Pages: 76

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 4

This introductory section provides a brief overview of the field of cross-cultural management, from its origins in the 1950s and subsequent evolution. It highlights how increasingly the field is putting more emphasis on interactions in order to provide a more nuanced perspective on intercultural encounters than the one afforded by static models of culture, emphasizing how the study of culture is important for our multilingual, multicultural and multipolar world. It concludes by introducing the six chapters in this section of the book.

Pages: 12

Even though business conducted across cultures dates back many centuries, cross-cultural management (CCM) as a field is rather young. This chapter starts with tracing the roots of the quest for knowledge about doing business and working across cultural borders. This need for knowledge became intensified with increasing internationalization and globalization, triggering a growing body of knowledge. This chapter explores contextual changes impacting our societies and the business world since the first publication of this chapter in 2015 and hence the choice of critical issues and research topics for the field of CCM. Among them are migration, economic and political tensions and a change in political powers, new work arrangements and communication tools, diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability and eventually increasing cultural complexity in organizational settings. Finally, methodological issues are addressed in conducting CCM research. Despite the growing body of empirically generated knowledge helpful for practitioners in their business conduct with and across cultures, many issues and topics require further exploration and call for attention in future CCM research efforts.

Pages: 12

In this updated assessment of Cross-Cultural Management’s evolution, we briefly transport the reader across the earlier eras of the discipline’s development, with a shortened text from the previous edition of this chapter. We then elaborate on the arguments presented in the last era discussed in that chapter—the early through mid-2010s—and extend our assessment through the next decade. We argue that, into the 2020s, it still appeared promising the field could “shed its ‘nation-based’ constraints and open - in fact, embolden the discourse on culture.” But, since by the mid-decade, the world is experiencing heightened turbulence and uncertainty simultaneously in all key contextual drivers—political, economic, technological, and social—it must be asked if this optimistic expectation needs to be tempered.

Pages: 12

In this chapter, we outline a critical, interpretive approach to studying national culture and cultural differences in organizational settings, offering a counterpoint to ‘Hofstedean’ approaches which currently dominate the field of cross-cultural management. For many scholars and practitioners, the work of Geert Hofstede has provided a foundation for theory and practice. In this chapter, we briefly describe its main features, explore its impact, and critically discuss its limitations. We then present an alternative approach that is more sensitive to culture change and conflict, individual agency and social context, and power issues and organizational politics. We conclude the chapter by offering some reflective thoughts and ideas for future directions.

Pages: 12

This chapter explores the evolving dimensions of cross-cultural management (CCM) by shifting the lens from traditional values-based frameworks to a broader focus on contextual factors. While ‘nation’ has often served as a proxy for ‘culture’ in CCM literature, this approach neglects the profound influence of non-cultural, or contextual, elements such as historical, institutional, and technological factors. This chapter critiques the dominance of Hofstede’s values-centred model, which, despite its widespread adoption, has constrained the discipline’s scope and practical relevance. By advocating a polycontextual approach, we argue for a more nuanced understanding of culture that integrates globalization, country-specific impacts, institutional structures, and the unique influence of U.S.-centric paradigms. Furthermore, this chapter examines how technological advancements, including artificial intelligence, redefine cultural interactions and management practices in an increasingly interconnected and digital global economy. By highlighting these overlooked dimensions, this chapter offers a roadmap for advancing CCM theory and practice to address the complexities of today’s dynamic international business environment.

Pages: 12

National culture, which originally served as the basis for research and practice in cross-cultural management (CCM), is increasingly under attack. In times of postmodernism, when dominant concepts, discourses, and structures are being questioned and deconstructed, the “monolithic” concept of national culture is also being challenged. These debates on cultural concepts mainly concern rigid or dynamic concepts and address contrasts such as cultural homogeneity versus cultural heterogeneity and cultural continuity versus cultural dynamism. While the cultural metaphor of the “onion” represents stability and continuity, the cultural metaphor of the “ocean” symbolizes diversity and dynamism. A new third cultural metaphor that overcomes this dichotomy is that of “ice,” which melts and then freezes again. In this metaphor, the ice represents the rigid and fixed aspects of culture (history, institutions, and values), which not only can melt and change under the influence of warmth (new ideas, external impulses and developments) but can also freeze again. In this way, cultural continuity and cultural dynamics, often discussed as opposites, coexist and intercultural interactions in the organizational context can be examined in a differentiated way. This chapter also presents a concept for studying intercultural interactions. The concept of “negotiated culture,” a goal-oriented, constructive approach that considers the perspectives and resources of the actors, seems to be the most appropriate approach to address CCM challenges related to national culture. On the one hand, it considers a dynamic and multiple understanding of culture; on the other hand, it includes contextual and individual factors in addition to cultures.

