Global Manager Case Study

This essay explores the skills, attitudes, mind-sets and dispositions that would enable a global manager to cope in particular case studies, and analysing these skills and mindsets in the context of these case studies.

The first case study (Case study 3 ,tutorial 4) is situated in the context of the Finnish MNC with its Russian subsidiary. The case study emphasises on the struggles that occur during cross-cultural interactions around the firm’s resources and interests, which were resulted from the issue of distrust due to the long-standing and difficult history between these two countries as they struggled for the wars and domination on each other in 1940.

Underlying the first problem is not just a difference in the budgeting accounting

A successful global manager is culturally emphatic in a sense that he thinks from the perspective of others, and has a mentality that is open to suggestions, which is likely to result in a greater harmony and acceptance between different cultures (Wills and Barham, 1994, p.51). Moreover, based on the research of Hunter, White and Godbey (2006, p.279), having historical awareness is also a crucial mindset for a global manager to have in order to avoid problems evidenced from this case, because by having historical awareness, it means having an understanding of the concept of world history. Furthermore, according to Wills and Barham (1994, p.51), having a sense of humility is also a crucial disposition as it is important to be humble and be open to assistance from others without feeling proud or embarrassed. For example, global managers with a higher sense of humility are more open to suggestions when it comes to appointing a new leader for a new work division. Additionally, when a sense of humility is integrated with historical awareness and a cultural emphatic mindset, it will formulate a recipe for a globally competent manager that has the awareness of the historical tension but still be able to handle cross-cultural interactions with sensitivity and humbleness (Hunter, White and Godbey, 2006,

But the true underlying problem is actually the conflict of cultural practices from both parties, which was caused by the lack of understanding between two cultures. According to Caligiuri and Dragoni (n.d., p.227), a successful global manager has the competency of self-managing in a sense that he has a higher tolerance of ambiguity and believes highly in his ability to accomplish a task. And when integrated with a cultural curiosity competency, it is likely to formulate a global leader who is readily to learn from the ambiguously multicultural business word (Caligiuri and Dragoni, n.d., p.228). Kedia and Mukherji (1999, p.238) also argues that another significant skill that a global manager would have possessed is the skill of acculturating other cultures. Acculturation means the ability to adapt one self in the culture of a foreign country (Kedia and Mukherji, 1999, p.238). For example, a globally competent manager is acculturated enough to prepare himself for a difference of cultural practices that he might encounter as he negotiates a business contract