Pitfalls of Cross-Cultural Management and Glocalisation

Running head: CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Contemporary Strategic Management
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1CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to highlight the pitfalls of the process of cross-cultural
management and also shed light on the concept of glocalisation in the particular context of
the Harvard Business Review case study “From Regional Star to Global Leader”. The report
begins by discussing the conflicts or the misunderstandings that Yang Jianguo had to face in
the nation of France as the senior vice president of global product development at Deronde
International. In this regard, it needs to be said that the majority of these conflicts or
misunderstandings arise from his failure or inability to embrace the French culture and also
the western management style which are completely different from those of China, a nation
from which he hails. The report next offers some advices which Yang Jianguo can use to
overcome or mitigate these conflicts or misunderstandings like taking into account the French
national culture, use of western management style, glocalisation and others. Lastly, the report
concludes by discussing the management competencies that the case study highlights that the
21st managers are required to use in a VUCA world like the need to take into account the
process of cross-cultural management, effective management style, glocalisation and others.

2CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Elements of Conflict or misunderstanding and its reasons........................................................3
Advices for Yang Jianguo..........................................................................................................5
Management competencies highlighted by the case..................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................11

3CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Introduction
As opined by Moore (2015), the process of globalization is one of the most important
factors which had singlehandedly changed the nature of the contemporary business by
converting the entire business world into a global village wherein firms from the diverse parts
of the world can conduct trade and commerce. Koch et al. (2016) are of the viewpoint that the
extensive usage of the process of globalization had at the same time made it imperative for
the firms to take into effective consideration the aspects of cross-cultural communication and
management, glocalization and others for the conduct of their business operations in different
nations. This becomes especially important for the firms which are conducting business in
nations whose national cultures and business styles are drastically different from each other.
The net result of this is that the business firms operating internationally not only need to take
into effective consideration the aspect of cross-cultural management and also design their
products as well as business operations from both global and local perspectives (Gelfand et
al., 2017). This report will analyze the concept of glocalization and the pitfalls of cross-
cultural management in the particular context of the Harvard Business Review case study
“From Regional Star to Global Leader”.
Elements of Conflict or misunderstanding and its reasons
Stahl et al. (2017) have articulated the viewpoint that the one of the major elements of
conflicts or misunderstanding that the business firms while conducting business in the
different nations of the world face is related to the management of cultural issues. As opined
by Drori (2016), the majority of the business firms while conducting international business
fail to take into effective consideration the national culture of the concerned nations and try to
conduct their business as per the cultural traditions or customs of their own native nation.
This in turn gives rise to different kinds of conflicts and cross-cultural issues which could