Bharat S. Thakkar - Culture in Global Businesses: Addressing National and Organizational Challenges

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A third in a set of three books, this book Culture in Global Businesses: Addressing National and Organizational Challenges (2020) contextualizes the overarching theme of culture and how it impacts global businesses. At a time when many societies in the world are experiencing significant ferment, be it here in the United States or Europe or Asia, different cultures are not only coming under scrutiny but are being upended from their traditional roots.

This churning in cultures has many consequences, among the most important of which is the way global businesses will have to deal with uncertainties for quite some time in operating in often diametrically opposite societies.

Culture is a pervasive phenomenon that surrounds our lives at all times, continually being created and enforced by our upbringing, experiences, and interactions with others. Culture is shaped by leadership behavior, sets of structures, routines, rules, environment, and norms that guide and limit behavior. The culture within businesses is much more than shared mission, vision, values, or bottom-line beliefs; it is about the collaboration and integration of values between diverse people to create a productive and harmonious community in order to meet the needs of all stakeholders equally.

Culture in global businesses, the focus of this book, is the composite environment created by a myriad of activities, systems, meanings, values, and beliefs unique to each business. Culture differentiates one business entity from another, as well as its group of members from another group of members. This timely book provides insight and developmental details about culture from a broad fresh spectrum of views, such as from the perspectives of the global marketplace, leadership, diversity, technology, intrapreneurship, and spiritualism.

This book follows the first two books which may not necessarily be a consciously designed trilogy but, given their editors broad worldview as well as a keen understanding of systems that constitute businesses, is a particularly useful continuation. The scope of the first book, The Future of Leadership: Addressing Complex Global Issues (2018) ISBN 978-3-319-73869-7, offered a diversity of scholarly views on how evolutionary leadershipcorporate, political, economic, social, and culturalhave been changed and included keys to new ways to lead, motivate, and mobilize resources to gain and stabilize productivity and efficiency of ever-changing organizations. Book two, Paradigm Shift in Management Philosophy: Future Challenges in Global Organizations (2020) ISBN 978-3-030-29709, addressed the major global trends driving new opportunities and new demands, emphasizing the focus on a holistic approach to problem-solving while addressing globalization, the rise of the East, environmental challenges, and social concerns.

This book completes the triumvirate of significant issues facing our organizations now and in the future, emphasizing the significant impact of culture in global businesses with in-depth study, analysis, and actions to achieve a diverse, inclusive culture in global businesses. Through the editors life work, which includes authoring, publishing and presenting over thirty papers, Dr. Bharat S. Thakkar has given an eclectic group of authors a worldwide voice and the opportunity to contribute wisdom, experiences, and foresight for the future of globally successful organizations. The set of three books together serves as university-level curriculum development with case studies, organizational strategy, and cultural change.

As an African American who grew up in the segregated South of the United States (Louisville, KY), and as with many others, currently, in the era of COVID-19, issues surrounding the Black Lives Matter Movement, racial tensions, and a US Presidential election year (2020), attention to an inclusive global organizational culture is a necessity. The culture in our organizations reflects the culture of the business community at large, and the business community reflects society; therefore, this book is a must-read to initiate and reinforce the mindset for the global organizational changes needed in todays world. Culture can teach us numerous things. It involves the social behavior and norms found in human societies along with beliefs, customs, knowledge, habits of individuals within a group, and so can broaden our worldview. Culture can bring together a diverse group of people who are creative and innovative. The importance of culture to the success of businesses cannot be overemphasized, particularly for global organizations whose businesses span across cultures. The ability to understand a country's culture is not only a sign of respect but will also help to cultivate effective and dynamic communication, a critical aspect of doing business.