© Günter K. Stahl

Interactive Teaching Methods in International Management: Enriching Case Discussions by Incorporating Experiential Exercises

Günter K. Stahl, INSEAD

Academy of Management Conference, PDW,Anaheim, August 8-13 2008

© Günter K. Stahl

Using Exercises to Enrich Case Discussions: Examples

CREATES IDENTITY

Subject Examples of Case(s) Exercise(s)

Managing Across Cultures

David Shorter/Bob Chen (Ivey);Johannes van den Bosch (Ivey);The Floundering Expatriate (HBR);Lenovo-IBM (INSEAD, FT article)

Role plays; Video clips;Cultural assessment;Coaching exercise;Negotiation simulation

Managing Change IBM Turnaround (HBS, INSEAD)Guangdong Electronics (INSEAD)

Video clips;ChangePro Simulation

Performance Management

Wolfgang Keller at Koenigsbraeu (HBS)

Role plays;Coaching exercise

Aligning People With Strategy

Southwest Airlines (Stanford)GE Talent Machine (HBS)

Strategy Mapping; Alignment audit

International Assignments

Andreas Weber (INSEAD)Jaguar or Bluebird? (INSEAD)

Europa Construction Intl. exercise (LBS)

Ethics Changmai Corporation (INSEAD) Negotiation simulation; Role plays

© Günter K. Stahl

Using Exercises to Enrich Case Discussions: Examples

CREATES IDENTITY

Subject Examples of Case(s) Exercise(s)

Managing Across Cultures

David Shorter/Bob Chen (Ivey);Johannes van den Bosch (Ivey);The Floundering Expatriate (HBR);Lenovo-IBM (INSEAD, FT article)

Role plays; Video clips;Cultural assessment;Coaching exercise;Negotiation simulation

Managing Change IBM Turnaround (HBS, INSEAD)Guangdong Electronics (INSEAD)

Video clips;ChangePro Simulation

Performance Management

Wolfgang Keller at Koenigsbraeu (HBS)

Role plays;Coaching exercise

Aligning People With Strategy

Southwest Airlines (Stanford)GE Talent Machine (HBS)

Strategy Mapping; Alignment audit

International Assignments

Andreas Weber (INSEAD)Jaguar or Bluebird? (INSEAD)

Europa Construction Intl. exercise (LBS)

Ethics Changmai Corporation (INSEAD) Negotiation simulation; Role plays

© Günter K. Stahl

Cases: David Shorter – Bob ChenSource: Joe DiStefano & Neil Abramson, Ivey Business School

Partners

Pat Czarski Mary Delehanty

Joe Silverman

Bob Chen

Erin Cole

Jane Klinck

Tak Li

Mike McLeod

David Shorter

James-Williams: The New Enterprise Group Organizational Chart

Practice Director

© Günter K. Stahl

Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences

14:00 – 14:30 Introduction: Culture and its impact on management

14:30 – 14:50 Table discussion: Personal experiences working across cultures

14:50 – 15:30 Understanding cultural differences: Cultural frameworks

15:30 – 15:45 [Break]

15:45 – 16:15 Group work: Shorter/Chen cases (case analysis and role play preparation)

16:15 – 17:00 Role plays and debriefing

[17:00 – 18:00] [Creating cultural synergy: The Map-Bridge-Integrate approach (if time permits)]

Shorter/Chen Cases: Suggested Timing (3-hour session)

© Günter K. Stahl

Perceptual Processes and Mental Models Vary Across Cultures

Example of item measuring whether judgments of similarity are based on family resemblance or rules

Source: Nisbett (2003). The geography of thought:

How Asians and Westerners think differently. New York: Free Press.

© Günter K. Stahl

Speaking Patterns Vary Across Cultures

A two-person negotiation is diagrammed here for three countries. A line indicates that negotiator 1 or 2 is speaking. Blanks indicate that both negotiators are silent. Overlaps indicate that both negotiators are speaking at the same time.

Conversational Overlaps: Who Interrupts Whom?

Brazil

Japan

United States Alternating

Silent Periods

Overlapping

Source: Graham (1985), The Influence of culture on the negotiation process. Journal of International Business Studies, 16, pp. 81-96.

