Asbjorn Osland

Organizational Implications of Latin American Culture Lessons for the Expatriate Manager

What does an expatriate manager (or consultant or visiting professor) need to understand about the local culture to work effectively in Latin American organizations? This article contains the major lessons we have accumulated over many years spent working in and around Latin American organization. We overcame a reluctance to make generalizations about large and varied region, albeit with a coherent value system (INGLEHART; CARBALLO, 1997), to submit our best effort at identifying cultural explorations that underlie common organizational problems were overcome. Without question, there are

Expatriate Paradoxes and Cultural Involvement

This exploratory study articulates and describes nine paradoxes inherent in the expatriate experience based on data from a sample of 35 repatriated businesspeople. Factor analysis produced four factors: bridging cultures, self identity, cautious optimism, and cultural intelligence. They correlated with several measures of cultural involvement, an original concept that refers to the extent to which expatriates enter the foreign culture and work interdependently with host country nationals. This indicates that expatriates who are more involved in the local culture seem more likely to experience paradox. Content analysis described how expatriates handle and resolve paradox.

Exceptional global leadership as cognitive expertise in the domain of global change

Prior empirical investigations in global leadership are typified by a content approach using surveys or interviews. Research on how global leaders perceive and respond to their work context is scant. This investigation focused on global leadership as a form of expert cognition in the domain of global change. We employed applied cognitive task analysis and content analysis to identify how exceptional global leaders conceptualise their work contexts, approach their work, and develop their expertise. Our findings suggest that characteristics of the work context exert a strong influence on the type of expertise that global leaders exhibit. We conclude with a consideration of the implications of these findings and the expert cognition approach for future research on global leadership behaviour.

An exploratory study of the role of HRM and the transfer of German MNC sustainability values to Brazil

Sustainability, defined here as the triple bottom line, is rapidly gaining importance as a societal and strategic business concern. Research on sustainability linked with Human Resource Management (HRM) is very limited. Although HR is often tasked with training and transferring values related to corporate strategy, an investigation of 10 German multinationals and their Brazilian subsidiaries found varying levels of HR involvement in the organisation of sustainability programmes or the transfer of German sustainability values to Brazilian subsidiaries. Content analysis of company reports resulted in an original model that includes five core components that characterise sustainability management in this sample: rationale, conceptual framework, direction, transfer and evaluation. Follow-up interviews with German and Brazilian executives specified the role of HRM in sustainability and the German-Brazilian transfer process. We conclude with suggestions for future research directions and a discussion of the models practical HR implications for implementing sustainability initiatives.

Poverty and the Multiple Stakeholder Challenge for Global Leaders

The article presents a case study in which business leaders deal with challenging problems related to poverty, involving multiple stakeholders. This emphasizes the importance of training prospective global leaders to manage stakeholder relationships and engage in stakeholder dialogue. The authors highlight the stakeholder role played by nongovernmental organizations and include a simulation that develops stakeholder dialogue skills. They identify practical lessons and assumptions underlying business education that are not shared by all stakeholders in the context of poverty.

Aracruz Celulose: best practices icon but still at risk

Purpose – The purpose of this case study is to illustrate the global risks facing an award-winning company known for best practices in sustainability and HRM that, nevertheless, is challenged by a contentious land dispute with indigenous communities and numerous stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – This is a case study based primarily on secondary sources, such as reports and web sites of the company and its stakeholders. Findings – Aracruz Celulose SA, a Brazilian pulp company founded by a Norwegian, owns legal title to land claimed by indigenous communities. As a result, they face a complex array of additional stakeholders with contradictory perspectives: local and international non-governmental organizations, various Brazilian and Norwegian Government entities, the World Bank, and investors. The company runs the risk of losing land and assets, reputation, and investors. There are few simple solutions to the dilemma of unresolved property rights and agrarian reform problematic in much of Latin America. Even Aracruzs hoped – for court ruling may not guarantee an end to conflict without a creative solution. Research limitations/implications – The controversy is ongoing and the outcomes are not yet determined. Based on one case, limited generalizations can be made. Originality/value – Numerous best practices in the operational areas under a companys control cannot completely protect firms from risks related to larger societal dilemmas and the need to negotiate win-win solutions with stakeholders.

