How to learn

Cultural differences are an important factor when it comes to how and what managers should learn and from whom. Different cultural responses to management education are particularly revealing. For example, German and Swiss managers tend to favour structured learning situations with clear pedagogical objectives, detailed course outlines and schedules, and the "right answer" or superior solution.

This is very much in contrast with the view typically held by people from Anglo-Saxon cultures such as Britain and the USA. Most British participants in courses dislike a structure that is too rigid. They tend to prefer more open-ended learning situations with loose objectives and practical tasks. The suggestion that there could be only one correct answer is acceptable to them.

The idea of working in groups may come more naturally to Asian managers than to the more individualistic Anglo-Saxon. On the other hand, Asian participants experience more difficulty having to "sell" their ideas in a group, with the potential for open disagreement and conflict, and therefore possible less of face.

Nor do they quite see the point of learning from other students who are no more knowledgeable than themselves.Wisdom resides in the hierarchy.

Group discussions may seem perfectly natural to Americans, who have been encouraged as students to express their own ideas and opinions. British students too have been educated to challenge and

debate the ideas put forth by each other, including the teacher. British culture values the ability to prove one's case,eloquently, even at the expense of others. Anglo-Saxon culture is more tolerant of confrontation and uncertainty, and is less concerned with the status differences, either among participants or between themselves and their teacher. This can be quite a shock to students from Asia and many Central European countries, who are not used to either voicing their opinion in class, disagreeing with each other, or actively debating with the professor.

Training that makes extensive use of case studies, business games, and management exercises such as role-plays, favours learning by lecture and reading.

It indicates a preference for experiential or active learning rather than deductive approach; cases or exercises are used to arrive at general principles or theories (as Anglo-Saxon approach). Rather than starting with a theory of framework, which is then applied to a given situation (the approach in many countries in Europe.) As a result, European managers may not always see the point of some of these exercises, and some complain that seminars conducted by US trainers are not sufficiently serious or theoretical. US managers, on the other hand, want training to be more concrete, practical and fun.

With each culture favouring different training and development practices, it may be difficult too integrate these into a coherent or consistent policy within an international organization. However, standardizing training methods may be important if the company needs to communicate specialized knowledge quickly across different units, or if the special quality of the company training programmes is regarded as a major source of attracting new recruits.

On the other hand, multinational companies may have a lot to gain from cross-fertilizing different approaches, and providing opportunities for training and development that appeal to people with different abilities, learning styles, educational backgrounds, and, of course, cultures. In fact, working with groups of managers from different countries often requires mixed pedagogical approach, as well as the use of trainers of different nationalities.