Deck 17: Intercultural Management: the Significance to Organizational Behavior

Question 1

Esprit de corps can be defined as________ .

A) having practical experience of the organization and its environment
B) looking out for unusual opportunities that will benefit the organization
C) teamspirit among colleagues or co-workers
D) having the enthusiasm of an entrepreneur
E) managerial and technical theory

Answer 1

teamspirit among colleagues or co-workers

Question 2

Which of the following is not explained by an individual's culture?

A) customs
B) intellect
C) beliefs
D) values
E) behavior

Answer 2

B

Question 3

People who live outside of their native country are often referred to as________ .

A) surplus labor
B) blue collar workers
C) tourists
D) intercultural managers
E) expatriates

Answer 3

expatriates

Question 4

Intercultural management is primarily concerned with________ .

A) exploring new international markets
B) coordinating global sales
C) educating employees to ensure everyone shares the same values
D) the management and understanding of a workforce's cultural differences
E) holding workshops to debate the best approaches to situations

Question 5

In Harris's framework for cultural awareness, acculturation is defined as ________.

A) the increased effectiveness that results from combining the perceptions, knowledge and practices of people from different cultures
B) the interaction between the national and corporate culture
C) adaptation and integration into another culture
D) understanding how cultural differences will affect a person's commitment and loyalty to the organization
E) avoiding misinterpretation in verbal and non-verbal messages

Question 6

According to Ferraro, the intercultural manager must be ready and willing to learn and increase his or her understanding and knowledge, referred to as ________.

A) perceptual acuity
B) personal autonomy
C) cognitive flexibility
D) broad perspective
E) cognitive complexity

Question 7

Zafirah is an intercultural manager at a bank in Bahrain. The bank is currently in negotiations with a financial company in Hong Kong to establish a joint partnership so it can expand its operations into the Far East region. Zafirah has been asked to travel to Hong Kong to lead the negotiations on behalf of her bank.

-At the negotiations, Zafirah quickly realizes that there is a problem because of the different objectives of the two parties. The Hong Kong-based company is primarily focused on establishing a short-term contract with her bank. This is different from what her managers want her to achieve. Zafirah takes all of the following approaches except________ .

A) focusing on the importance of building a long-term relationship
B) listening effectively
C) remaining flexible
D) trying to understand the interests and motivations of the Hong Kong negotiators that lie behind their position
E) speaking forcefully to argue against their position

Question 8

In Harris's framework for cultural awareness, cultural synergy is defined as________ .

A) the interaction between the national and corporate culture
B) adaptation and integration into another culture
C) understanding how cultural differences will affect a person's commitment and loyalty to the organization
D) the increased effectiveness that results from combining the perceptions, knowledge and practices of people from different cultures
E) avoiding misinterpretation in verbal and non-verbal messages

Question 9

Differences in customs, behavior, and values result in obstacles that can only be resolved through________ .

A) global culture
B) intensive negotiation
C) cultural synergy
D) effective intercultural communication
E) improved skills

Question 10

The six synergistic skills are among the ________in establishing channels of communication.

A) most challenging
B) fastest
C) most transparent
D) most accommodating
E) most effective

Question 11

The '5 Es' that can be used to help intercultural managers solve problems in multicultural environments include all of the following except________ .

A) expectation
B) ethos
C) eagerness
D) 'esprit de corps'
E) expertise

Question 12

The intercultural manager must be a problem solver because ________.

A) people speaking different languages are hard to understand
B) sometimes employees from certain cultural backgrounds don't contribute to the organization and must be managed appropriately
C) in dealing with differences and diversity, there will definitely be conflict
D) there is always a difficult gap between national culture and corporate culture
E) they need to encourage all employees to overcome their cultural backgrounds

Question 13

According to Bartlett and Ghoshal, there is no________for the global manager.

A) single model
B) simple mission
C) general strategy
D) easy success
E) straightforward communication

Question 14

A new intercultural manager, Yasmeen, is brought into a Kuwait-based engineering company to help it manage the acquisition of a foreign firm. As part of the acquisition process, the company wants to develop a training program for team managers to enhance communication in new intercultural teams. Yasmeen explains that there are six core skills that should be included in the training program, because they are most effective in establishing channels of communication with positive results.
The six synergistic skills are:

A) Respect, tolerating inconsistency, relating to people, being nonjudgmental, empathy, and flexibility.
B) Respect, tolerating ambiguity, relating to people, being nonjudgmental, empathy, and persistence.
C) Language, tolerating ambiguity, relating to people, being confident, empathy, and flexibility.
D) Cooperation, tolerating inconsistency, teamwork, being confident, apathy, and persistence.
E) Respect, tolerating ambiguity, teamwork, being nonjudgmental, sympathy, and flexibility.