Pages: 10

This chapter explores the potential contributions of postcolonial theory to the field of cross-cultural management (CCM). Although postcolonial theory has had a profound influence on the humanities and social sciences, it has yet to substantially shape mainstream CCM scholarship. Introducing key concepts – Eurocentric universalism, orientalism, hybridity, indigenisation and neo-colonialism – this chapter outlines how postcolonial thought can enrich and expand CCM research. It suggests that the field might develop a more critically aware and inclusive approach by also engaging with the enduring cultural logics of imperialism and colonialism. This includes reflecting on the ways in which CCM research may inadvertently reproduce those logics today.

Pages: 90

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 4

This section introduction highlights the many changes that have taken place over the past decade. It emphasizes the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the world of work, in addition to societal movements, ongoing geopolitical tensions and uncertainties, and the need for organizations to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It concludes by introducing the seven chapters which feature in this section of the book.

Pages: 12

The rapid digitalization of workplaces is creating new opportunities for organizing flexible work arrangements, significantly impacting employees on a global scale. Despite these advancements, cross-cultural management research remains predominantly focused on traditional practices centered around physical and synchronous interactions. This chapter addresses the need for cross-cultural management to incorporate flexible work arrangements as a field of study. Against this background, we introduce a conceptual model emphasizing the importance of international managers’ digital mindset in dealing with intercultural issues in dynamic work situations. By leveraging digital tools, we argue that international managers can enhance employee adjustment to new work environments, improve connectivity among diverse workgroups, and build resilience to ongoing changes. This, in turn, can help employees overcome flexibility-induced workplace challenges with a specific focus on work-life boundaries and interdependencies among culturally diverse and temporally/locationally dispersed employees. Finally, we summarize our main results and use this as a departure point for suggestions for future research endeavors.

Pages: 12

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) increasingly operate in a politically violent world where terrorism and war are prevalent. This creates substantial political risks, legitimacy challenges, and security concerns for firms and their stakeholders. Companies can be affected by violence even when not directly operating in conflict zones, and they are expected to respond appropriately. Firms are not merely victims or passive actors in these environments—their behaviours and actions can sometimes collude with violent actors or directly elicit violence against their stakeholders. In this chapter, I examine the major types of political violence affecting MNEs and discuss their associated risks. This includes recognising state terrorism, which, despite being both a historical and contemporary feature of the international business (IB) landscape, has been relatively overlooked by IB and management scholars.

Pages: 13

This chapter offers a novel perspective on cross-cultural management by analyzing China’s Corporate Social Credit System (SCS) as a paradigmatic example of how cultural contexts reshape market regulation. Unlike traditional corporate accountability frameworks such as corporate social responsibility, the SCS represents a distinctively Chinese approach to organizational oversight, emerging from the country’s unique historical and cultural trajectory. The analysis is situated within the broader context of ongoing geopolitical shifts, where economic power is transitioning from the G-7 to Emerging Economies, with China and India at the forefront. The SCS exemplifies how regulatory innovations can emerge from non-Western contexts, challenging conventional management paradigms. Given the increasing global economic significance of Chinese firms and the system’s potential to influence international management practices, this chapter argues for a nuanced understanding of culturally embedded regulatory mechanisms. Moreover, the research suggests a broader trend among Emerging Economies of adapting and localizing governance models to reflect their distinctive domestic characteristics. By critically examining the SCS, this chapter not only illuminates China’s unique regulatory approach but also provides insights into the evolving dynamics of global corporate accountability in an increasingly multipolar economic landscape.

Pages: 11

Cultural factors are tightly linked with cybercrime and cybersecurity. This chapter examines various cultural processes associated with cybercrime and cybersecurity. We analyze how key components of culture affect how a cybercrime is defined, conceptualized, theorized, measured, responded to, and policed. Also considered in the chapter are how cultural factors affect orientation toward various ingredients of cybercrime, propensity to engage in cybercrimes, attitude toward potential victims, and nature of cyberoffenses committed. A special focus of this chapter is also on the justifiability and acceptability of victimizing cultural Others. Investigated in this chapter is also how various aspects of culture are related to cybersecurity measures.

