Intercultural Management. Leadership styles in Germany

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,3, University of Applied Sciences Frankfurt am Main, language: English, abstract: Todays business environment is more global than ever. The multinational and cross-cultural business activities have increased tremendously over the last decades, a trend that is about to continue. "Global Village" is a term often used in this context. Due to the fact that peoples consume and buying preferences increasingly converge throughout the globe (manifested by the worldwide success of brands such as Apple, BMW, Coca Cola but also the entertainment industry - Holly-/Bollywood, Pop music etc.), one might get the impression that differentiation in regard to cultural differences becomes less important. The question is to what extent and in which areas this mindset is valid in business life. Is it reasonable to assume that successful leadership styles can be universally applied, no matter in which country and cultural setting the leader fulfills his/her job? The objective of this paper is to discuss, depict and elaborate on the question of appropriate leadership styles in the three different countries: USA, Germany and India. The aim is to examine - based on an analysis of the cultural differences - if and how leadership styles need to be adapted in order to be successful in each of the three countries.