Borta bra, men hemma bäst?
En studie om ledarskap i en interkulturell kontext
Cross-cultural managementSwedish leadershipCultural intelligenceGlobal mindsetGlobalizationCultural dimensionsHigh and low context culturesContradictory demandsTvärkulturellt ledarskapSvenskt ledarskapKulturell intelligensGlobalt tankesättGlobaliseringKulturella dimensionerHigh- and low context-culturesMotstridiga krav
The aim of this thesis is to create an understanding about how and to what extent a Swedish expatriate manager needs to adapt his/her leadership in accordance with the culture of the host country. Thus shall different managers? perceptions of experienced management overseas be studied. To accomplish our aim, three different problems have been designed. These are as follows: In what way does the manager?s earlier experiences and knowledge about expatriation affect her or his leadership in a new cross-cultural context? How does the culture of the host country affect the expatriate manager?s leadership? How does the expatriate manager handle contradictory demands: that is differences in expectations from subordinates and the higher management? We have chosen to use an abductive approach in order to do a qualitative study and we have therefore conducted eight case studies to create a foundation for distinguishing patterns.The case studies are based on eight Swedish managers with experience from expatriation. The theoretical framework is structured upon three main themes including; knowledge and skills a global leader needs to possess, the relation between the leader and subordinates, and contradictory demands. The theory is followed by a combined empirical data- and analysis chapter where we present our eight respondents, whom are then analyzed and interpreted based on the theory. In the empirical data- and analysis chapter the patterns we have been able to distinguish presented. The three main themes are consistently throughout this chapter. The conclusion of the study is that a managers experiences and knowledges affects his or her leadership and perception of the culture in the host country. Furthermore, we can conclude that a Swedish leadership is applicable in an international context, and that contradictory demands are more distinct at home than in the host country. Finally we can summarize our study by stating that home is good, but overseas may be just as good.