Pages: 11

We use 2022 FIFA and other examples of mega sport to illustrate dynamics in contemporary international culture about queer identities and Muslims. Discussions of mega-events focus either on economics or social justice. In particular, ‘sportswashing’ has become a dominant way of denouncing oppressive government’s use of using mega-events for branding. However, homocolonialism shows how Islamophobias and homophobias are potentially entangled in colonial discourses of Western superiority, giving nuance to sportswashing critiques of the global south. We apply the homocolonial analytic to show that the debates around Qatar 2022 and queer rights ignored the lives and experiences of queer Qataris. By considering the broader dynamics of past and future, we point to an inevitable tension between the growing scale and proliferation of commercialized sports mega-events and the increasing focus on human rights and cultural inclusion that permeates both wider consumer cultures and the rationales for hosting mega-events. Rather than a resolution, we suggest that we recognize that the values of human rights are part of the commodity system that anchors mega-events as overwhelmingly economic entities driven by the needs of the host nation, transnational corporations and the international governing sports body.

Pages: 12

This chapter explores and provides insights into female entrepreneurship in West Africa during the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery phase. It expounds on the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs and the opportunities to exploit as West African countries navigate the economic aftermath of the pandemic. The narrative further highlights the historical and pre-existing cultural, religious, social and economic factors that have influenced female entrepreneurship in West Africa before the COVID-19 pandemic. The study uncovers the pandemic impact on female-owned businesses and the potential adaptive strategies adopted to deal with the challenges. This chapter ends by highlighting the role of governmental and institutional support, emerging market possibilities, challenges in the recovery phase, and possible research areas to further advance understanding of female entrepreneurship in this context.

Pages: 13

The circular economy (CE) has gained international momentum as a strategy to reduce environmental degradation and resource inefficiency. Yet, its global application often overlooks the cultural specificities that shape how societies conceptualise waste, responsibility, and sustainability. This chapter examines the intersection between CE discourse and cultural diversity, highlighting the risks of universalised models that may reproduce environmental injustices. Drawing on insights from environmental governance, political ecology, and cultural theory, this critique challenges dominant narratives that portray CE as neutral or technical. Case studies from India, Sweden, and Brazil illustrate how cultural beliefs, informal economies, and traditional knowledge shape circular practices. Without attention to local values and lived realities, CE initiatives risk marginalising communities and reinforcing global inequalities. A more inclusive and culturally responsive approach is needed—one that recognises the political and ethical dimensions of sustainability and promotes equitable transitions across diverse contexts.

Pages: 94

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 5

This section’s introduction traces developments in the field of language-sensitive International Business, noting how language has now arrived at the core of cross-cultural management. This chapter explores a wide range of topics and themes and shows how the field has developed an increasing emphasis on social interactions. It also highlights the potential for interdisciplinary work drawing on proximate disciplines, such as sociolinguistics, for this field of enquiry. It concludes by introducing the seven chapters that form this section of the book.

Pages: 13

The field of language-sensitive research in international business explores language diversity in multinational and multilingual organizations. Over the years, this field has been dominated by functionalist approaches that consider language an instrumental tool of corporate strategy to be controlled. In this chapter, we argue that the view of language as a corporate control mechanism is giving way to alternative approaches that underscore a sense of caring and responsibility. We define responsible language use as instrinsically inclusive, multivocal, and multilingual that emphasizes linguistic (in)justice and is based on moral and ethical considerations. This shift to responsible language use is particularly visible in the four topics that we highlight as promising avenues for future research: (i) language and migrants; (ii) language and equality, diversity, and inclusion; (iii) language and technology; and (iv) language and research methodology. In discussing them, we distill key concepts and propose potential research questions that nudge the field from a focus on controlling to a focus on caring.

