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Jouni Ruotanen

Hey.  I'm sharing in this course my long experience in many countries. You get to know cultural, managerial and communicational differences to success. It's not always needed to highlight differences, but in understanding expectations and opportunities you're more ready for challenges. Whatever is your next career step or location, this course is your kick start to success.

Learn essentials skills needed with cross-cultural management.

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Hey.  I'm sharing in this course my long experience in many countries. You get to know cultural, managerial and communicational differences to success. It's not always needed to highlight differences, but in understanding expectations and opportunities you're more ready for challenges. Whatever is your next career step or location, this course is your kick start to success.

Learn essentials skills needed with cross-cultural management.

This course is build up with three dimensions for success. The most important skills are in communication, culture and structure. You will learn practical skills to improve all the areas with tools and techniques. You don't need to be an expert when you start. Follow the steps and become.

We are living in multi-cultural world

Do you have a cross-cultural team to manage? Do you need to move to another country? Look no further, enroll to this course and you will learn perfect skill set to manage people from different background successfully. In today's working life we have our history and background, you as a manager need to understand how it affects to your team success.

Understanding

It can be difficult to meet new people, get to know about culture and be in new situations. Cross-cultural management is often underestimated, but it's something we are constantly working in. We are no longer in one location, we come from different backgrounds, experiences and cultures. People also move to new locations.

Take this course to be ready for your next position. Take this course to understand people.

  1. How to communicate

  2. How to be advance leader

  3. How to setup targets and follow results

Executing

During the course you will learn management tools, techniques and strategic  perspective for cross-cultural management. You're not only learning to understand, but also to make next movement fast in cross-cultural environment. While you take these lectures, you will get to know more and more about the differences and how you should manage it out.

Take this course to learn how to manage. Take this course to have new mindset, strategic mindset.

  1. Tools for management

  2. Techniques to master leadership

  3. Ways to be strategic manager, future leader

Experiencing

I will teach you not only theories, but also best practice in different countries. You will see how countries with different history have affections to current culture, management and communication. Combined by effective tools, you learn to how deal with people and structures. You must be better in understanding, but also in putting yourself into new situations. Be more open.

Take this course to learn about culture. Take this course to get keen on new ways to do things.

  1. Best practice, learn from others

  2. Examples from different cultures

  3. Get new job, change a career path

The course has all you need to be a next generation cross-cultural manager

  • Methodology - as a key to start

  • Tools and practice - to become better

  • Examples - to understand more

  • Tips - not to fail

  • Background - as a context.

Continuous updates and new materials.

Course has recently more content to learn how to avoid failures and reach success since beginning of your new assignment or team change. New section describes typical problems and gaps in cross-cultural management and tips. And once you know this, you are able to avoid any issues later.

Latest updates

You will start this course with recognizing your strengths and weaknesses to become better manager. These will help you to improve and know which areas need more training. Learn about these examples and become better.

If you ever need advice or want to ask your instructor is available. New materials and lectures are added all the way your learning, come back often.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Learn new management skills including design thinking, quality, lean, strategic analysis and interacting with people
  • Helpful techniques for managing different cultures by for example linear responsibility chart, feedback, setting norms and rules to improve communication
  • You get useful templates and tools for your management including spreadsheets to classify steps needed to make real improvement!
  • You can become more successful in interacting with people from different cultures, this course has practical examples too!

Syllabus

Introduction

Short introductions to course topics.

What will be learned in this course

This will be the starting point for the course. You will get to know why it's important to have cross-cultural, not multi-national management.


Today's world we work virtually and in same locations. People move around the world, travel around the world and get to know each other around the world. Some of us are international, but some of us not. For a manager it's important to know how to manage different people, expectations, communications and strategies.

Read more

What you'll learn about starting better cross-cultural management

How to start better cross-cultural and team management

What are good manager's strengths

What are weaknesses for a manager

How many opportunities you can see always

Are you too worried about threats

What cross-cultural essentials means

How management combines culture, communication and structure

What kind of problems there can be in multicultural teams and how to tackle them for better success

What kind of benefits you can achieve by improving your cultural fluency and what kind of questions you can address to yourself

A short heads up what's coming next in this course

Learn to adapt your management in different countries

How to manage teams in Europe

How to manage in Finland

How to manage in Germany

How to manage in Italy

How to manage in Poland

How to manage teams in Asia

How to manage in Indonesia

How to manage in Singapore

How to manage in Taiwan

How to manage in Thailand

How to manage in Vietnam

Cultures, people and countries are differerent

What affects to culture? What is our origin, history and how this has affected to us? This section will open up the topic.

