Page 72 - Crossing Cultural Boundaries - Cees den Teuling
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based on deeply engrained internal values, behaviours and attitudes. Dissemination of the acquired knowledge by receivers into a variety of directions and assurance of its broad utilisation and extended benefit by other co-workers is fundamental to the leverage within the organisation. Deep involvement of the top and middle management is a basic condition to facilitate the implementation of the recently acquired knowledge. For Russia, development of clear directions and explicit manuals and instructions are essential for transferring the tactical knowledge into a state of action (Sabirov, Ponkratova, Gracheva, Kiselev, Zaitseva, Fatikova & Chudnovsky, 2015). However, Hofstede’s same, fallacious assumption is accepted and argued there as well. He considers Russia as a nation with a unilateral culture.
Banai and Tulimieri (2013) argue that the efficient business consultant should possess not only professional knowledge but also knowledge of an industry in which the firm operates, communication and analytical skills, creativity, both strategic and tactical leadership capacities, and a set of personal characteristics including emotional stability, intellect, honesty, openness and agreeability. Knowledge, skills, abilities and personal characteristics that could affect consultant’s effective engagement should be identified in the hiring and selection process and continuously enhanced through education and training. