Cultural Complexity In Organizations

Using empirical data based on innovative and multi-method research approaches, Cultural Complexity in Organizations is an important reader that goes beyond description to make recommendations on how to better deal with cultural complexity in organizations. Especially useful for students and professionals in organization studies, management, gender studies, sociology, and psychology.

The multiple-cultures perspective advocated in this book suggests that culture in organizational settings is more complex, pluralistic, diverse and contradictory than previously acknowledged. Contributors address culture at various levels including national, industrial and organizational. Issues covered include: implicit managerial understandings and overt practices; the growth and decline of organizations with a focus on culture, managerial control strategies and subculture formation; change and temporary reconciliation; factors that influence homogeneity and heterogeneity and that contribute to a strong corporate culture; and issues of gender, ethnicity and social and organizational identity as concepts that may foster a better understand

A rich, witty, and accessible introduction to the anthropology of contemporary cultures, Cultural Complexity emphasizes that culture is organized in terms of states, markets, and movements. Hannerz pays special attention to the interplay between the centralizing agencies of culture, such as schools and media, and the decentering diversity of subcultures, and considers the special role of cities as the centers of cultural growth. Hannerz discusses cultural process in small-scale societies, the concept of subcultures, and the economics and politics of culture. Finally, he presents the twentieth-century globalization of culture as a process of cultural diffusion, polycentralism, and local innovation, focusing on periods of intensive cultural productivity in Vienna, Calcutta, and San Francisco.

Organizations are complex entities that must adapt the practices of their employees and management to meet the demands of a dynamic environment. Organizations are behavioral systems that coordinate interactions among its members and environment. Changing practices in one area of an organization can generate a reaction throughout the entire system, thus affecting the behaviors of those working within other areas, the experience of customers, and important organizational results. Behavioral Systems Analysis (BSA) focuses on these complex contingencies from the macro system all the way down to individual behavior. This book contains articles by internationally recognized experts in Behavioral Systems Analysis who discuss the role of organizational practices in their study of performance improvement and cultural change from both practical and conceptual perspectives. Business and non-profit managers will find tools and case studies to help understand and diagnose their organization’s dynamics. Scholars will appreciate articles’ theory and real-world descriptions when considering their own research direction. Finally, all students of management theory, behavior analysis, and human resources will find this collection a thought-provoking tool for their understanding of behavioral systems and their application in organizations. This book was published as a special issue in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.

What have international relations, mergers and cross-discipline innovation got in common? They share a dependence on the ability to create mutual understanding between people from different cultural backgrounds. As organisations become more global, and innovative development more urgent, developing the skills to get the best from difference becomes a necessity rather than an option. Cultural Intelligence (CI) is a progressive approach to thinking about culture that aims to provide the reader with a better understanding of what goes on when people with different cultural backgrounds meet, including the emotional drivers and irrational reactions. It introduces a way of thinking about culture as a dynamic and socially constructed phenomenon rather than a fixed set of rules, and suggests ways to benefit from cultural complexity using it as a resource and route to innovation. Cultural Intelligence is for leaders and specialists who have a commitment to bridging and benefiting from differences, and who are looking for alternatives to the traditional cultural concepts. This book gives an introduction to CI and to the dynamic approach to culture. It contains four themed chapters each of which provides an in-depth discussion of one cultural field. Cultural Intelligence contains numerous examples from the authors' teaching, research and consultancy work. It utilises experiences gained from work on the development of international groups from diversity projects, cross-disciplinary project management, mergers and other organisational developments. The book offers many ideas and methods on how to develop the cultural intelligence of an organisation.

This book delivers new IMD insights on an emerging challenge - how to deal with overwhelming complexity. Global organizations face a complex decision-making environment. On one side, diversity of cultures, customers, competitors and regulations creates complexity; on the other, competitive pressures cause expanding countries to extract more synergies across products and regions. In such a climate, a new way of thinking, acting and organizing is needed beyond the familiar ‘control’ mindset. Drawing together insights from across the expert faculty, Managing Complexity in the Global Organization presents IMD’s framework on how to understand complexity and its four key drivers (diversity; interdependence; ambiguity and flux), along with solutions on specific issues in a variety of functions, industries and markets. The focus is on providing practical solutions based on real-life examples.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of organizational diversity management, intended to help readers implement effective strategies and maximize the value of organizational diversity. Written by experts from a range of disciplines, it presents cutting-edge research and best practices in this field. Further, it addresses the challenges that organizations face in order to successfully manage organizational diversity and presents the application of theoretical concepts. Individual chapters explore topics including workforce diversity, knowledge management, innovation and change, and decision-making. Providing an invaluable resource for students and researchers in the fields of human resource management, industrial engineering and international business, the book will also benefit human resource managers, engineers and economists.

A rich, witty, and accessible introduction to the anthropology of contemporary cultures, Cultural Complexity emphasizes that culture is organized in terms of states, markets, and movements. Hannerz pays special attention to the interplay between the centralizing agencies of culture, such as schools and media, and the decentering diversity of subcultures, and considers the special role of cities as the centers of cultural growth. Hannerz discusses cultural process in small-scale societies, the concept of subcultures, and the economics and politics of culture. Finally, he presents the twentieth-century globalization of culture as a process of cultural diffusion, polycentralism, and local innovation, focusing on periods of intensive cultural productivity in Vienna, Calcutta, and San Francisco.

An international business expert helps you understand and navigate cultural differences in this insightful and practical guide, perfect for both your work and personal life. Americans precede anything negative with three nice comments; French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans get straight to the point; Latin Americans and Asians are steeped in hierarchy; Scandinavians think the best boss is just one of the crowd. It's no surprise that when they try and talk to each other, chaos breaks out. In The Culture Map, INSEAD professor Erin Meyer is your guide through this subtle, sometimes treacherous terrain in which people from starkly different backgrounds are expected to work harmoniously together. She provides a field-tested model for decoding how cultural differences impact international business, and combines a smart analytical framework with practical, actionable advice.