We all have many sides. We are at home or we are at work. How we act in different situations is highly dependent on our childhood, experiences and education.

Each country has characteristics which are good to know. Both culture and people make a country, but country itself is also established longer time ago or rather recently.

How to understand motives? Maslow's hierarchy of needs is practical way to understand what motivates me, you and others.

In this section you'll learn SWOT analysis tool, how it can be used and what's essential.

This is your task for making your first SWOT analysis, next lecture will give you an answer how to solve it

Example for SWOT analysis

A quick question list to understand differences

Introduction how to understand and compare different cultures.

Lecture about Finnish culture

Lecture about German culture

Lecture about Indonesian culture

Lecture about Italian culture

Lecture about Polish culture

Lecture about Singaporean culture

Lecture about Taiwanese culture

Lecture about Thai culture

Lecture about Vietnamese culture

How we can define management processes

Every co-operation is based on trust. It can be between people, but also organizations need trust. How it can be build with new team?

We are more easy to work with similar people. How we create relationships? How a manager should see relationships?

Leadership is always planning. You need to plan the outcome and how to get there.

Because cross-cultural teams come from different backgrounds, you must have common norms and rules for your team. How to create them?

Total Quality Management is whole company or organization's way of doing, putting customer expectations first. For a cross-cultural team this management technique is good because then all backgrounds will not affect, but the common target is customer.

This is your task for making your first practice in Total Quality Management, next lecture will give you an answer how to solve it

Why you should use TQM

You can use change readiness survey many ways or take best parts of it before starting with new team. Learn the basics.

Lean management is a way to get faster results by organizing better. Cross-cultural team can take this another guideline.

Value stream mapping aims to reduce waste. It can be working wrong way, getting too good results or waiting time. For cross-cultural team ways of working and thinking are different. Value stream mapping helps to avoid wrong behavior.

This is your task for making your first practice in value stream mapping, next lecture will give you an answer how to solve it

How to use value stream mapping and improve for example time usage

A quick check after completing section

Learn the differences of management styles or worker expectations in different countries by these examples. Don't forget to self-practice and study as well.

Lecture about Finnish management

Lecture about German management

Lecture about Indonesian management

Lecture about Italian management

Lecture about Polish management

Lecture about Singaporean management

Lecture about Taiwanese management

Lecture about Thai management

Lecture about Vietnamese management

How to communicate efficiently

You need to know which way is the best for different people or different cultures. Communication is manager's main job. How you do it affects a lot how you will get results or fail.

Don't make mistakes, avoid wrong doing. Use different materials.

Communication is also internal, person to person. Manager is not always there, you need to connect people to each other. Learn how to do it.

Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. This approach is from marketing, but it's suitable for management as well. How to make effective communication?

Your task is to think about communicating a bigger change by listing affected things

Use AIDA approach to communicate big changes

One underestimated way to communicate is feedback, good or bad. Learn how to use it.

You learn how to use feedback collecting to solve issue with your project

How to use feedback and find solution

Link people and messages

Learn how to use LRC for communication

You will practice how to make links between people and groups

How to use LRC

A quick check for learning so far

Go through examples of different countries in communication to get used to different ways and different materials.

Lecture about Finnish communication

Lecture about German communication

Lecture about Indonesian communication

Lecture about Italian communication

Lecture about Polish communication

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores design thinking, quality, lean, and strategic analysis, which are valuable skills for managers in various industries and organizational settings
Includes templates and tools, such as spreadsheets, which can be directly applied to classify steps needed to make real improvements in management processes
Examines management styles and worker expectations in countries such as Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam
Teaches techniques such as linear responsibility chart, feedback methods, and norm-setting, which are helpful for improving communication across cultures
Covers Total Quality Management and Lean management, which are methodologies that can help cross-cultural teams organize and achieve faster results
Features the AIDA approach from marketing, which may not be directly applicable to all management scenarios and requires careful adaptation

