ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on enabling phases of strategic management that involve human resources, especially leadership, management, staffing, and interpersonal interaction. It examines several aspects of relevance of human resources to strategy formulation and implementation in multinational business situations. First, nature of cultural differences and their diverse impact are discussed from six perspectives: The role of personal relationships: business or people first: Focus on the individual or on the group, Status: is everyone created equal, Language/information flow factors, A question of priorities: what is the value of time, Other factors: corporate culture, institution, business, individual. These perspectives provide a framework for exploring ways to understand, adapt to, and effectively manage cultural differences. Within these perspectives are cultural differences which must be recognized within each country, as well as changes occurring with the rapid spread of Internet and computer-based telecommunications media. Ideally, this review process helps produce synergies by enabling managers to creatively build on strengths of each culture involved in situation.
