Leading in a Multicultural World
IESE Event Takes Aim at Cross-Cultural Management Issues

In a world where an increasing number of managers are taking on international assignments and leading diverse groups of people, the need for cross-cultural managerial skills is becoming more acute.

“This is an important issue,” stressed IESE Prof. Pablo Cardona, noting how some managers may be highly effective in certain contexts, but not others.

Prof. Cardona’s gave the opening presentation during the inaugural conference of IESE’s newly-launched Cross-Cultural Management Network (CCMN). The event, which drew some 400 participants, was held at the school’s Barcelona campus.

Working in collaboration with IESE’s International Research Center on Organizations, the network is an initiative that seeks to generate research on cross-cultural issues in organizations.

During his remarks, Prof. Cardona discussed how the work of his research team has illuminated 12 universal competencies that are critical for being effective as a leader. The competencies fall into three dimensions: business, intrapersonal and personal. In the personal dimension, the key competencies are discipline, humility, personal equilibrium and courage.

Also delivering presentations during the event were Prof. Scott Taylor of Boston University and Michael Morley of the University of Limerick. Carlos Viladrich, Director of Adecco Human Capital Solutions in Spain, which co-sponsored the event, provided opening remarks.

Prof. Taylor, an expert on emotional intelligence, said that one of the key abilities that separates an average leader from an excellent one in any environment is self-awareness.

In particular, the ability to be aware of one’s influence on others is important. This skill remains important in cross-cultural contexts, although it is more challenging to put into practice, he said.

The effective manager is “aware that he or she is being experienced or perceived as manipulative or visionary. The person has the ability to see how subordinates are experiencing the leadership.” He discussed various tools and methods that can be used for carrying this out.

Next, Prof. Michael Morely presented an overview of the key lines of international people management research. Cross-cultural research is becoming more complex, as the aims of international business become more complex, he said.