Amidst darkness light persists: an identity approach towards managing cultural differences within international business
- Autores: Farah Yasmine Shakir
- Directores de la Tesis: Yih-teen Lee (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universidad de Navarra ( España ) en 2017
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Sebastian Bjoern Reiche (presid.), Anneloes Raes (secret.), Davina Vora (voc.), Cordula Barzantny (voc.), Dana Minbaeva (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Dirección por la Universidad de Navarra
- Materias:
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- Resumen
As one of the core topics in international management, culture is often considered as a barrier for managers and organizations to overcome. The fundamental aim of this dissertation is to study factors that truly matter in managing effectively across different cultures. Drawing on the theoretical lenses of identity in general, and research in social identity, organizational identity and multicultural identity in particular, this dissertation aims to shed light on mechanisms to transcend cultural differences across individuals, groups, and organizations. The author uses qualitative methods and theory-building in three papers herein that examine the factors that can impact the effectiveness of organizations and individuals in managing business across diverse cultures. Paper 1 studies organizational level factors demonstrating how subsidiaries of multinationals can function well amidst large cultural distance. Through an in-depth case study, the author postulates that in contrast to commonly proposed strategies of adaptation, value-based organizational identification and value practices based on respect for local culture and humanistic core values can be levers for business success. Paper 2 analyzes empirical evidence at the individual level, including identity experiences of multicultural individuals and their subsequent capabilities in terms of global leadership. Their experiences suggest that focusing on forming interpersonal connections is an effective way to cut across global differences, through specific actions such as empathy, perspective-taking, and integration. Paper 3 deliberates conceptually at the intra-organizational level through a theoretical lens of managing paradox as to what we can learn from integrated bicultural individuals about balancing global and local identities within subsidiaries of multinational enterprises. The paper describes affective and cognitive dimensions by which leaders can leverage dual organizational identification within an organization. With an identity approach, this dissertation represents a comprehensive effort to understand how we can appreciate, connect and unite with each other across cultural contexts based on the essence of humanity.
Keywords: organizational identification, cultural differences, subsidiary management, cultural identities, bicultural and multicultural individuals, values, leadership, dual organizational identification.
