Headquarter-alliance Communication: Between Global Standardization and Local Diversification Strategies

This article addresses intercultural issues in business communication between corporate headquarters in Denmark and subsidiaries and alliance partners in Japan. The cultural issues include the global or international strategies of the companies, national cultural barriers, corporate culture, and professional or departmental culture. Last but not least, the individual level of knowledge and accumulated personal experience in intercultural encounters is an important factor of influence. Processes of implementation of global strategy are influenced by factors and actors at different levels from macro to micro levels in intercultural encounters. Standardization and differentiation strategies are negotiated at the global, national, organizational, professional and individual levels of information exchange.The article draws on lessons learning in Japan by five companies and their alliances through interviews with 50 managers.