Managing Global Organizations

Book excerpt: ÔAs its title implies, this book by three distinguished scholars puts a cultural perspective at the front and center of issues relating to current approaches to managing complex organizations. It does this by covering the most recent relevant findings by researchers from around the world and, most importantly, interpreting those findings in ways that provide useful guidelines and approaches for those in positions of organizational responsibility. For anyone studying or practicing management in challenging global-oriented contexts this volume is essential Ð and highly interesting Ð reading.Õ Ð Lyman W. Porter, University of California, US ÔThis book is a tour-de-force and a must-read for any scholar and practitioner who is interested in managing global organizations. From such topics as how to motivate, reward, lead, manage conflict, and structure work in different cultural contexts, the authors provide critical insights into how culture shapes all aspects of organizational behavior and a compelling vision of the future that awaits multinational and global organizations. Bravo to the authors for providing the field with a gold mine of information on managing organizations across cultures!Õ Ð Michele Joy Gelfand, University of Maryland, US ÔThis book represents the very best of academic as well as field intensive thinking about cultural and global issues in organizations. While many people have focused on cultural and global issues in the past several decades, the field has largely lacked a systematic review and analysis of these issues in specific contexts. What Bhagat, Triandis and McDevitt offer the reader is a wonderfully comprehensive analysis of key issues of culture in organizations. This is absolutely a ÒmustÓ reading for every serious scholar of global organizations.Õ Ð Chris Earley, Purdue University, US ÔThis is an important book dealing with the increasingly important phenomenon of international business ventures and the globalization of management, markets, and careers. Drs. Bhagat, Triandis, and McDevitt have produced a challenging and highly readable book in which they analyze such key concepts as intercultural communication, job satisfaction in culturally diverse workplaces, the additional workplace stressors brought on by international business alliances, the importance of working with others in groups and on teams charged with task completion, and the transfer of technology among people with different but overlapping skill sets and knowledge. This book will find a valued place in the libraries of international managers, graduate students contemplating careers in international business, and trainers who take on the challenge of preparing people for assignments in countries other than their own.Õ Ð Richard Brislin, University of Hawaii, US ÔIssues of cultural variations in the management of global organizations are of great importance in the 21st century. In developing this book, these three authors bring a wealth of academic knowledge, practical insights from their consulting and worldwide travels in presenting us a coherent picture of how the world of work organizations have changed in response to cultural differences and synergies. The 14 chapters cover all of the important aspects of organization behavior and theory including recent topics like global management focused on the creation and transfer of organizational knowledge. This book is a must read for all students interested in understanding the fundamentals of cultural differences and how they affect the management of global organizations.Õ Ð Kwok Leung, City University of Hong Kong, China The globalization of business is a reality that confronts organizations of all sizes from different nations and cultures. This book serves as a comprehensive guide for understanding the nature of cultural variations that affect important aspects of organizational behavior. The authors expertly cover all of the relevant functions that managers are concerned with in the process of managing global organizations. Various research-based theories and findings are discussed to explain the significance of cultural variations in these phenomena. Readers will gain a clear perspective on how cultural variations have the potential to affect organizational functioning and effectiveness across national borders. A mastery of the fundamental concepts and issues covered in this book will enable future managers of multinational and global corporations to become more effective in dealing with people in different countries and enhance organizational effectiveness on an ongoing basis. Scholars and students will also find this book a path-breaking resource for understanding this important topic.