Dr.Huang Haifeng, Wang Yao, Chen Chao, Ma Hongyi

China’s Research Center for Economic Transition,
Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
crcet.huang@bjut.edu.cn

Today, the importance of cross-cultural management competence is well recognized in China. China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has produced the effect of attracting more global companies to China and has influenced Chinese companies to establish operations outside their home country (Panitchpakdi & Clifford, 2002). These two situations have put cross-cultural issues at the forefront in China today. Challenges relating to different cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and management styles are now realized as important to be successful in China. Based on the Cultural Orientations Model theory of cross-cultural management, two case studies have been conducted by China’s Research Center for Economic Transition (CRCET) at Beijing University of Technology. One is about the shifting of cultural behaviors in the young professional population of China; the other is about three areas of cross-cultural issues, relating these issues to the current cross-cultural environment. Many people are experiencing culture shock as they are exposed to different cultural attributes. After describing the current observation of cross-cultural competence in China, we will propose some suggestions for its future development. They include suggestions for successful navigation of cross-cultural challenges and successful navigation across the cultures of global companies operating in China.