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Being International - 3: My Contribution: "On Being International" - Abstract

Being International - 3   (previous page)  (start of series)

My Contribution: “On Being International”

I am very pleased that my paper "On Being International" has published in the book " "Glocal" Working - Living and working across the world with cultural intelligence", Bertagni, La Rosa, Salvetti, Editors, published by Franco Angeli.


Here is the abstract for my contribution. Many of you may identify with what I have written. Likely many have had similar experiences and could equally contribute your observations on the subject. My hope is that people will find my experience and the insights that I have gained to be useful.


In subsequent postings, I will continue with thoughts on the subject of being international – some extracts from my paper and development of new material. I won't post everything from my paper, of course. (For that, you will need to buy the book.)

On Being International

Reflections on living an international life – with observations and suggestions

By Mark Louis Uhrich

 

Abstract

 

Being international can run the range from traveling to different countries, to being on assignment in other countries, to immigrating to another country and becoming integrated into that other culture.  In all variations, it can be immensely enriching.  But, at the same time, there are risks of failure – both personal and professional.  Accordingly, it can be important to develop an understanding of the risks and the factors for achieving success in “being international”. 

This paper explores the dimensions of being international.  In it are profiled aspects of the experience, an examination of reasons for difficulty, and a development of what is involved in achieving success in the international environment.  These are related to personality factors, skills, and environmental factors.  The insight is developed from the perspective of the personal experience of the author, study on the subject, and observation of numerous people in several countries.

Using what has been learned, the author presents practical guidelines for both individuals involved and for organizations seeking to have people succeed in the international environment.  He also presents the richness of being international and offers encouragement to those who have an interest in being so.

 

Being International - 2: About the book "Glocal" Working

Being International    (previous page)

About the book: “Glocal” Working – Living and working across the world with cultural intelligence

First some background about the book.

The book “Glocal” Working is a collection of papers and is divided into two sections

1. Paradigms and Models  

2. Experiences and Best practices

with contributions from 25 authors on the subject.

For more information: "Glocal" working  or  FrancoAngeli.

With permission from the editor, here is an overview of its scope and contents.

INTRODUCTION

“Glocal” working: a short introduction©

Barbara Bertagni, Michele La Rosa and Fernando Salvetti

 

To live and work in our “glocal” (global & local) world, we have to be innovative as “outsiders” able to see the same things in many different ways. Being an “outsider” is both a challenge and a competitive advantage. If we see and think differently about a business need, a problem, or a market’s niche, we have a good chance of coming up with an out-of-the-box approach - one that’s original, unique and competitive. So we need some cross-cultural intelligence.

Cultural intelligence is the ability to bridge and benefit from the cultural complexity of people with different nationalities, professional backgrounds and fields, personalities and organizational cultures. Cultural intelligence combines the emotional, cognitive and practical dimensions of cross-cultural encounters and ensures more effective and fulfilling cross-cultural collaboration. Cultural intelligence means being skilled and flexible about understanding a culture, learning more about it from ongoing interactions with it and gradually reshaping your thinking to be more sympathetic to the culture and your behavior to be more skilled and appropriate when interacting with others from the culture.

Today cultural intelligence is a big challenge; the cognitive paradigms, the relational schemas and the value systems among cultures have been shown to vary significantly, not only among different countries, but also among professional people working in the same corporation. For instance, people from different cultural backgrounds are likely to have different attitudes towards hierarchy, ambiguity, achievement orientation, time and working with others.

Do we know how to understand the implicit, basic assumptions that guide people’s behavior in different areas of our world? Do we know how to interpret the explicit norms and values that guide a foreign society? Starting with these questions, or with similar ones, we may draw up a scheme useful in understanding a new business context and, at the same time, develop our own cognitive maps - intellectual flexibility, creativity, ability to innovate – in the “glocal” world. We must learn to be like Proteus – flexible enough to adapt with knowledge and sensitivity to each new cultural situation that we face.

We are all becoming “glocal” people and everyone can learn to be more culturally intelligent.  

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© Extracted by permission of the editor.

CONTENTS

“Glocal” working: a short introduction, Barbara Bertagni, Michele La Rosa and Fernando Salvetti

First Part – Paradigms and Models

Think locally, act globally: cultural constraints in personnel management, Geert Hofstede

Three cultures of management: the key to organizational learning, Edgar Schein

The cultural metaphoric method: description, analysis and critique, Martin Gannon

Cultural intelligence: a concept for bridging and benefiting from cultural differences, Elisabeth Plum

Cultural codes: birth of a notion, Clotaire Rapaille

What is cultural intelligence?, Brooks Peterson

Anthropology and epistemology for “glocal” managers: understanding the worlds in which we live and work, Barbara Bertagni and Fernando Salvetti

Second Part – Experiences and Best practices

On being international: reflections on living an international life: with observations and suggestions, Mark Louis Uhrich

France - US comparisons: some comparisons between France and the United States, Mark Louis Uhrich

Skills for global business: cultural intelligence & business development, Fernando Salvetti

“Glocalizing” visual communication in organizations: when and how to adapt visual communication to local standards, Sabrina Bresciani and Martin Eppler

Generation Y and “glocal” working, Lorenzo Cantoni, Emanuele Rapetti and Stefano Tadini

Drumstorming music: a percussion and training experience based method, Vittorio Simonelli

What instruments and practices for the management of a multicultural staff?, Helena Karjalainen

Cross-cultural coaching, Barbara Köhne

Be innovative and learn how to learn! Cultural intelligence to a better learning, Fernando Salvetti

Knowledge sharing + Networking = Product’s Innovation (x 2… x 3… ∞), Fernando Salvetti

What is global and what is local? A theoretical discussion around globalization, Jean-Sébastien Guy

Global / Local services, Fernando Salvetti

Managing in Asia: conflict, incomprehension, or successful relations? The difficulties encountered by Western expatriate managers in Asia, Pascale Reinhardt

Living “glocally” with literacy success in the US Midwest, Loukia Sarroub

Glamour and honor: going online and reading in West African culture, Wendy Griswold, Erin Metz McDonnell and Terence Emmett McDonnell

Wal-Mart: a glocalized company, David Towers

Next:  My Contribution: "On Being International"

Being International - 1: Prologue

Prologue

As many of you may know, I live an international life — two countries, a lot of travel, and doing business over large portions of the globe. Other people and places was something that I found interesting. In my professional work, I found sought out opportunities for international involvement. This gave me the opportunity for travel and international business - in many countries. This lead to international studies in the United States and in France. In 1992, I moved to France where I now live and work.

While at Insead on an executive program, I was first exposed to the cross-cultural research of Geert Hofstede. That lead to my studying further to understand the cross-cultural environment and what I had experienced internationally. I began to teach and speak on the subject – especially as related to the business environment.

Recently, I was invited to contribute to a book that was in preparation. The muses worked slowly but the article did, finally, come together and the reviewers found that it added value. The book is titled “Glocal” working: Living and working across the world with cultural intelligence and my contribution is the paper “On Being International” plus a overview comparison between France and the United States.

I delayed starting this series pending publication of the book so as to not preempt it. Now that it is published, I can start to write about what I have learned about living and doing business internationally.

Certainly, many of you have had similar experience – even greater. My hope in sharing my experience is that you find it to be interesting and of value. Maybe you will agree with me. Possibly your view will be different from mine. Either way, I will welcome your feedback.

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 15 July 2010

Next: about the book