Pages: 14

In diverse linguistic and cultural environments, multinational corporations (MNCs) rely on corporate language—specifically corporate terminology, i.e., the vocabulary that represents the specialized knowledge and internal operations of an MNC—for effective internal and external communication, knowledge transfer, and operational effectiveness. This chapter argues that while corporate language policies often emphasize standardization through adopting a common national language as lingua franca, a more effective approach to managing linguistic and cultural variation is terminology management. It harmonizes (rather than homogenizes) the MNC’s terminology by documenting and organizing variation while maintaining organizational coherence and fostering both global integration and local responsiveness. Drawing on empirical insights from an intensive case study of a Spanish-based financial services provider operating in Latin American markets, this chapter demonstrates how systematic terminology management constitutes a tangible strategic asset for optimizing cross-cultural communication and organizational effectiveness beyond traditional language standardization approaches.

Pages: 11

In this chapter, I argue for the benefit of applying sociolinguistic perspectives and theories within the field of cross-cultural management. Since language plays a central role in studies of cross-cultural communication in organisations, it makes sense to include perspectives from a research field that specialises in the intersection between language and social worlds. This chapter introduces sociolinguistic theories and perspectives with particular relevance for studies of cross-cultural management, including language ideologies, language policy, language learning and investment and decapitalisation. This chapter also provides examples of existing research that draws on these frameworks to investigate issues of cross-cultural management and international business.

Pages: 14

This chapter critically examines the role of accent in cross-cultural communication within Anglophone workplaces. We draw on critical intercultural communication studies, which pay attention to the power dynamics, and sociocultural and historical context of communication exchanges. The approach enables us to consider how micro-level interactions are shaped by broader structural conditions. With a focus on the role and effects of nonnative English accents in an Anglophone context, we provide illustrative examples drawn from 54 semi-structured interviews with international academics working in UK business schools. The examples show participants’ experiences and self-perceptions related to having a nonnative accent, including ways of adjusting to, but also resisting, accent-based evaluations and claims related to intelligibility. We discuss how accent intersects with other identity categories, and how the participants’ accent management strategies point to the hidden labour undertaken by nonnative speakers. Recognizing and addressing accent-related dynamics of organisational inclusion and exclusion paves the way for more equitable and supportive linguistically diverse work environments.

Pages: 12

This chapter explores the role of boundary spanners in managing linguistic diversity within multilingual teams. Through semi-structured interviews with 36 individuals from six linguistically diverse teams, we investigate how these boundary spanners, who possess proficiency in multiple languages, bridge linguistic divides, facilitate communication, and enhance team cohesion. From the intersectionality perspective, we look at the intersection of language, gender, and age to highlight how these factors influence the effectiveness of boundary-spanning activities. The study reveals that multilingual managers can use humour as a powerful tool to reduce linguistic faultlines and foster an inclusive work environment. However, the successful use of humour is influenced by the social positioning of the manager concerning gender and age. Younger female multilingual managers are often perceived as more effective in using humour to bridge divides, whereas females in older age brackets face more challenges due to prevailing stereotypes. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at play in linguistically diverse teams and underscore the need for organisations to consider intersectional factors when developing strategies for managing diversity at interpersonal and organisational levels.

Pages: 11

Drawing on previous literature mostly focusing on the English language in Global North workplaces, this chapter explores the performance of raciolinguistic tasks, the work that racially minoritized workers do to or with language for the purpose of reproducing their “deficient” or “subservient” positioning under white supremacy. These tasks include the practice of résumé whitening, the accent training of call centre agents, the code-switching done by Black professionals, and the translation/interpreting performed by bilingual workers. Such examples speak to the need for greater recognition of how language is not a technical tool for workplace communication, but rather a site to reproduce racial difference and inequality.

Pages: 12

In the organisational recruitment context, candidates’ accent is a largely immutable signal that communicates information to a decision-maker that may bias their assessment of the candidate. The study investigates accent prejudice in South Africa (highly ethnically and linguistically diverse), finding that accent affects hiring decision-making in a subnational intercultural communication context. Using experimental vignette methodology, two equivalent candidates were presented for a position; one had a traditional Black accent, the other had a ‘crossover’ accent (approximating White South African speakers). The crossover speaker’s speech was rated higher by respondents (n = 316), was judged to be more suitable for the job and was more likely to be recommended for progression. The findings show that in a context where sociohistorical cues are signalled through accent, hiring managers’ perceptions of candidates are influenced by accent, which has implications for implicit bias identification and prevention of discrimination in hyperlocal cross-cultural settings.

