Adjusting to a Distant Space Cultural adjustment and interculturally fluent support W. Baber, Kyoto...

Adjusting to a Distant Space

Cultural adjustment and interculturally fluent

support

W. Baber, Kyoto University SIEM 2010

Question 1

• What do individuals around foreign managers add to the adjustment process they experience working in Japan?

• Not clear, but becoming clearer– Information, interpretation of

culture, guidance on the hybrid track

March 2010 SIEM Symposium

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Question 2

• Who are these individuals who impact the adjustment of foreign managers?

oCultural informantso Interculturally fluent informantsoMentors


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Definitions• What Cultural Adjustment means (Berry,

1997)– Integrated-Assimilated-Separated-Marginalized

Integrated: able to access home/host cultures

• Culture – the widely understood and accepted ways of doing things (Hunt, 2007)• Mentors • Cultural informants• Interculturally fluent informants


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Cultural Informants

• Who – potentially any individual around the manager• Boss, Co-worker, Spouse, Expat,

Local, In-laws, Children• Generally drawn from the

networks around the foreign manager


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Cultural Informants


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Individuals

Flow of Information

Foreign Manager

Cultural Informants - Descriptors • Partially or very proficient in target language and culture;

• Not necessarily related to work world;• Need not be established in work or society;• Need not be technically proficient;• Advises in situational incidents in business and other

areas;• Expatriates may have more than one cultural informant;• Need not be a deep personal relationship;• Provide ad hoc advice; • Accessible, even giving instant feedback; • Socially embedded in the target culture, or even in both

cultures; • Advise on social cues;

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Cultural Informants – Examples

– A: significant other, co-worker– C: acquaintance with relevant business and

life experience– D: superior with extensive business and

cultural experience in both home and target cultures

– E: spouse and business partner– F: familiar with Japan and the home country,

but low accessibility– G: acquaintance with extensive business and


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Cultural Informants

• Not defined by quality!

• Not defined by ability to transmit or interpret knowledge!


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Cultural Informants – Examples

– A: significant other, co-worker– C: acquaintance with relevant business and

life experience– D: superior with extensive business and


– E: spouse and business partner– F: familiar with Japan and the home country,

but low accessibility– G: acquaintance with extensive business and


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–D: superior with extensive business and cultural experience in both home and target cultures

– G: acquaintance with extensive business and cultural experience in both home and target cultures

• Highly fluent in home and host languages, work and life culture;

• Aware of subtle variations among groups and regions in home and host cultures;

• Embedded in social networks of home and host cultures, for example:– Professional associations; Alumni networks;

Social organizations;

• Readily available and in frequent contact;

Interculturally Fluent Informants


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Very likely to accurately transmit deep

understanding of host culture to the foreign

manager

Interculturally Fluent Informants


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Hybrid Manager

• Notion from Schlunze and Plattner• A manager with one foot in each of

two (or more) worlds–Not a manager with abstract knowledge– Real cultural, professional, personal

knowledge– Local network, local language, cultural

skills

• Hybrid managers develop over time if the conditions are right


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Elements of Cultural Adjustment

• 12 elements identified in interviews for managers who are or are becoming hybrids• Other aspects of cultural

adjustment:– cultural distance, language proficiency,

expatriate type, and personality traits such as emotional stability and cultural empathy (Peltokorpi, 2008)

– psychic distance


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Next Questions

• Is there a Hybrid Track? • Where is a person in the

process?• How can we compare managers?• How can we know what should

be developed in order to generate well rounded hybrids?


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Hybrid Track

• Language skills• Networks

– foreigner/Japanese, professional/personal• Involvement

– Decision making– Day-to-day work participation

• Ambition/Strategic Intent• Informants (Business/Life)• Personal relationship(s)• Cultural skills• Capacity for synergy: globalizer, localizer,

local/global networker (Schlunze)


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Mentor Functions and Attributes• Guide into management;

• Established person in their field, but not necessarily socially embedded;

• Technically proficient in their field; • Offers work related network access;• Offers some behavioral guidance;• Advises in situational incidents related to business and

management;• May support specific career goals with mentee;• Because of high status, may offer only low or moderate

accessibility, but is committed;• Mentee usually has only one mentor;• Trusting relationship;• On-site or home country;


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Bibliography


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