Multinationals and Cross-Cultural Management

<p>Globalisation makes our world appear smaller: it is easier to connect communicate and do business with people all over the world. But cultural differences remain and challenge globalized knowledge communication and transfer. This book examines cross-cultural management within multinational enterprises (MNEs) focusing in particular on how cultural differences influence the transfer of knowledge between different units within individual corporations. </p><p>Based on detailed empirical analysis of 267 companies in Germany and Japan it considers the relative effectiveness of inter-cultural and intra-cultural knowledge transfer; identifies the factors that inhibit or facilitate successful knowledge transfer; and suggests how management processes of MNEs can be improved. It demonstrates that although cultural differences do not necessarily influence the selection and transmission of knowledge overseas they do have a strong impact on how that knowledge is received integrated and put into practice locally. </p><p>The book shows how knowledge is accepted differently in Europe and Asia and which factors have the strongest impact on efficient knowledge transfer. It suggests that to improve cross-cultural management MNEs should focus less on upgrading the technology that allows knowledge transfer and more on the capabilities and beliefs of individual employees. </p>