba.pdx.edu | (503)-725-3761 |
| | Boyacigiller, Nakiye A. | San Jose State U. | boyacigi@pacbell.net | 408-924-3597 |
| | Levy, Orly | U. of Wisconsin, Madison | olevy43@aol.com | 212-439-0939 |
| | This paper presents a conceptual model of the relationships
between global mindset, global identity, international human resource
management, and organizational performance in multinational
corporations. It first argues that global mindset has been identified as
key to global competitiveness, and reviews the relevant literature on
global mindset, arguing that theoretical constructs from the cognition
literature offer a productive way of categorizing the considerable
writing in this area. Specifically, the paper conceptualizes global
mindset as consisting of two main dimensions, cosmopolitanism and cognitive
complexity. Cosmopolitanism has been defined as an orientation of a person
toward the external environment, and his willingness to engage with the
Other (Hannerz ,1996). The other dimension is more structural than
content oriented, and focuses on the cognitive complexity of managers as
a key component of global mindset, which allows them to make the
intricate tradeoffs necessary to successfully manage in the rapidly
changing global environment. The paper argues that global mindset has been
defined as both an organizational level and an individual level
phenomena, and seeks to differentiate between the two by designating the
individual level phenomena as 'global mindset', reserving the concept of
global identity for the work on organizational level global
mindset.
The paper then presents a model of the interrelationships between
global mindset and international human resource management, global
identity, boundary spanning activities, and organizational performance.
Drawing on literatures in organizational identity, interorganizational
linkages, cognition, and human resource management, the model develops the
theoretical links between these constructs, and presents propositions
|
| | Keywords: Global mindset; Multinational corporations; Intl. human resource mgt. |
| What We Talk about When We Talk about "Global Mindset"? |
| | Levy, Orly | U. of Wisconsin, Madison | olevy43@aol.com | 212-439-0939 |
| | Beechler, Schon L. | Columbia U. | slb7@columbia.edu | 212-854-4416 |
| | Taylor, Sully | Portland State U. | sullyt@sba.pdx.edu | (503)-725-3761 |
| | Boyacigiller, Nakiye A. | San Jose State U. | boyacigi@pacbell.net | 408-924-3597 |
| | The recent developments in the global economy and in multinational corporations have placed significant emphasis on the cognitive orientations of managers, giving rise to a host of cognitive concepts such as "global mindset," that are presumed to be associated with the effective management of MNCs. Despite this burgeoning interest in global mindset and the cognitive orientation of managers, conceptual and empirical research in this area has been limited. In this paper we attempt to help clarify some of the conceptual confusion surrounding the issue of global mindset by identifying common themes across writers and classifying their work.
In this paper we identify two underlying approaches to global mindset found in the literature; the cosmopolitan and the cognitive complexity approaches. The cosmopolitan approach usually emphasizes aspects of cultural diversity and cultural distance associated with managing MNCs whereas the cognitive complexity approach focuses on aspects of environmental complexity and strategic variety stemming from the globalization of operations and markets. While cosmopolitanism and the cognitive complexity approaches vary in their relative emphasis on specific content domain versus structural properties, both emphasize the diversity and complexity associated with present-day MNCs and are predicated on a common premise that exposure to and experience with different and diverse cultural and business environments affect the cognitive capabilities of managers.
After reviewing and discussing the approaches found in the theoretical literature, we review the limited empirical literature in this area. Finally, we make a number of suggestions for future research on managerial cognition in MNCs.
|
| | Keywords: Global Mindset; Managerial Cognition ; Competitiveness |
| Validity of a theory of leadership across cultures: A meta-analysis |
| | Tirmizi, Syed Aqeel | Lahore U of Management Sciences, Pakistan | tirmizi@binghamton.edu | (042)-572-2670 |
| |
We conducted a cross-cultural meta-analysis to determine the validity of leadership dimensions
of initiating structure and consideration across cultures. Utilizing 389 observations based upon 61
empirical studies from 14 countries, test results of our meta-analytical model suggest that culture
influences expression and effectiveness of initiating structure and consideration. Methodologically,
this research is unique and important in several ways. This is the first meta-analysis of leadership
research across cultures. Our conceptual model offers a framework to study and test theories
of leadership both cross-culturally and meta-analytically. In addition to systematically integrating
previous research, we offer recommendations for future cross-cultural leadership research in light
of our findings.
|
| | Keywords: cross-cultural leadership; meta-analysis |
| Leadership Behaviors and Outcomes in Intercultural Work Relationships |
| | Ferrin, Donald L. | U. of Minnesota | dferrin@csom.umn.edu | (612)-626-9705 |
| | While significant advances have been made in understanding how leadership behaviors vary across national/societal borders, much less is known about people’s perceptions of cultural differences, and how their perceptions are manifested in interpersonal behavior in intercultural relationships. This paper develops a theory to explain the perceptual and behavioral processes of managers and followers in intercultural work relationships.
In an intercultural work relationship people may perceive multiple, potentially contradictory cues about whether a particular leadership behavior is appropriate. The theory describes how managers perceive these cues, and how their perceptions are manifested in their leadership behaviors. Four sources of such cues are identified: the manager’s own beliefs about the appropriateness of the behavior, the norms present in the manager’s national/societal culture, the norms present in the follower’s national/societal culture, and the follower’s own beliefs. Since these cues may contradict one another, the theory also predicts when managers will emphasize certain of these cues, and de-emphasize others, in selecting the leadership behaviors they will use. Finally, the theory takes a dyadic perspective, explaining followers’ perceptual and behavioral responses to managers’ behaviors in intercultural relationships.
The paper attempts to contribute to our understanding of organizational phenomena in the intercultural context, to explore how people perceive and react to cultural differences, and to make explicit the various adjustment strategies people may adopt in their intercultural relationships. |
| | Keywords: Intercultural Relationships; Leadership; Cross-Cultural Management |