Integrating Culture and Management in Global Organizations
INSIDE 2 From the Editor --
Opening a Dialogue
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Mis-understanding Arabs by Gary R. Weaver
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Working Lunches and État Civil by Michael Balz
H-1B Workers - Is It Fun Anymore? by Robinder Sachdev For decades skilled immigrant labor has been contributing to the economic powerhouse that is America. The technology industry in particular has been a constant consumer of skilled professionals, and over time, immigration policy has adapted to industry needs – reflected in the growing quota for H-1B visas over the recent years. One reason why the technology industry has been able to absorb and utilize foreign workers is the fact that most of the work handled by these workers is quantitative in nature – i.e., engineering, software development, database management, etc. The qualitative aspects have traditionally been the domain of the domestic professionals or at most of foreign professionals educated in the US. The economic boom of the late 90’s led to a hiring spree of foreign workers – particularly in the telecommunication and the dot-com sectors.
This trend was accompanied with its own cultural issues – both for the firms as well as the employees. However, it may be said that these issues were benign in nature compared to what the H-1B professional faces today in a scenario that is immigrant unfriendly post September 11 and worker unfriendly due to the ongoing recession. The pre-2001 issues were related to management and mobility – both professional and class. Management was concerned with recruitment and retention of quality workers in a competitive environment. Accompanying these concerns was the challenge of cross-cultural communication and intercultural management at the workplace. On the other hand, workers were enthused with participating in a free-market where they could realize further monetary gains and move into decision-making positions.
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6 Book Reviews
The McSally Case, A Critical Issue for Interculturalists by Debbie D. Gulick
10 From the Popular Press Volume 3, Number 1
Spring 20 0 2 E diti o n A quarterly publication produced by the Intercultural Management Institute, School of International Service at American University
Lt. Col. Martha McSally has sparked debate on a fundamental and provocative question about overseas policies that all international managers dfgdfg should consider: To what extent should expatriates be required to follow their host country’s customs when those customs are contrary to their own beliefs? McSally is the U.S. Air Force’s highestranking female fighter pilot, one of the first seven women in the Air Force allowed to fly fighter jets, and the first woman in history to fly a fighter jet in combat. She is currently suing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the United States government to alter a controversial U.S. military policy in Saudi Arabia.
The lawsuit is critical and controversial because it touches on delicate areas of gender, religion, culture, and values. It is a particularly imperative case for international managers because it examines the difficulties that an organization -- in this case a government -- faces in applying differing standards of behavior for its employees depending on the culture in which it is operating. With the correct approach, the McSally case can serve as a springboard for international managers to take the lead in determining the best practices for this difficult management issue – one that is a persistent problem for many international organizations. Continued on page 9