Cross Cultural Negotiation and Management

Culture refers to the unique characteristics of behaviors and norms that are identified with a certain community (Luthans 2008 p 45). Different communities around the world have different social structures that are governed by rules either borrowed from the community’s history or through religious and secular cults. The cultural norms dictate the way a community integrates with other communities and the level of business relationships that can be accepted in the community. It is therefore necessary for international business men and women to conduct extensive research on the different cultural beliefs and practices that are common in their countries of interest to help them plan their management strategies. This essay is a critical evaluation of the influence of culture on management across various cultural diversities.
As organizations and companies continue to extend their territories to acquire international status, there is need to study and understand various cultures so as to identify their importance and impact on the business. This would go a long way in improving the process of human resource management as it helps in understanding the needs and habits of the employees. International management is faced with many challenges that are related to culture. This is due to the fact that the top management usually makes overall decisions regarding the operations of all the subsidiaries located in areas with various cultural practices. Language barrier is an example of a cultural issue that challenge the management while establishing their authority in the subsidiary companies located in different cross cultural societies. This results to problems in communication which necessitates for interpretation so as to deliver information. To solve this, the managers should resolve to study the different languages so as to communicate effectively with the personnel (Koen 2005 p 109). This also increases trust in the working relationship which is a fundamental requirement