Pages: 92

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 5

This section’s introduction positions migration as a central feature of contemporary societies and organizations. It acknowledges how migration has only recently become a topic of enquiry for management scholars and highlights how, historically, CCM scholars have been primarily concerned with a relatively narrow set of migrants in the form of organizational expatriates, which is only recently beginning to change, as this section documents. It concludes by introducing the seven chapters of this section, which cover a variety of migration types.

Pages: 12

Research on immigrant workplace integration has traditionally emphasized structural barriers that hinder inclusion. Increasingly, however, scholars have turned attention to the agency of immigrants – the strategies and tactics they deploy to navigate these barriers and adapt to workplace norms. Such strategies are pivotal for fostering mutual acceptance, enhancing job satisfaction, and strengthening organizational cohesion. This chapter critically examines the strategies skilled immigrants use both to integrate into workplace cultures and to advance their careers. Drawing on management and organization studies (MOS), it offers a structured review of the existing literature, with the dual aim of deepening understanding of the mechanisms of workplace adaptation and offering practical recommendations for policymakers and employers seeking to cultivate more inclusive organizational environments. The chapter is organized around the framework developed by Legrand et al., which identified four key strategies used by immigrants to overcome challenges and attain senior positions in French firms. While Legrand et al. conceptualized these strategies as responses to specific workplace obstacles, we adopt them here as a heuristic tool for synthesizing and analysing the broader literature on immigrant workplace integration.

Pages: 12

Climate change is expected to contribute to increasing human displacement with important implications for global mobilities. Despite a long tradition in cross-cultural management (CCM) of studying global mobility, climate-motivated mobilities remain unexplored. In this chapter, we entice CCM scholars to address this gap by reviewing different terminologies used to describe the phenomenon and persons affected – internal versus external displacement, climate versus environment, refugee versus migrant. We use an environmental justice lens to conceptualize migration capital and propose a typology of climate mobilities – climate migrants, climate refugees, and climate precarious persons – that considers how climate change disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations, amplifying existing social inequalities, and reducing their ability to adapt to climate threats. We conclude with a call for more research within CCM studies to examine the role that individuals and organizations can play in supporting persons differently impacted by climate and environmental change.

Pages: 11

The employment of refugees is an important topic for politics and management practice due to the increasing number of international refugees worldwide. This chapter explores the challenges and contextual influences on refugee employment throughout the phases of arrival, job search and workplace inclusion. It illustrates how refugee employment operates within the tension between paternalism and empowerment. Many practices designed to foster refugee employment exhibit an inherent paternalism linked to asymmetrical power relations, which can lead to reduced self-confidence and diminished self-determination among refugees. Consequently, refugees often cannot realise their full potential, which is problematic not only for the refugees themselves, but also for economies and individual employers. Adopting a constructive approach to cross-cultural management, we argue that a stronger focus on empowerment can create a win-win situation for refugees and employers alike.

Pages: 12

This chapter reveals challenges faced by migrant healthcare providers working in a Japanese eldercare facility who are recruited through a bilateral free-trade agreement. Ethnographic data is presented to contour how institutional micropolitics and workforce shortages have contributed to shape a challenging situation where migrant workers are positioned as cultural other and are pushed to choose a temporary position with minimal credentialing. This chapter ends with a reflection on the programmatic issues of the free-trade agreement, which offers an additional explanation to the perceived challenges.

Pages: 12

This chapter examines the integration of migrant women through an intersectional and positional lens, drawing on intersectionality, translocational positionality, and mixed embeddedness to capture the interplay of gender, ethnicity, class, migration status, and temporality. It explores how structural, economic, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers—manifest in deskilling, labour market segmentation, and exclusionary workplace practices—interact with agency in shaping integration trajectories. Empirical insights reveal how migrant women navigate precarious employment, engage in entrepreneurship, and construct entrepreneurial identities within shifting opportunity structures. The chapter emphasises that integration is non-linear, context-dependent, and mediated by evolving social locations. It argues for cross-cultural management approaches that move beyond single-axis diversity frameworks, embedding intersectionality in organisational policies, skills recognition systems, and support for entrepreneurial agency. This chapter contributes to scholarly and policy debates on fostering equitable integration processes that recognise the complexity and heterogeneity of migrant women’s experiences.

