Overview of 70 Years of Cross-Cultural Management Research

Cross-Cultural-Management Focus

In international business, intercultural management, cultural diversity, and global collaboration have become increasingly important over the past decades. Organizations working across borders face a wide range of values, communication styles, and expectations—whether in negotiations, supplier relations, leadership of multinational teams, or daily project operations.

A deep understanding of cultural dimensions, orientations, and communication patterns is essential to avoid misunderstandings and to build successful cross-border relationships. Our Intercultural Training delivers this knowledge, combining academic research with real-world business practice to equip professionals for effective intercultural collaboration.

Overview of 70 Years of Research – Key Highlights:

The field of cross-cultural management research spans more than seven decades, during which several key cultural dimensions have emerged and evolved. These dimensions form the academic foundation of today’s Intercultural Training.

Time Orientation – Originating from Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck’s value orientations, this concept examines how cultures perceive and prioritize time. Later researchers adapted and refined this dimension, making it a core element in global management strategies and in modern Intercultural Seminar.

Communication Context Orientation – Introduced by Edward T. Hall, this dimension distinguishes between high-context and low-context communication styles. Despite its relevance to cross-cultural interactions, it has not been widely adopted in other cultural dimension models, possibly due to Hall’s strong focus on communication as a standalone field. Still, understanding context levels is a crucial part of Intercultural Workshops.

Performance Orientation – First introduced by the GLOBE study, this dimension reflects the extent to which a society values and rewards performance improvement and excellence. It emerged relatively late compared to other dimensions but has become increasingly relevant in competitive global markets. Its application is frequently addressed in advanced Intercultural Training programs.

Refinement of Existing Dimensions – The GLOBE study also split some of Hofstede’s original dimensions:

• Masculinity/Femininity was divided into Gender Egalitarianism and Assertiveness.

• Individualism/Collectivism was separated into Institutional Collectivism and In-Group Collectivism.

Why This Matters for Global Business:

Understanding these dimensions allows managers, negotiators, and consultants to anticipate cultural behaviors, adapt strategies, and avoid costly missteps in international cooperation. For instance, aligning negotiation tactics with a culture’s time orientation or communication style can significantly improve outcomes in cross-border projects. A professional Intercultural Training Program provides exactly this kind of applied know-how for global business practice.