Cultural diversity: challenges facing the management of cross‐border business careers

Abstract

As organisations respond to changes in cross‐border business activity career practices more attuned to differences in business and cultural practices are required if organisations are to become more effective in their cross‐ border business activities. Missing from the career management practices of many cross‐border organisations are two complementary challenges. First is the selection, development and retention of a “diverse” cross‐section of skilled managers, representative of the various locations of the business entity, reflecting an organisational culture that values the “know‐how” possessed by skilled managers from disparate cultural backgrounds. Second is the existence of a corporate culture that values a “mindset” reflective of the cultural diversity of the organisation, as well as the disparate values, attitudes and behaviours that potentially exist across the firm’s foreign business operations. The literature on these themes is reviewed and some recommendations for the development and management of cross‐border careers and propositions for future research are outlined.

Citation

Fish, A. (1999), "Cultural diversity: challenges facing the management of cross‐border business careers", Career Development International, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 196-205. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620439910270571