Pages: 14

This chapter aims to understand expatriates’ assessments of their host country regarding the effectiveness of local managers and local business performance. Survey data from 371 expatriates working in five Arab Middle Eastern countries (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) was collected using key expatriate associations and expatriate social web platforms. Results show a positive relationship between value attributed to perceived gender and cultural diversity and local business performance, a relationship mediated by local managers’ effectiveness. We contribute to cross-cultural management by showing that there are significant differences between host countries in terms of the value being attributed to both cultural and gender diversity as well as of local managerial effectiveness and local business performance. This builds on the expatriation literature by identifying how specific cultural aspects affect the expatriate experiences in host countries. In the context of cross-cultural management, to our knowledge, this is among the first studies that attempt to understand expatriates’ assessment of the cultural differences that exist in the Arab Middle Eastern countries and how these differences impact local businesses and managers, ultimately reflecting on local business performance.

Pages: 12

Forced migration continues to reshape societies globally, with refugee entrepreneurship emerging as a vital pathway for economic and social integration. This chapter explores how overlapping dimensions of diversity such as culture, language, religion, and identity, as well as institutional contexts—shape refugee entrepreneurial experiences and theoretical understandings of this phenomenon. We also compare refugee entrepreneurship in European and non-European contexts, emphasizing the importance of local conditions, institutional frameworks, and socio-cultural embeddedness. We argue that culture and other diversity dimensions should be central—not peripheral—in refugee entrepreneurship research. Building on previous studies, we propose three future research streams: (1) refugee entrepreneurship in multilingual contexts, (2) multicultural identity dynamics, and (3) religion and intersectionality. We conclude with practical implications for policymakers.

Pages: 88

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 4

This section’s introduction highlights the paradigmatic approaches typically used in cross-cultural management research. It highlights the dominance of the positivist approach but notes the increasing trend towards more critical perspectives and a sensitivity to power. As part of this, it highlights the possibilities offered by postcolonial and decolonial approaches, which include interrogating the default position of English for the production of academic knowledge. It concludes by introducing the seven chapters that form this section of the book.

Pages: 10

This chapter introduces the scope and aims of a power-sensitive cross-cultural management. The premise is that power and the cross-cultural differences, as objectively definable and/or as experienced in interaction, are inseparable. Power-sensitive cross-cultural management research is rooted in the critical change agenda and spans two main paradigmatic variations – critically functionalist and critically interpretive power-sensitivity. The intended outcome of a power-sensitive cross-cultural management is systemic change towards a more responsible, inclusive and fair cross-cultural management, however conceptualized. Drawing on an illustrative case, this chapter highlights the unique contributions which a power-sensitive cross-cultural management research and practice may make. Power is differentiated into four main facets, namely discourse, structure, practice and agency, all of which are interrelated circuits of power shaping cross-cultural realities and experiences. Researchers and managers therefore need to handle power responsibly and, in particular, be aware of when not to act in the best interest of others.

Pages: 11

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and others (LGBT+) inclusion research typically focuses on contexts that support such cultural diversity. However, critical cultural studies urge scholars to explore the uneven nature of inclusion practices through cross-national and norm-critical perspectives. This chapter explores LGBT+ inclusion and its varied forms in supportive and unsupportive contexts. We begin by discussing how context shapes LGBT+ inclusion. We then explore how cross-cultural management scholars can analyse LGBT+ inclusion through a critical cultural perspective. From a cross-national viewpoint, the chapter showcases the uneven nature of LGBT+ supportive and unsupportive cultures, legal frameworks, and organisational policies. We view LGBT+ inclusion as a human rights concern that experiences hysteresis, i.e. a clash between progress and tradition, but ultimately progresses by overcoming setbacks. Our approach to LGBT+ inclusion differs from deterministic approaches, as we adopt a norm-critical approach highlighting the lack of thriving in organisations with inclusion, even in supportive contexts. We adopt a critical approach that recognises the emic processes; we examine possibilities and practicalities of inclusion in unsupportive and supportive contexts. By providing action repertoires to organisational leaders, we encourage them to consider the tensions between global standardisation and local adaptation of LGBT+ inclusion practices.