Question 15

Increased effectiveness within an organization or environment as a result of combining the perceptions, knowledge and practices of people from different cultures is referred to as ________.

A) cultural synergy
B) cultural integration
C) international communication
D) negotiation
E) empathy

Question 16

Intercultural managers can be most effective only by________ .

A) ensuring they behave consistently in the same way with people from any culture
B) increasing the number of employees they recruit from different cultures
C) keeping a journal of behavioral differences among employees
D) living in a variety of different countries
E) increasing their own general cultural awareness

Question 17

A new intercultural manager, Yasmeen, is brought into a Kuwait-based engineering company to help it manage the acquisition of a foreign firm. As part of the acquisition process, the company wants to develop a training program for team managers to enhance communication in new intercultural teams. Yasmeen explains that there are six core skills that should be included in the training program, because they are most effective in establishing channels of communication with positive results.

-Yasmeen explains another of the six skills shows that effective communication often involves being patient and persevering despite difficulties. This is referred to as________ .

A) tolerating ambiguity
B) relating to people
C) flexibility
D) cooperation
E) persistence

Question 18

Akil is a human resources manager for a Dubai-based company which manages a chain of hotels. The company is opening a new location in Algeria, and Akil has been asked to relocate for six months to ensure effective teams are established for different operational areas. The new teams Akil will be working with all have team members from various cultural backgrounds from across North Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe.
Akil has had cross-cultural training and has learned about the specific competencies needed by intercultural managers.

-When Akil first arrives he realizes that there is a lot of confusion about which employees belong in which teams, and where each team should be physically located. He needs to draw on his training to deal with unclear situations and take suitable actions. This is referred to as ________.

A) empathy
B) tolerance of uncertainty
C) knowledge management
D) behavioral flexibility
E) awareness

Question 19

Expatriates must become aware of the different style of living, thinking, and communicating that the destination country practices in order to avoid any________ .

A) cultural clash
B) unnecessary personal expenses
C) information overload
D) accidents
E) embarrassment

Question 20

Zafirah is an intercultural manager at a bank in Bahrain. The bank is currently in negotiations with a financial company in Hong Kong to establish a joint partnership so it can expand its operations into the Far East region. Zafirah has been asked to travel to Hong Kong to lead the negotiations on behalf of her bank.

-During the negotiations, Zafirah encounters certain views and attitudes to business which are new to her and that she doesn't like or agree with. However, she realises she must treat those views with respect, because intercultural communication can only occur if ________.

A) there is a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation
B) there is complete cultural synergy
C) everyone keeps their own views to themselves
D) everyone shares the same values
E) there is a stronger focus on cultural generalizations during the meeting

Question 21

Hofstede's cultural dimensions include all of the following except ________.

A) certainty avoidance
B) power distance
C) masculinity versus femininity
D) short-term versus long-term orientation
E) individualism versus collectivism

Question 22

When acting as a negotiator, the intercultural manager should do all of the following except________ .

A) avoid overdependence on cultural generalizations
B) concentrate on building short-term contracts
C) remain flexible
D) focus on the interests that lay behind the positions
E) learn to listen effectively

Question 23

________determines the atmosphere and work environment of an organization.

A) cross-cultural training
B) performance evaluation
C) recruitment strategy
D) corporate culture
E) organizational structure

Question 24

Negotiation can be defined as________ .

A) dealing with unclear situations and taking suitable actions
B) interaction between two or more parties for the purpose of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement
C) the transfer and understanding of meaning through verbal and nonverbal messages
D) adaptation and integration into another culture
E) the process of uniting different groups or parts of an organization to form a larger group or whole

Question 25

Diversity describes________ .

A) the existence of differences between the various people in an organization or group
B) the recruitment of international employees
C) the various social ties within a culture
D) the rivalry between people of different backgrounds
E) the difficulties faced by organizations in making everyone share the same values

Question 26

According to Ferraro, the intercultural manager needs to be open-minded, flexible and non-judgmental, referred to as________ .

A) cognitive complexity
B) perceptual acuity
C) personal autonomy
D) broad perspective
E) emotional resilience

Question 27

Arab business negotiators are likely to have all of the following characteristics, except________ .

A) being dependent on words alone as a means of communication
B) an awareness of the crucial role of communication
C) a tendency to mix business and personal information to establish individual rapport and trust
D) being unlikely to give a final decision without consultation
E) use of physical gestures and body language as a means of communication

Question 28

The '5 Cs' that can be used to help intercultural managers solve problems in multicultural environments include all of the following except________ .

