Notes on the Conceptualizations of Culture in Intercultural Management

Intercultural management broadly refers to the handling of cultural differences in businesses and organizations. Although culture develops in all social groups, such as in firms, schools and neighbourhoods, intercultural management often refers to cultures framed within national and ethnic settings. Language, religion, family relations, work ethics and daily living are some aspects of culture. These cultural manifestations reflect the community’s world views, norms and values, and shape social behaviours and practices of members in the community. The idea of “intercultural management” also suggests that cultural differences are sources of miscommunication and misunderstandings. So in international business, intercultural management is a daily activity that affects different operations, including localization of services in a foreign market, offering local hospitality to foreign tourists, adapting one’s negotiation style to overseas business partners, communication in an international work environment and devising appropriate human resource services in overseas subsidiaries.