Training managers in Spain for cultural sensitivity in global business

Spanish business schools over the last twenty years have been opening up to a more active role in globalized business. The student body is increasingly international, open-minded, cross-culturally aware and multi-lingual. Globalization is having a considerable impact on training managers engaged in negotiating and doing business across cultures. With my masters and MBA students I have been exploring ways to heighten and encourage cross-cultural awareness working through a triangulated approach considering emics or cultural specific knowledge, etic value dimension approach and dynamic learning at cultural interfaces as a third way. The emic/etic distinction is useful but can be frustrating for the students; the etic value dimensions approach has come under attack in the literature: John Berry suggested "derived etics" as an alternative to "imposed etics" in the insider-outsider debate (Berry 1980, 1990); culture-general etics are tested for applicability in specific cultures. The Kulturstandard used bi-lateral cultural perception in line with the culture assimilator tradition of Brislin and Cushner to derive statements about other cultures. The poster session will illustrate methodologies I have developed over recent years in ESADE, Barcelona.