A) compassion
B) cultural sensitivity
C) continuity
D) confidence
E) commitment

Question 29

For intercultural managers, 'knowledge management' determines whether ________.

A) a manager can build their own cultural knowledge by travelling to different countries
B) a manager can deal with unclear situations and take suitable actions
C) a manager can collect and interpret new knowledge about a culture and its practices
D) a manager can see situations from the viewpoints of people very different from him- or herself
E) a manager can vary his or her behavior to suit different situations

Question 30

In Harris's framework for cultural awareness, 'changing international business' is important because ________ .

A) it produces the increased effectiveness that results from combining the perceptions, knowledge and practices of people from different cultures
B) it involves the interaction between the national and corporate culture
C) it involves adaptation and integration into another culture
D) managers need to understand how cultural differences will affect a person's commitment and loyalty to the organization
E) managers need to avoid misinterpretation in verbal and non-verbal messages

Question 31

Akil is a human resources manager for a Dubai-based company which manages a chain of hotels. The company is opening a new location in Algeria, and Akil has been asked to relocate for six months to ensure effective teams are established for different operational areas. The new teams Akil will be working with all have team members from various cultural backgrounds from across North Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe.
Akil has had cross-cultural training and has learned about the specific competencies needed by intercultural managers.

-As he grows to know each team, Akil realizes that there are different needs, issues and personalities in each. He recognizes the need to vary his behavior between team situations in order to deal with each one most effectively. He is demonstrating ________ .

A) behavioral flexibility
B) empathy
C) awareness
D) tolerance of uncertainty
E) knowledge management

Question 32

In the GCC, foreign workers make up________ percent of the workforce.

A) 80
B) 70
C) 60
D) 90
E) 50

Question 33

Zafirah is an intercultural manager at a bank in Bahrain. The bank is currently in negotiations with a financial company in Hong Kong to establish a joint partnership so it can expand its operations into the Far East region. Zafirah has been asked to travel to Hong Kong to lead the negotiations on behalf of her bank.

-Before travelling to Hong Kong, Zafirah decides to work out her main objectives of the negotiation. She understands that for the negotiation to be successful________ .

A) there must be an outcome that is mutually beneficial for both parties
B) each side should make use of cultural generalizations
C) each side must fully explain all its cultural preconceptions
D) it is important that her bank establishes itself as the senior party in the negotiations
E) it is important that her organization offers plenty of concessions to the other company

Question 34

A new intercultural manager, Yasmeen, is brought into a Kuwait-based engineering company to help it manage the acquisition of a foreign firm. As part of the acquisition process, the company wants to develop a training program for team managers to enhance communication in new intercultural teams. Yasmeen explains that there are six core skills that should be included in the training program, because they are most effective in establishing channels of communication with positive results.

-Yasmeen explains that one of the six synergistic skills shows that people want to believe that they themselves, their ideas and their achievements are respected and appreciated. This is referred to as ________.

A) tolerating ambiguity
B) persistence
C) empathy
D) relating to people
E) respect

Question 35

For intercultural managers, 'behavioral flexibility' determines whether ________.

A) a manager can collect and interpret new knowledge about a culture and its practices
B) a manager can see situations from the viewpoints of people very different from him- or herself
C) a manager can vary his or her behaviour to suit different situations
D) a manager can deal with unclear situations and take suitable actions
E) a manager can anticipate the likely behavior of employees from different cultures

Question 36

According to Ferraro, the intercultural manager must be able to see the big picture and view situation from the widest possible perspective, referred to as________ .

A) cognitive complexity
B) emotional resilience
C) willingness to take risky decisions
D) perceptual acuity
E) broad perspective

Question 37

The most important criteria for selecting the suitable person to travel and work abroad should be ________.

A) seniority and experience
B) cultural awareness, tolerance and adjustment
C) confidence, self-assurance and expertise
D) resilience, persistence and loyalty
E) knowledge of corporate culture

Question 38

Integration can be best described as countries and cultures ________by accepting differences and cooperating together.

A) communicating verbally
B) promoting their own values
C) establishing trade links
D) opening up to one another
E) all becoming the same

Question 39

Hofstede is a firm believer that ________.

A) 'culture is measurable'
B) 'culture changes'
C) 'culture counts'
D) 'culture doesn't make much difference'
E) 'culture is impossible to overcome'

Question 40

Hofstede's regional research has shown that the countries of the Arab world are dominated by________ .

A) tradition and culture
B) tradition and change
C) friendliness and harmony
D) diversity
E) feminine society

Question 41

For intercultural managers, 'tolerance of uncertainty' determines whether________ .

