Introduction

Cross cultural management skill is the capability of a person in communicating

and interacts with another individual of different races, cultures or background. Through
cross cultural management, we can identify the similarities and differences across
cultures in various management practices and organization.
In this century, intercultural management is critical as the success of company
businesses in this globalized world economy relies heavily upon people with different
background, races or cultural.Most large companies have business relations and have to
deal with customers, companies, employees or stakeholders from other cultures or
background.
Cross cultural management helps organization to gain better understanding of
other cultures, of their culture and of the consequences of people from different cultures
working together.
Cultural differences do not inherently lead to negative consequences. They only
do so when mismanaged. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the manager to assess the
potential of personnel, products and policies being steered by cultural differences and
ensuring it does so for a constructive outcome.
Hence, the manager must possess experience in interacting with different cultures,
an understanding of how culture manifests in interpersonal interaction and have received
intercultural training to consolidate those insights and awareness.

Content
The majority of companies can no longer escape the need to buy, sell or work
with people from different cultures. Multinationals have offices spanning the globe;
manufacturers increasingly rely on foreign markets and distributors; services and
products are no longer solely marketed at native audiences and many industries rely on
immigrant labour.
Some managers are fortunate to have innate strength in these areas, most need
education and training, a few are so inept that it would be better to keep them out of
crucial global management responsibilities.
These are several performance goals required in cross cultural management skill:
1) Self-knowledge: understanding your own cultural values and how they affect your
attitudes and behaviors.
2) Global thinking: staying informed on global trends and events.
3) Cultural curiosity: observing cultural behaviors in a non-judgmental way.
4) Flexibility: adapting gracefully to a wide spectrum of operational practices,
business styles, and social environments.
5) Inclusivity: making people of different backgrounds feel at ease, understood, and
valued for their perspectives.
6) Managing diversity: getting people who are from different backgrounds to work
together effectively as unified teams.
7) Interpersonal communication: expressing yourself persuasively while genuinely
hearing what others are communicating to you.
8) Motivational leadership: leading in ways that inspire employees to take
responsibility and initiative, collaborate, and contribute the creativity of their
differences.
9) Credibility: exercising integrity, openness, trustworthy behavior, and candor in all
your interpersonal dealings.
10) Patience: working with other people's needs and timetables, keeping your focus
on long-term goals, and not wasting your goodwill capital on getting immediate
results.

Discussion
The flow of business personnel internationally has meant that people are now
having to work more and more in foreign environments and alongside people of different
cultures.
Cross cultural management skills is a loose term used to refer to the capability of
a manager to communicate and deal effectively with people from different cultures. The
role of a manager is evolving in response to the needs of companies operating on the
international stage. The complexities of globalisation and international systems require
today's manager to adapt in order to offer modern solutions to modern problems.
The majority of companies can no longer escape the need to buy, sell or work
with people from different cultures. Multinationals have offices spanning the globe;
manufacturers increasingly rely on foreign markets and distributors; services and
products are no longer solely marketed at native audiences and many industries rely on
immigrant labour.
However, each society, country and culture will have numerous nuances. The
manager is therefore tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that communication
between colleagues, clients and customers is clear, coherent and free from intercultural
misunderstandings. The manager has to deal with differences in business culture,
etiquette, man-management styles, communication styles and much more.
Internally, a manager needs to be able to act as a medium between senior
personnel and staff; communicate clearly and effectively with colleagues; build and
nurture efficient transnational teams and display strategic global thinking.
Externally, a manger must demonstrate business acumen within a framework of
awareness to supervise entrance into foreign markets; oversee the proper selection,
mentoring and guidance of company representatives working with foreign interests;

negotiate and manage conflict with clients and provide insight into potential areas of
success or failure emanating from intercultural differences.
In order to achieve this, certain key attributes are needed. These are namely,
cultural awareness, flexibility, capitalizing on differences and patience. Cultural
awareness is the fundamental foundation of all intercultural management skills. One must
possess hands on experience of living and/or working in different cultures, an
understanding of how culture manifests in interpersonal interaction and have received
intercultural training to consolidate those insights and awareness.
Once intercultural awareness is active within a manager and they are able to see
beyond surface level manifestations of cultural differences, flexibility naturally occurs.
Flexibility refers to the ability of the manager to adapt their behaviour and management
style to deal effectively with intercultural challenges and to think out of the box when it
comes to offering solutions. The flexible intercultural manager is able to cushion
intercultural tests and control outcomes positively.
Finally, the intercultural manager needs patience. As the Dutch proverb says, "A
handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains." Patience is the key to a
successful manager as it allows one to maintain focus, analyse problems coherently,
evaluate options and implement solutions.
In conclusion, the success of businesses in today's globalized world economy
relies heavily upon them investing in cultivating managers that have are culture savvy.
With human traffic across borders constantly on the increase and business interests
dependent on foreign markets, the intercultural manager is critical to the co-ordination,
supervision and implementation of clear communication.
References

http://www.cmct.net/articles_ten_key_skills.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/interculturalmanager.html
http://mlq.sagepub.com/content/28/4/387.abstract
http://amle.aom.org/content/12/3/453.abstract
http://www.slideshare.net/MingLi1/cross-cultural-management-14532203
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/intercultural/management/malaysia.html