• Account for key characteristics that define culture(s) and describe the criteria for cross-cultural analysis in a business context
• Apply theories and models to corporate business cases to exemplify team collaboration across cultures
• Explain cross-cultural company experiences and offer practical insight about their cultural efforts
• Demonstrate how multinational corporations deal with sustainability, diversity and work-life balance in high performance team collaboration in a global perspective
• Reflect upon own team collaboration experience and learning in a cross cultural context

This course helps to prepare future managers for the cross-cultural challenges and opportunities awaiting them in an increasingly globalized business environment. By examining pertinent theories and practices of high performing teams, students gain a greater understanding about how culture influences an organization’s internal and external relationships and its decision-making and operations. Students explore strategies to bridge cultural gaps and to preempt or resolve conflict in teams. They also gain insights into best dealing with culturally diverse customer, employee, supplier, and other stakeholder groups. Management communication techniques that highten awareness of differences across cultures are a key aspect within the curriculum. Theories cover a range of brand management, leadership, organizational behavior effectiveness, work-life ballance and intercultural conflict styles as well as team collaboration across cultures. Discussions focus on team performance and the experiences of numerous companies including Bang and Olufsen, Coloplast, Ecco, Novo Nordisk, Microsoft, Sony and Huawei. During the summer course students will also do experiential learning by observing business and with focus on culture and team collaboration.

Class 1: Overview: Cross-cultural imperatives and trends in global business management

Class 2:  Aspects of culture and differences in corporate cultural norms. Prevalent theories and models used in cross-cultural analysis

Class 3: Impact of culture(s) on business decision-making

Class 4: Managing communication across cultures - diversity

Class 5: Negotiation and conflict resolution in a cross-cultural corporate context  

Class 6: Cultural activity - field work in Copenhagen 

Class 7: Leadership best practices to manage culturally diverse stakeholders

Class 8: Techniques for successful collaboration in multicultural work groups and teams

Class 9: Structuring organizations and partnerships for intercultural effectiveness

Class 10: Shaping and managing international assignments/tasks

Class 11: Recapture course

6-week course.

Preliminary Assignment: The course coordinator uploads Preliminary Assignment on Canvas at the end of May. It is expected that students participate as it will be included in the final exam, but the assignment is without independent assessment and grading.

CASE BOOK

Clausen, Lisbeth (2021) Team dynamics and diversity. Japanese Corporate Experiences. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press. 2nd edition p. 250

Indicative readings:

Clausen L. Corporate Communication Challenges: A “Negotiated” Culture Perspective. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management. 2007;7(3):317-332. doi:10.1177/​1470595807083376

Gupta A, Govindarajan V. Cultivating a global mindset Academy of Management Executive (2002) 16(1) 116-126

Clausen L, Keita M. (2016) Bicultural resourcefulness in global management: From education to corporate collaboration Journal of Asian Studies 34 (1).

Hatch, Mary Jo & Schultz, Majken 2002, “The dynamics of organizational identity”. Human Relations, vol 55, nr. 8, p989-1018.

Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (1993). The discipline of teams. Harvard Business Review , 111-120.

Mintzberg, Henry and Van den Heyden, Ludo (1999). Organigraphs: Drawing How Companies Really Work Harvard Business Review. September–October Issue

Nielsen, Bo Bernard; Nielsen, Sabina. (2013) Top Management Team Nationality Diversity and Firm Performance : A Multi-level Study. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 34, No. 3, 2013, p.373-382

Ollier-Malaterre, Arianne and Foucreault, Annie. Cross-National Work-Life Research: Cultural and Structural Impact for Individuals and Organizations. Journal of Management. Vol. 432 No 1 January, 2017 11-136: 115

Pentland, Alex. (2012) The New Science of Building Great Teams. Harvard Business Review. April p. 60-70

Thomas, David A. and Ely, Robin J. (1996) Cross cultural management. Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity. Harvard Business Review. September–October Issue

Schein, Edgar. H, (1997) Second Edition [1992], What Culture Is and Does, Organizational Culture and Leadership, San Francisco; Jossey-Bass Publishers

Stahl, G. K., Mäkelä, K., Zander, L., & Maznevski, M. L. (2010). A look at the bright side of multicultural team diversity. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 26(4), 439–447. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/​j.scaman.2010.09.009

A few readings may change as the course proceeds.