A) a manager can deal with unclear situations and take suitable actions
B) a manager has planned ahead for all potential scenarios
C) a manager can vary his or her behavior to suit different situations
D) a manager can respect other people and their beliefs
E) a manager can collect and interpret new knowledge about a culture and its practices

Question 42

Arab culture does not accept change easily, according to Hofstede's research.

Question 43

Communication is at the heart of all organizational operations and international relations.

Question 44

Intercultural managers aiming to achieve synergy must act as practical problem solvers, decision makers, competitor researchers and conflict resolvers.

Question 45

In Harris's framework for cultural awareness, cultural synergy describes the increased effectiveness that results from combining the perceptions, knowledge, and practices of people from different cultures.

Question 46

According to Ferraro, the intercultural manager needs to balance contradictions and conflicts and see them as opportunities rather than liabilities or problems.

Question 47

Hofstede's research indicates that the Arab society has very low tolerance and acceptance of uncertainty.

Question 48

Ruben identifies six synergistic skills that can enhance intercultural communication. These include all of the following except ________.

A) persistence
B) being nonjudgmental
C) respect
D) relating to people
E) tolerating inconsistency

Question 49

As described in Harris's framework for cultural awareness, cross-cultural skills are important so that intercultural managers can avoid misinterpretations in verbal and non-verbal messages across cultures.

Question 50

If there is a gap between negotiating parties due to different values and beliefs, the negotiations are likely to fail.

Question 51

Akil is a human resources manager for a Dubai-based company which manages a chain of hotels. The company is opening a new location in Algeria, and Akil has been asked to relocate for six months to ensure effective teams are established for different operational areas. The new teams Akil will be working with all have team members from various cultural backgrounds from across North Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe.
Akil has had cross-cultural training and has learned about the specific competencies needed by intercultural managers.

-Akil realizes that there are communication barriers between some of the team members. He encourages them to develop________ so they can be more alert to the existence of communication barriers and cultural differences.

A) knowledge management
B) awareness
C) empathy
D) tolerance of uncertainty
E) behavioral flexibility

Question 52

Culture identifies who we are, where we come from and what we look like.

Question 53

60 percent of the workforce in the GCC is made up of foreign workers.

Question 54

Expatriates are individuals from other cultures who may be found at all levels of the organization.

Question 55

Empathy refers to the manager's ability to vary his or her behavior so that is suits different situations.

Question 56

When aiming to achieve synergy, the intercultural manager must act as all of the following except________ .

A) information researcher
B) conflict resolver
C) practical problem solver
D) effective negotiator
E) decision maker

Question 57

Cultural synergy results in organizational behavior that is effective and productive.

Question 58

The only effective method that individuals can use to prepare themselves for overseas assignments is cross-cultural training.

Question 59

Interdisciplinary training is given so that employees can communicate and interact more successfully with different cultures.

Question 60

Esprit de corps is defined as being alert to opportunities that will benefit the organization.

Question 61

Corporate culture is usually determined by the owner or top management.

Question 62

Tolerance of uncertainty refers to the manager's ability to deal with unclear situations and take suitable actions.

Question 63

National culture determines the atmosphere and work environment of an organization.

Question 64

Tolerating ambiguity refers to the need to make people feel that they belong in the organization.

Question 65

Acculturation is defined as understanding the cultural issues that will ultimately affect the performance of individuals within the organization.

Question 66

Geert Hofstede has demonstrated that there are no specific differences between national and regional cultural groups.

Question 67

Knowledge management refers to the manager's awareness of the communication barriers that may exist between people from different cultures.

Question 68

Well-informed intercultural managers recognize cultural differences as barriers to productivity and communication.

Question 69

Effective intercultural communication can only occur if there is a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation.

Question 70

The culture a person experiences within a country will often differ from the culture that exists within an organization.

Question 71

Hofstede's cultural dimensions include short-range versus long-range orientation.

Question 72

The 5 Es that intercultural managers can use to solve problems are: expertise, ethos, evidence, esprit de corps and endorsement.

Question 73

According to Ferraro, intercultural managers need to have a broad perspective in order to cope with the stress of dealing with different people.

Question 74

Not all organizations can create their own corporate culture.

Question 75

Culture explains our values, beliefs, attitudes and actions.

Question 76

During intercultural negotiations, it is better to work on short-term gains and worry less about long-term relationships.

Question 77

Empathy involves looking at things from another person's perspective and so trying to understand their feelings.

Question 78

Intercultural managers can be most effective only by increasing their own general cultural awareness.

Question 79

Individuals behave in their own way depending on the country and area they come from.

Question 80

Diversity is the existence of shared values among people of different cultures.