The role of leadership in aligning intercultural management with organizational culture

Abstract

The internationalization of companies has further boosted the cultural dynamics in workplaces, resulting in differentiation and diversity of cultures. Hence, it is essential to reconsider this cultural divide with great interest and effectively manage these differences to ensure beneficial organizational efficiency for both individuals and the company itself. Indeed, companies establishing themselves in new territories are required to take cultural aspects into account in their operations by adopting cross-cultural management tailored to the host country's cultural specificities. The key challenge lies in aligning cross-cultural management with the organizational philosophy of the hosting company. Cultural factors thus become a determinant of effectiveness. Cross-cultural management represents a new configuration of managerial functioning to better handle cultural interactions. It provides an alternative that allows companies to adapt to cultural contexts by considering national cultural dimensions, which effectively contributes to an alignment between the cultural and managerial perception while preserving the company's organizational culture framework. To achieve this adjustment, leadership plays a unifying role in reconciling cultures to maintain balance and adaptability among the various interacting cultures within the company. Consequently, acquiring intercultural skills becomes a necessity to achieve consensus, reducing cultural sensitivities and resistance and thus effectively managing conflict initiation.

Therefore, our research aims to analyze the causal links between cross-cultural management, organizational culture, and leadership profiles to determine to what extent the adoption of cross-cultural management based on the host country's national dimensions can harmonize with the organizational culture of the hosting companies in terms of managerial practices. Our study is part of a quantitative approach focused on a sample of companies active in the automotive sector located in the city of Meknes.

Keywords: Interculturality - Intercultural management - organizational culture - leadership - Intercultural skills

Classification JEL: M14

Paper type: Theoretical Research