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Reviews summary

Practical cross-cultural management fundamentals

According to learners, this course offers a largely positive and practical introduction to cross-cultural management. Students highlight the instructor's extensive real-world experience and the inclusion of practical tools and techniques like SWOT, TQM, and AIDA as major strengths, finding them highly applicable to their professional roles. The modules on communication and country-specific management styles are frequently praised for providing valuable insights. While some reviews mention minor points like occasional repetition or a desire for greater depth in advanced topics, the consensus is that the course provides a solid foundation for navigating diverse teams and international work environments. Recent updates suggest the content is being actively maintained.
Provides a good overview of core concepts.
"This course provides a solid introduction to cross-cultural management principles."
"I got a good overview of the essentials, which is exactly what I needed as a beginner."
"It's a great starting point, but don't expect it to make you an expert overnight."
"The course covers the fundamentals well and sets a good base for further learning."
Course is actively maintained and improved.
"I noticed the instructor added new sections which enhanced the course significantly."
"The recent updates on avoiding common failures were very timely and relevant."
"It's great to see the course is being actively maintained and improved based on feedback."
Benefits from the instructor's background.
"The instructor's vast experience in different countries really shone through."
"I appreciated learning from someone with real-world expertise."
"The personal anecdotes and insights added significant value to the lectures."
Highlights effective cross-cultural communication.
"The part on cross-cultural communication was the most valuable section for me."
"Learning effective communication techniques for diverse teams was a highlight."
"The methods discussed for giving feedback across cultures were eye-opening."
Includes valuable examples from different cultures.
"The real-world examples shared were incredibly helpful in understanding the concepts."
"The case studies and examples from different countries made the learning much more concrete."
"Understanding communication differences in different regions was a key takeaway for me."
"The country-specific sections gave me a better understanding of regional differences."
Introduces useful management frameworks.
"I particularly appreciated the practical tools like SWOT and TQM. They are immediately applicable."
"I found the techniques introduced, like AIDA and LRC, very useful for improving communication."
"The course provided practical frameworks that I could start using right away in my team."
"Learning about tools for setting norms and managing communication felt very actionable."
Some content may feel slightly redundant.
"I felt there was some repetition between different sections of the course."
"Certain concepts were explained multiple times in slightly different ways, which wasn't necessary."
"Some lectures felt a bit drawn out and could have been more concise."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Successful cross-cultural management with these activities:
Review Cultural Dimensions
Strengthen your understanding of core cultural frameworks. This will provide a solid foundation for understanding the nuances of cross-cultural management.
Browse courses on Cultural Dimensions
Show steps
  • Research Hofstede's dimensions: power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence.
  • Find examples of countries with high and low scores on each dimension.
  • Reflect on how these dimensions might impact workplace interactions.
Review 'The Culture Map' by Erin Meyer
Gain practical insights into navigating cultural differences in a business context. This book offers actionable strategies for improving cross-cultural communication and collaboration.
Show steps
  • Read 'The Culture Map', focusing on the eight scales of cultural differences.
  • Identify your own cultural tendencies based on the scales.
  • Consider how these tendencies might differ from those of your colleagues or clients from other cultures.
Cross-Cultural Simulation Role-Play
Practice applying cross-cultural communication skills in a simulated environment. This will allow you to experiment with different approaches and receive feedback from your peers.
Show steps
  • Partner with a classmate or colleague.
  • Choose a scenario that involves a cross-cultural interaction, such as a negotiation or a team meeting.
  • Role-play the scenario, focusing on effective communication and cultural sensitivity.
  • Provide each other with feedback on your performance.
Three other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all six activities
Read 'Global Dexterity' by Andy Molinsky
Explore the personal challenges of adapting to different cultural environments. This book provides strategies for developing adaptability while maintaining authenticity.
Show steps
  • Read 'Global Dexterity', paying attention to the five challenges of adapting to new cultural contexts.
  • Reflect on your own experiences adapting to different cultures.
  • Identify strategies for overcoming the challenges you have faced.
Cross-Cultural Communication Audit
Apply course concepts to a real-world scenario by analyzing communication patterns within a diverse team or organization. This will help you identify areas for improvement and develop strategies for more effective cross-cultural communication.
Show steps
  • Identify a team or organization with diverse cultural backgrounds.
  • Conduct interviews or surveys to assess communication styles and challenges.
  • Analyze the data to identify patterns and areas for improvement.
  • Develop recommendations for improving cross-cultural communication within the team or organization.
Develop a Cross-Cultural Training Module
Solidify your understanding of cross-cultural management principles by creating a training module for others. This will require you to synthesize course materials and present them in a clear and engaging way.
Show steps
  • Choose a specific topic within cross-cultural management, such as communication styles or conflict resolution.
  • Research best practices and relevant theories.
  • Design a training module that includes interactive activities and real-world examples.
  • Present the module to a small group and gather feedback.

