Universality of Management

Using practical examples, outline the argument for the statement, “management is a universal process and its skills and understanding are transferable from one company to another and from one culture to another.” Management is a broad and intrinsic aspect of business. The basic aspects of management that is, directing, organizing, coordinating, staffing, planning and cooperating transcend all cultural and organizational boundaries. There are, however, fundamental differences in the manner in which these activities are carried out. Questions have been raised as to whether one type of management style can be effectively and efficiently transferred from one company to another while maintaining optimum performance. A new method of management has come up to battle the problems associated with cross cultural management. Transformational leadership can be defined as leadership that creates a bond between the leader and the follower inspiring intense loyalty and outstanding performance. Some experts argue that the most successful international mangers are transformational leaders, pointing out its success in places as diverse as Israel, Germany and Singapore. One of the success stories of transformational leadership is that of Nissan CEO Carlos Ghoson in transforming a struggling Nissan in Japan. He is seen as revolutionary leader who inspired all who worked with him. New age management has come up with ways to promote cross-cultural leadership. One leadership approach that can be adopted to include cultural variables is the path-goal leadership approach. There are four basic leadership styles namely directive, supportive, and participative and achievement oriented. To be most effective, leaders should choose the style that bet fits the demands of a particular situation. The path-goal theory is “culture-free”. In general, participative leadership should work best in low power distance cultures while directive leadership should work best in high power