As noted by Dr. Gary R. Weaver, Professor of International Communication in the School of International Service at American University, while most American management principles are useful, they:
Must be carefully and critically examined and questioned in the context of the multicultural or international workplace. Most are not validated across cultures and thus can only be applied to a fairly homogenous, mainstream American workplace.
Today’s global or multinational corporations must cope with an increasingly multicultural environment. This is true internally, from an increasingly multicultural workforce, as well as externally, from the increasingly global nature of corporations that sell goods and services to cultures across the globe. The spread of democratic governments, capitalist markets, and the continually eroding national borders that allow businesses as well as individuals more freedom to interact are mainly responsible for this corporate environment. As Gancel and Hills (24) note “The ever-increasing internationalization of companies makes cultural factors a key dimension of success. Developing intercultural management skills is becoming a must as managers are confronted more than ever with international realities”.
Despite these internal and external realities, a review of the pertinent literature on intercultural management and communication reveals that few corporations manage to create an environment that is inclusive, accepting of diversity, and able to communicate across cultural barriers. In fact, the opening remarks of Dr. Weaver appear valid from such a review. A 1992 survey conducted by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration revealed that:
Only 5 percent of the 1,405 participating companies thought they were doing a “very good job” of managing diversity.
The global management consulting firm Hewitt Associations supports these findings in its annual survey of 1,020 U....