Objectives of Intercultural Management Personnel

The following is a list of objectives that corporate personnel entrusted with intercultural management may like to keep in mind:

• Beginning at the macro level, the culture of the organization should have a learning orientation.

• The values embedded in the organization should espouse what has been termed the Protestant work ethic . Thus, managers of such organizations are expected to have a high commitment to excellence, and be capable of demonstrating high performance.

• Managers should be socialized so that they share the same values. When those values are the ones mentioned above, then other cultural influences become of secondary consideration.

• There are always possibilities for organizations to achieve better performance. Hence a learning organization should be constantly seeking superior modes of management. It should have capabilities for learning from other cultures.

• Individual managers should possess personality traits such as cultural empathy and mental flexibility that enable them to be appreciative of diversity.

• In manufacturing and marketing merchandise, the preferences of consumers should assume paramount importance. Hence, products should be developed for a particular target group, keeping in mind the cultural preferences of that group .

• Internally, organizations should seek homogeneity regarding the values they espouse. Externally, however, they may need to develop an awareness of diverse markets and segment the market along cultural lines.