Career center

Learners who complete Successful cross-cultural management will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Cross-Cultural Trainer
A Cross Cultural Trainer develops and delivers training programs to enhance employees' understanding of different cultures and improve their cross-cultural communication skills. The course is a great fit for such a role, as it provides a comprehensive overview of cultural, managerial, and communicational differences. The trainer would be well-served by the practical tools and techniques emphasized in the course, as well as the course’s focus on real-world examples from different cultures. This course enhances a trainer's ability to educate others on how to manage people from diverse backgrounds, making them more effective in their role.
Multicultural Team Leader
A Multicultural Team Leader is responsible for guiding a diverse team with members from various cultural backgrounds to achieve common goals. This course provides the necessary tools and perspectives to lead a multicultural team effectively. It covers crucial aspects of cross-cultural communication, management structure, and cultural understanding, which are all vital for a Multicultural Team Leader. This course will help team leaders learn how to set norms, improve communication, and manage potential conflicts that may arise in diverse teams. With practical examples and tips, this course is a great resource for anyone aiming to excel at leadership in today's globalized work environments.
Expatriate Manager
An Expatriate Manager is responsible for overseeing operations and personnel in a foreign country. This role requires the ability to navigate cultural differences effectively, which this course aims to teach. The course provides practical skills in communication, cultural understanding, and management structure, which are critical for an Expatriate Manager. The lessons about adapting management styles in different countries are beneficial for those who need to relocate or manage teams in various international settings. The course's focus on tools and techniques to manage cross-cultural environments provides a great foundation.
Cultural Liaison
A Cultural Liaison acts as a bridge between people from different cultural backgrounds, helping to facilitate smoother communication and understanding. This course provides valuable insights to effectively work with diverse groups. The course emphasizes key skills in communication, cultural understanding, and management structure, all of which are vital for a Cultural Liaison. The course teaches practical techniques for improving interactions and enhancing understanding between people from various cultures. Those with cultural liaison roles will be able to guide their clients more thoroughly.
Global Mobility Specialist
A Global Mobility Specialist helps employees who are relocating to different countries. This role requires detailed knowledge of cultural differences, relocation procedures, and adapting to new work environments, all of which this course addresses. The course's emphasis on cross-cultural management, communication, and structure is directly relevant to this role. Helping those who are moving to new locations is much easier with the benefit of this course, as you will come away from the course having learned about different cultures and countries. The course highlights a need to understanding people, which is also crucial.
Global Project Manager
A Global Project Manager oversees projects spanning multiple countries and cultures. This role requires a deep understanding of cultural nuances, communication styles, and management techniques, which this course helps to build. You will learn how to set targets, manage diverse teams, and navigate different cultural expectations. The course emphasizes practical skills for communication, cultural understanding, and structure, all of which are crucial for a Global Project Manager to succeed in a multicultural environment. By learning tools and techniques applicable across different cultural contexts, project managers will be better equipped to improve collaboration and achieve project goals effectively.
International Negotiator
An International Negotiator is responsible for facilitating agreements and resolving disputes between parties from different cultural backgrounds. This course is very helpful for such a role. The course’s focus on understanding cultural nuances, communication styles, and management techniques helps an International Negotiator conduct successful negotiations in a complex, multicultural setting. The course's lessons about setting targets, managing expectations, and strategic thinking, provide useful tools for a negotiator. The emphasis on real-world examples from diverse cultural contexts is also beneficial to the role.
International Business Consultant
An International Business Consultant advises companies on strategies for international expansion, cross-cultural team management, and effective global communication. The course's content on cultural understanding, management tools, and strategic thinking directly aligns with the needs of an International Business Consultant. The course teaches essential skills needed for cross-cultural management, including practical tools and techniques you can apply to diverse business contexts. Consultants will find the course's three-dimensional approach that covers communication, culture, and structure to be particularly invaluable when working with clients from various cultural backgrounds.
International Relations Specialist