© Günter K. Stahl

Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences

14:00 – 14:30 Introduction: Culture and its impact on management

14:30 – 14:50 Table discussion: Personal experiences working across cultures

14:50 – 15:30 Understanding cultural differences: Cultural frameworks

15:30 – 15:45 [Break]

15:45 – 16:15 Group work: Shorter/Chen cases (case analysis and role play preparation)

16:15 – 17:00 Role plays and debriefing

[17:00 – 18:00] [Creating cultural synergy: The Map-Bridge-Integrate approach (if time permits)]

Shorter/Chen Cases: Suggested Timing (3-hour session)

© Günter K. Stahl

Cultural Orientations

Basic issues that all societies throughout history faced, but different societies developed different ways of coping with these issues.

Source: Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck (1961). Variations in value orientations. Evanston: Row, Peterson and Company.

1. Environment: What is our relationship with the world around us? (Harmony-Mastery-Subjugation)

2. Human Nature: What is the basic nature of humans? (Good-Mixed-Evil)

3. Relationships: To whom and for whom do we have responsibility? (Hierarchical-Collective-Individualistic)

4. Mode of Activity: What is the primary mode of activity? (Being-Doing-Thinking)

5. Time: How do we think about time? (Past-Present-Future)

6. Space: How do people see and use space? (Private-Public)

© Günter K. Stahl

IndonesianCulture

GermanCulture

Example: Cultural Analysis (Mapping)

© Günter K. Stahl

Understanding and Working With Cultural Differences

14:00 – 14:30 Introduction: Culture and its impact on management

14:30 – 14:50 Table discussion: Personal experiences working across cultures

14:50 – 15:30 Understanding cultural differences: Cultural frameworks

15:30 – 15:45 [Break]

15:45 – 16:15 Group work: Shorter/Chen cases (case analysis and role play preparation)

16:15 – 17:00 Role plays and debriefing

[17:00 – 18:00] [Creating cultural synergy: The Map-Bridge-Integrate approach (if time permits)]

Shorter/Chen Cases: Suggested Timing (3-hour session)

© Günter K. Stahl

Cases: David Shorter – Bob ChenSource: Joe DiStefano & Neil Abramson, Ivey Business School

Partners

Pat Czarski Mary Delehanty

Joe Silverman

Bob Chen

Erin Cole

Jane Klinck

Tak Li

Mike McLeod

David Shorter

James-Williams: The New Enterprise Group Organizational Chart

Practice Director

© Günter K. Stahl

David Shorter – Bob Chen: Case Questions

1. Taking the perspective of either David Shorter or Bob Chen (depending on the case you were assigned), please explain

the situation as of the end of the case. What are the causes of developments up to now?

2. Prepare to play the role of either Shorter or Chen in their upcoming meeting.

a) What is the outcome you desire for the meeting?

• b) What will you do or say to help this come about?

• c) What assumptions do you have about the other person's motives and his likely responses to your

plan for the meeting?

Source: Joe DiStefano, IMD, Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.

© Günter K. Stahl

David Shorter and Bob Chen: Different Perspectives

Issue Shorter and others Chen

Motivation

Get Chen to comply with doing the Softdisk audit

Loyalty to client and to the organization

McLeod and Silverman frustrated, low confidence

Get transfer now, as promised (friends have been transferred

without any audit responsibilities)

Loyalty to mentor and to the organization

Discouraged about chances of resolution, feels trapped

PerceptionChen is disloyal and hypocritical, is

not being straight

Personality problem

Shorter hasn’t protected me, others want to persuade me

Problem is firm’s need

Communi-cation

Tell Chen to do the audit

Meetings are for disclosure and discussion

Express disagreements openly and directly

Get others to tell them no

Meetings are for persuasion and coercion

Express disagreements indirectly and avoid conflict

Source: Joe DiStefano, IMD, Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.

© Günter K. Stahl

Some Clues to Cross-Cultural Conflict

Bob Chen's current behavior vs. his reputation in the firm

Resistance to doing the audit vs. previous accommodating behavior

"He's out of line; fire him!" vs. solid performer, potential partner, liked by colleagues

"He's acting crazy; must be a personality clash” vs. polite (indirect), civil (modest)

Disclosure of reluctance to do audit to colleagues vs. shy, private person

Apparent agreement to do the audit vs. signals that he won't do it

Seems to agree to audit three times vs. Mike doesn't sense real agreement

Seems to accept 3 year tax program vs. tells Shorter he doesn't want it

Agrees during the 3 hour meeting vs. Mike hears indirectly he won't do it

Past self-sufficiency vs. requests for help

Has only dealt with Shorter regarding career issues vs. asks Jane for help

Source: DiStefano, J., Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.

