Why do you need intercultural management skills?
Let me explain this question with two examples:
Example 1: Imagine you are traveling abroad by car. If you rely on a road map of Berlin or Vienna when driving through Delhi or Bangkok, you will soon end up at a dead-end and are unlikely to reach the destination you had in mind.
It is similar in everyday business life. Similar behavior can have opposite meanings in different cultures. What initially looks like a great deal can suddenly vanish into thin air for inexplicable reasons. On the other hand, appropriate cross-cultural behavior can save your contract and lead to better outcomes for all parties concerned.
Example 2: Imagine you are the captain of a Boeing 787. You are approaching the airport in Tokyo, and suddenly all communication with the tower breaks down. Heavy fog obscures your view. Running out of fuel, you have to land the plane within the next 10 minutes.
What would you give at this moment for clear ground signals and a connection to the tower? What would you need as a leader to manage people and projects with certainty in a foreign cultural environment?
