How can Managers be more successful in cross cultural environments ?

By Mr. KV Rao 

Spoke at the recent Asian Management Conclave, in Singapore where a large no of Directors / Deans of Management Schools attended. It was an interesting interaction. Here are some snippets ... 

Where theory intersects practice, it a place of pure bliss. ! 

I shared the life stories of  6 successful individuals, (none having any formal management education), who have either worked for me or I have known them closely enough, to sketch the common traits. They span from Russia, CIS, Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos.. and each of them have mastered the art of being successful in a cross cultural and non-native environment. Some characteristics they have are :- 

• Risk Takers. Exceptional positive attitude to life.
• Non-judgmental, build trust and strong relationships.
• Learning on the fly, and continuously reinforcing the learning curve.
• Humility and direct communicators. Don’t leave you in doubt.
• Curiosity and live life to the full - show cheerfulness.
• Adaptive and respectful to cultural diversity.

They substituted what they lacked in education with the wisdom of doing the yards in the markets. 

In international business, success is not about knowing a lot, but doing a lot, trying a lot, with the ability to navigate in rough weather, where you have no google maps !. Often the emphasis on analysis, modeling, makes young MBA managers tilt more to a left brain leaning than a whole brain activity. Need for touch and feel, and using ones senses to succeed in a cross cultural and diverse Asia, needs honing personalities with real life experience than academic excellence alone. 

How could management education-train, coach, teach, impart and develop such managers. Well, the world is beset with problems of poverty and deprivation. Academia could work with industry to take up projects that help to improve peoples lives. Entering difficult and less developed markets is challenge. Business schools could lead the way in exploring new markets well before others and become pathfinders, and guides, and expose young students to do research in unfamiliar areas. How about Myanmar, Laos, Bangladesh. Nepal,  or Bhutan for that matter....

Case writing and codifying knowledge is often post dated, and focused on large enterprises. Shift of focus to smaller, nimble and entrepreneurial ventures and writing cases about them, will bring a richness of insights and knowledge while data gathering could be challenging. 

Often businesses lead, and business schools follow, to codify practices into theory. It could well be the other way round. We need a change in mindsets, on both sides, and pursue what might be the future of integrative learning.