Pages: 13

In this chapter, we critically reflect on diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in the Brazilian organisational context. We start from the understanding that diversity, when approached merely as a managerial tool, tends to be emptied of its transformative potential. We observe how institutional discourses of inclusion often coexist with practices of symbolic silencing and the preservation of exclusionary structures. We discuss the ambiguity of initiatives such as organisational collectives, which may operate both as spaces of resistance and as mechanisms of institutional control. We question the logic of performative inclusion, which prioritises a diverse image over real changes in decision-making processes and power structures. We propose an approach to diversity management that acknowledges conflict, intersectionality, and context as central elements. We advocate for qualified listening, the recognition of historically marginalised voices, and the adoption of organisational practices committed to justice and redistribution. This chapter invites a critical revision of normative models and the construction of more ethical, situated, and genuinely transformative institutional practices.

Pages: 12

This chapter extends upon the original 2015 publication, “Postcolonial feminist contributions to cross-cultural management,” by including decolonial and transnational feminist frameworks. The original chapter focused broadly on both theoretical considerations and pedagogical implications made possible by the intersection of postcolonial feminist work and cross-cultural management (CCM). Its goals were to highlight the contributions of postcolonial feminist perspectives to the study of culture in management research and to provide observations on what new directions could be taken in regard to pedagogy. The 2015 chapter focused on issues of cultural differences, representation, and reflexivity. This chapter provides a brief overview of postcolonial feminist work in CCM since the publication of the original chapter, expands into decolonial and transnational feminist frameworks, and provides insights about their contributions to CCM theory and pedagogy. This chapter contributes to the growing area of critical CCM and fosters continued engagement with epistemic and pedagogical implications of different feminist frameworks with cross-cultural theorizing and research.

Pages: 12

Cross-cultural research is more complex when it involves a cross-language dimension. A further layer of complexity is added when the context of research is embedded in a political economy characterised by unequal power relations. Existing research has given much attention to the ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ positions and their influence on cross-cultural research. A critical perspective on how these positions evolve in a cross-language situation is rare in research methodologies. This chapter focuses on the use of interpreters in cross-cultural research by drawing on a study of migrant workers in a global south migration context. The findings present extracts from interviews involving four interpreters, of whom two were from the migrant group and two were from a gatekeeping organisation. The study highlights how the positionality of the four interpreters was influenced by their agency during interviews. Importantly, the findings revealed that these positionalities are deeply embedded in different power relations that permeate their relationships with research participants. The chapter calls for the need to reconsider the influence of interpreters in cross-cultural studies where cross-language and power dimensions exist.

Pages: 12

In this chapter, we trace a number of key shifts in the empirical realities of cross-cultural managers and in the approaches to studying and conceptualizing them. Under the “changes on the ground”, we observe the transformation of the nature of the multinational corporation’s overall constitution, the shifting understandings of cultural difference in the world of practice and the transformation of traditional expatriation. Under “changes in theorizing” we note the long-standing but evolving challenge to culturalism, the shift towards a positive view of cultural difference, the political nature of the work of the cross-cultural manager and the acknowledgment of the dark side of the job as noteworthy developments. We conclude by reiterating that the cross-cultural manager merits continued investigation.

Pages: 10

This chapter examines how global artificial intelligence (AI) imperatives intersect with postcolonial realities in Latin American business education, using Peru as a case study. Rather than viewing technology adoption through traditional cross-cultural management (CCM) lenses of cultural compatibility, we argue that AI implementation reproduces colonial hierarchies of knowledge and power. Drawing on Quijano’s concept of coloniality and Bourdieu’s field theory, we analyze three distinct strategies: strategic imitation by elite schools seeking global prestige, pragmatic adaptation by resource-constrained institutions, and epistemic disobedience by marginalized actors who repurpose technologies for local needs. The analysis shows how technology transfer is never neutral but occurs within contested fields shaped by historical asymmetries. We conclude that effective AI adoption in the Global South requires moving beyond technical training toward critical appropriation strategies that address local organizational realities. This postcolonial perspective enriches CCM by highlighting how power relations, rather than cultural differences alone, shape technological encounters in globalized contexts.

Pages: 2

This section offers the editors’ concluding remarks to the book, in which they note the potential contributions from other disciplines to cross-cultural management (CCM) research and call for increasing paradigmatic pluralism. As part of this, they note the continued importance of non-cultural explanations for empirical phenomena. They highlight the need for an inclusive CCM which embraces power-sensitive approaches and incorporates indigenous knowledge and conclude with a call to scholars to continue to explore not just how but why cultures differ.