© Günter K. Stahl

ChineseCulture

CanadianCulture

Example: Cultural Analysis (Mapping)

© Günter K. Stahl

ChineseCulture

CanadianCulture

Example: Cultural Analysis (Mapping)

Significant differences between Chinese and

Canadian culture

© Günter K. Stahl

High Context and Low Context Cultures

Source: Hall & Hall (1995)

Swiss

Germans

Scandinavian

North Americans

English

Japanese

Arabs

Italians/Spanish

French

Messages

High

Low

Co

nte

xt

Explicit Implicit

Latin Americans

© Günter K. Stahl

Sixteen Ways to Avoid Saying ‘No’ in Japanese

1. Vague ‘no’2. Vague and ambiguous ‘yes’ or ‘no’3. Silence4. Counter question5. Tangential responses6. Exiting (leaving)7. Equivocation or making excuse8. Criticizing the question itself9. Refusing the question10. Conditional ‘no’11. ‘Yes, but …’12. Delaying answers13. Internally ‘yes’, externally ‘no’14. Internally ‘no’, externally ‘yes’ 15. Apology 16. The equivalent of English ‘no’

Source: Ueda (1974)

© Günter K. Stahl

High Context and Low Context Cultures

Circling round or getting straight to the point

Specific, low context (from specific to general)

Diffuse, high context(from general to specific)

© Günter K. Stahl

Sixteen (and More) Ways to Avoid Saying ‘No’ in High Context Cultures: Bob Chen’s Communication Style

10. Conditional ‘no’

11. ‘Yes, but …’

12. Delaying answers

13. Internally ‘yes’, externally ‘no’

14. Internally ‘no’, externally ‘yes’

15. Apology

16. The equivalent of English ‘no’

17. Avoid the other person(s)

18. Get another person involved

19. …

1. Vague ‘no’

2. Vague and ambiguous ‘yes’ or ‘no’

3. Silence

4. Counter question

5. Tangential responses

6. Exiting (leaving)

7. Lying equivocation or making excuse

8. Criticizing the question itself

9. Refusing the question

© Günter K. Stahl

Common Stereotypes About Asian Americans

Observed Behavior of Asian Americans

Common Stereotypical Misinterpretations

Possible Cultural Explanation

Nonconfrontational Passive; does not care one way or another

Values harmony

Quite; reserved

Has no opinions Values opinions of others and fitting in with group

Agreeable; dependable follower

Unassertive; no leadership qualities

Values what is good for group; can be assertive if needed for the group

Industrious Make good “worker bees” Values carrying their share of work; believes hard work will be recognized

Technically and scientifically competent

No management skills or leader-type charisma

Values science as universal language crossing cultural barriers; believes leadership comes in many forms

Deferential to others Not committed to own opinions, judgments, or preferences

Values being respectful of others; believes in “saving face” for self and others; values age and wisdom

Source: Osland, Kolb & Rubin (2001). Organizational behavior: An experiential approach (7th ed.). Prentice Hall: NJ.

© Günter K. Stahl

Update: What Happened During and After the Meeting

The meeting was, in Shorter’s words, “a disaster”. Chen felt that he had no choice but to resign. He was sure that his relationships with the partners had been so badly damaged that he could never recover. He also felt that he was being taken advantage of because of his easy nature and that there were other people who could have done the audit.

Shorter was stunned. He never expected such a turn of events. Even worse, he hadn’t ever faced a male employee breaking down and crying in his office. He didn’t know how to handle the emotions being displayed by the normally reserved Bob Chen.

Shorter was unhappy to lose a good employee (and the Softdisk audit still had to be done!), and Chen was unhappy to leave the firm that had given him the opportunity to work and live in Canada.

Chen obtained employment as a financial analyst in a financial institution in Toronto within three weeks of resigning at James-Williams.

Source: DiStefano, J., Teaching note: Bob Chen/David Shorter.