An International Relations Specialist works to build and maintain relationships between organizations and international partners. This role requires a strong understanding of different cultures and communication, which this course provides. The course's focus on cultural management techniques, communication strategies, and real-world examples across different cultures makes it excellent for an International Relations Specialist working in a globalized world. Learning the methods that work best in various countries is essential for someone in this position, and the course will be very helpful with this.
International Marketing Manager
An International Marketing Manager develops and executes marketing strategies that resonate with audiences from different cultural backgrounds. This course helps to develop key skills for this role. By learning the course’s three key dimensions: communication, culture, and structure, a marketing manager can develop more nuanced and effective campaigns. The strategic perspective and practical tools taught in the course are needed to plan campaigns and manage multinational teams. An International Marketing Manager would find useful the course's emphasis on understanding cultural context and how it impacts management and communication.
Diversity and Inclusion Officer
A Diversity and Inclusion Officer is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to promote a diverse and inclusive workplace. This course is useful for such a role. The course provides essential understanding of cultural differences, communication styles, and management approaches for different countries, providing a strong foundation to cultivate a workplace where employees from all backgrounds feel valued and included. The content on communication, culture, and structure prepares a Diversity and Inclusion Officer to develop effective diversity and inclusion programs. The course content on understanding varied cultural perspectives contributes to creating a more inclusive work environment.
International Sales Representative
An International Sales Representative is responsible for selling products or services to clients in different countries. This course may be useful to an International Sales Representative, particularly when working with clients from various cultural backgrounds. The course’s emphasis on understanding cultural nuances, communication styles, and management techniques can help build stronger client relationships and close deals more effectively. The course's approach that stresses understanding expectations and opportunities is helpful for sales representatives. The course's guidance on how to be strategic is particularly relevant for those navigating international sales.
Global Business Development Manager
A Global Business Development Manager identifies and pursues new business opportunities in international markets. This role requires a deep understanding of cultural differences to build strong relationships and close deals. This course may be useful. It provides insight into the importance of effective communication and cultural intelligence, which are critical for a Global Business Development Manager. The course's emphasis on management techniques and strategic thinking can help you navigate global markets and build a strong foundation for successful international business development. The course's focus on communication in different countries is also very helpful.
International Development Officer
An International Development Officer works on projects aimed at social and economic development in different countries. This role requires that you understand local cultures, and manage community projects with a focus on cultural sensitivity. This course may be useful to an International Development Officer by providing insight into the importance of effective communication and cultural intelligence when working with diverse populations. The course's focus on best practices in different countries and how culture affects current management and communication can be highly beneficial when working in the international development sector. The strategic mindset developed in the course will also be helpful.
Human Resources Specialist
A Human Resources Specialist plays a critical role in managing employee relations, recruitment, and training, often with a focus on diversity and inclusion. This course may be useful for Human Resources Specialists, especially those working in global organizations or with diverse workforces. The course covers essential aspects of cross-cultural management, including communication styles, cultural sensitivities, and conflict resolution, providing valuable insights for HR professionals who manage employees from different cultural backgrounds. The course helps to enhance your ability to foster a more inclusive and effective work environment by highlighting the importance of cultural understanding in human resource practices.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Successful cross-cultural management.
Provides a framework for understanding cultural differences in communication and management styles. It introduces eight scales that represent key cultural dimensions, such as communication, feedback, persuasion, and leadership. 'The Culture Map' is particularly useful for understanding how cultural differences can impact business interactions and for developing strategies for bridging cultural gaps. It valuable resource for anyone working in a global environment.
Focuses on the emotional and psychological challenges of adapting to different cultural contexts. It provides practical strategies for developing 'global dexterity,' the ability to adapt your behavior to fit new cultural environments without compromising your values or sense of self. 'Global Dexterity' is particularly helpful for individuals who struggle with feeling authentic or comfortable when interacting with people from different cultures. It offers a framework for understanding and overcoming these challenges.

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