In the digital Classroom with Dr. Christopher Schlägel
Visiting professor Dr. Schlägel, from the University of Groning in the Netherlands, held his master lecture “Cross-Cultural Management” digitally this semester. This course taught more then 100 students from over 27 countries, while 76% of the students came from countries other than Germany.
Visiting professor Dr. Schlägel held his master lecture “Cross-Cultural Management” digitally this semester. This course taught more then 100 students from over 27 countries, while 76% of the students came from countries other than Germany.
Given the internationalization activities of corporations and the multicultural environment in today’s workplace, managing cultural differences is a key factor in achieving organizational objectives. The course aims to develop students’ ability to better understand both the challenges and the opportunities that a multicultural context provides. Moreover, the online lectures and team assignments help students to develop a better understanding of the impact of culture on business behaviors and practices.
In an individual assignment, students participated in an online survey, providing in-depth insights on their multicultural experiences, the formation and development of their intercultural competence, and the influence of the current pandemic on the intention to work abroad after their studies.
In the team assignments four to six students with different cultural backgrounds worked together in virtual teams to analyze and develop solutions for three case studies, covering different aspects in the context of international management, specifically the cross-cultural adjustment of expatriates, cross-cultural negotiations, and the HR challenges of fighting COVID-19 in a multicultural firm.
While working on these assignments, just as millions of employees worldwide in the last months, the multicultural virtual teams had to overcome the difficulties associated with spatial and temporal separation as several team members work from their home countries. According to Dr. Schlägel, the students have done an excellent job tackling these issues, specifically in the challenging context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the online learning environment.
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