Development of Biculturalism In Cross-Cultural Managers In Multinational Corporations: A Cultural Participation Approach

<p>A critical issue faced by multinational corporations involves developing abilities to function in, and benefit from, multiple cultural environments and to coordinate culturally diverse subunits. Biculturalism, understood as the internalization of two cultural meaning systems, addresses this issue by focusing on how individuals use and cognitively manage two cultures. Building on research on cultural-cognition in sociology, this dissertation provides a novel conceptualization of biculturalism in the context of MNC managers. Furthermore, a conceptualization of bicultural integration is developed, which captures cognitive associations between two cultures shaping access to cultural cognitions and level of agency and reflects the degree to which cross-cultural managers simultaneously access and use the two cultures. Subsequently, a theoretical model is presented explaining the development of biculturalism and bicultural integration. Accordingly, biculturalism is shaped by managers' social networks with members of two cultures via cultural participation mechanisms which combines interpretive and cultural with network&#8209;analytic approaches by building on concepts of social network structure, culture, and cognition. and structural embeddedness. The model of the development of biculturalism is assessed with a mixed methods approach utilizing qualitative cultural analysis, social network analysis, and multiple regression analysis.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Campus Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Moore School of Business

Year

2010

Author dc:creator

• Lücke, Gundula

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kendall Roth

• Business
• Business Administration, Management, and Operations
• Biculturalism
• Cultural Cognitions
• Embeddedness
• Meaning
• Social Networks

Statement dc:rights

• © 2010, Gundula Lücke

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/360

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarcommons.sc.edu:etd-1361