Teaching students to manage cross culturally

Abstract

It is argued that the teaching of cross-cultural management is both possible and, in principle, no different from teaching any other aspect of management. However, given the difficulties involved, it cannot be effectively taught through lectures and formal examinations, but instead requires the simultaneous employment of a variety of student-involving techniques, some of which are described in the article; such as injecting cultural material into lectures, getting students to interview foreign managers, providing students with a cross cultural experience, having students make presentations on selected countries, and examining a few cultures in depth. The aim is not so much to prepare students to be expatriate managers in a particular country, as it is to develop an awareness of how to adapt their managing to any different culture. © 2003, MCB UP Limited