Managing interculturality & diversity (London Met) (GEST802_ITMCY)

The module aims to facilitate students’ learning and reflection in terms of their cultural awareness and knowledge and how this might be applied to managing diverse teams in the workplace. It aims to increase students’ ability to:

·         Identify cultural values, rules and norms of behaviour,

·         Understand the importance of difference in a management context and how diversity in the workplace cab be managed

·         Define communication, especially intercultural communication, identify, describe, and explain the cultural context and its impact on intercultural communication,

·         Understand microcultural contexts and their impact on intercultural communication,

·         Understand the importance of socio-relational contexts and their importance for managing diversity and the impact for intercultural communication, focusing on identifying and contrast verbal communication styles and patterns of various cultures,

·         Understand the factors that affect the development of relationships across cultures, and how thee impact diverse workplaces

·         Evaluate intercultural conflict and five types of communication conflict styles,

·         Understand the implications of bias and miscommunication for managing diverse teams in the workplace

Orientation/Introduction,

The necessity of understanding intercultural communications contexts

Different approaches to understanding cultural context: Individualism/Collectivism, High/Low Context, Uncertainty Avoidance,

Ways in which different cultural contexts can inform management approaches, for example: the Power Distance effect, Value Orientations and their importance to managing in international contexts

The influence of the micro-cultural context and socio-relational contexts

The importance of intercultural communications in an organisational context and issues surrounding cultural conflict and cultural misunderstandings, regional and inclusion challenges: case studies

Inclusive leadership and dealing with difference, building global teams, global perspectives on race and ethnicity: case studies

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of understanding intercultural communications

2. Demonstrate the importance of different cultural contexts and different ways of understanding cultural difference

3. Understand the importance of different communication patterns for managing diverse teams in the workplace

4. Be able to embody an inclusive leadership approach to managing diversity identify different cultural communication styles and consider how to adjust a marketing approach in an international context

5. Demonstrate that they are effective communicators in diverse contexts, that they are able to work in teams, that they are able to think globally and critically, that they are able to comprehend the international environment and behave accordingly

Ashikali, T., Groeneveld, S. and Kuipers, B., 2021. The role of inclusive leadership in supporting an inclusive climate in diverse public sector teams. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 41(3), pp.497-519.

De Anca, C. and Vega, A.V., 2016. Managing diversity in the global organization: Creating new Business values. Springer.

Gore, V., 2013. The importance of cross-cultural communication. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 7(1).

Kirton, G. and Greene, A.M., 2015. The dynamics of managing diversity: A critical approach. Routledge.

Fontaine, R., (2007),"Cross-cultural management: six perspectives", Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 14 ( 2) 125 – 135

Neuliep, J.W. (2014). Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Osei-Bonsu, N., 2016. Discourse Analysis of Cross-Cultural Competencies in International Business Management. European Scientific Journal, 12(22).

Rodrigues, C.A.,(1998),"Cultural classifications of societies and how they affect cross-cultural management", Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 5( 3) 31 - 41