Cross-cultural Management

Cross-cultural Management

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Core Specialized Courses

Graduate School of Social Sciences

All

KCWMS5MCA1

2.00Credits

講義 (Lecture)

Fall semester 2026

(Fall semester)

Takara Kenza Allal-Sumoto

Graduate School of Social Sciences

English

5／8／10／16

By appointment, or before or after class
Research buildingⅡ（研究棟Ⅱ）B-306

allalsumoto@em.u-hyogo.ac.jp

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2◎／3〇／5〇

N/a

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Course Purpose

This course examines how cultural diversity shapes management practices and workplace interaction in international and multilingual environments. Students will learn how to analyze intercultural situations—such as teamwork, negotiation, decision-making, and conflict—using key concepts and research-informed frameworks, and how to design practical, ethical, and feasible interventions (e.g., training, team norms, and organizational policies).
The course also emphasizes responsible interpretation: students will be trained to avoid simplistic national stereotypes and to consider non-cultural factors (e.g., roles, power relations, institutional constraints, and language/pragmatics).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Explain major concepts that link culture and management in organizational settings.
2. Analyze intercultural situations (teams, negotiation, decision-making, conflict) using theory and propose evidence-informed alternatives.
3. Use cultural frameworks as analytical tools while critically addressing risks of overgeneralization, bias, and ethnocentrism.
4. Collaborate in mixed teams to develop and present practical recommendations for intercultural management (training, policy, and team practices), including implementation steps and evaluation metrics.

Cultural diversity, International and multilingual environments

The course transitions from foundational cultural concepts to practical applications in communication, negotiation, multicultural teamwork, and conflict management through readings, case workshops, and a final group project.

Week 1: Course Orientation / What Is “Intercultural Management”?
Week 2: Why It Matters (Relevance of Intercultural Management)
Week 3: What Is Culture? (Definitions, Visible/Invisible Layers)
Week 4: How Do We Study Culture? (Methods, Measurement, Pitfalls)
Week 5: Concepts of Culture (Major Frameworks)
Week 6: Differences and Similarities (Beyond “Difference-Only” Thinking)
Week 7: Case Workshop 1 (Critical Incident Analysis)
Week 8: Communication and Negotiation (Language, Indirectness, Politeness)
Week 9: Case Workshop 2 (Negotiation / Meeting Management)
Week 10: Individuals, Teams, Organizations (Managing Multicultural Teams)
Week 11: Case Workshop 3 (Conflict / Leadership / HR)
Week 12: Intercultural Competence (Concept and Assessment)
Week 13: Intercultural Training (Design for Practice)
Week 14: Integration and Project Clinic (Peer Review + Rehearsal)
Week 15: Final Presentations and Wrap-up

The course schedule may be adjusted slightly to better reflect students’ interests and learning progress.

In-person

Limited permission for use

All submitted work must be original and properly referenced where appropriate. If AI tools are used for language support, students must follow the instructor’s guidelines and remain responsible for accuracy and originality.

Materials will be provided by the instructor.

Students will spend between two and three hours outside of class each week reviewing the material and preparing for class.

Students will actively conduct research and plan their discussion, group work, and presentation.

Weekly Reading Notes &  Reflective Learning Journals (20%)
Case Facilitation (20%)
Midterm report (30%)
Final Project (30%)

The instructor will give feedback in class or in Unipa.

1. Responsible Use of Culture Concepts
Students must avoid deterministic statements that equate nationality with personality. Cultural patterns should be discussed as context-dependent tendencies, and analysis should include non-cultural explanations (organizational rules, power relations, role expectations, and language conditions).

2. Participation and Classroom Conduct
This course relies on discussion-based learning. Students are expected to contribute respectfully, listen actively, and support inclusive participation in mixed teams.

3. Submission and Deadlines
Late submissions may receive grade penalties unless prior arrangements are made. Detailed submission instructions (format, platform, due times) will be provided in class or via Unipa.