Contextualization and strategic international human resource management approaches: the case of Central America and Panama

This article extends previous work on international human resource management by contextualizing an integrated model based on the practice of human resource management (HRM) in Central America and Panama. Based on research and insights contributed by a panel of expert HRM scholars and practitioners, the article begins with a description of the regional socio-economic factors that influence this function and of the institution of HRM in Central America and Panama. Case studies provide examples of adaptive and exportive HRM approaches. After viewing the model from a Central America perspective, we propose modifications to reflect (1) a more embedded, interactive approach, (2) the reality of hybrid models rather than pure HRM approaches and (3) the necessity of viewing regional HRM as an institutional system.

Restructuring with the Middle-Management Advantage

The strategic roles enabling conditions and intermediate outcomes of middle managers during a period of organizational restructuring were examined, with focus on developing an understanding of how senior management can best enable middle managers to achieve radical change. The case method was used, and data were collected from interviews with both middle and senior managers. Results revealed considerable differences between executives and middle mangers with regard to middle managements strategic roles, enabling conditions and outcomes. Findings suggest that the 2 groups have different perceptions on how best to support middle management in strategic roles, especially during a crisis. Senior managers felt that middle managers required much explanation and guidance concerning the restructuring effort, viewing middle managers as primarily implementers. Middle managers viewed themselves in a more active role as providers of information necessary in guiding the restructuring decisions. In the area of intermediate outcomes, senior managers emphasized gaining consensus from middle managers to support implementation, but middle managers valued the outcome of securing agency over their own work to act in the best interests of the organization. Thus, middle managers can add value during a time of restructuring by matching strategic roles, enabling conditions and intermediate outcomes with the requirements of the strategic change.

Student and Professor Similarity: Exploring the Effects of Gender and Relative Age

The authors examined student responses to faculty traits. Earlier findings revealing a preference for male instructors were obtained before female faculty and students were prevalent on college campuses and may have reflected a male demographic similarity effect. It was hypothesized that students would more favorably evaluate faculty who were similar in gender and in relative age (as reflected in faculty rank). As anticipated, female students evaluated female lower ranked faculty most favorably, and male higher ranked faculty least favorably. However, male students showed mixed effects. Although their evaluations were more favorable for lower ranked male faculty, they unexpectedly did not degrade higher ranked female faculty. Discussion focuses on gender-related causal factors and implications.

The Tug-of-War Between Cash Flow and Institutional Values in a College-Seminary Merger

This case study documents the merger of a liberal arts college and a seminary, with particular attention to fiscal aspects of the venture. The interaction of Friends Regional University (FRU) with its seminary offers important theoretical lessons because of the interplay of three factors:1) FRU has a strong institutional context based on the evangelical Christian identity of the school. The undergraduate program was created more than one century ago as a Christ-centered opportunity for young people to integrate their faith and learning.2) From 1986, FRU had become more dependent on adult programming to meet its budgetary commitments. The adult programs also served to broaden institutional scope in the transition from college to university.3) Furthermore, throughout the history of FRU, the leadership had a strongly developed perceptual schema shaped by their evangelical Christian faith and lifestyles. Tension between the institutional perspective and resource dependency was evident in how FRU dealt with its seminary during the time of the case study (1996–2002). The seminary was clearly Christian and had lost money each year for the past several years prior to 2003. In the perspective of the president, vice president for academic affairs, and the board, the seminary was categorized as an adult program and therefore should have been able to cover all its direct costs as well some indirect costs. The article reviews these issues and concludes with a discussion of how the difficulties created by the merger were negotiated.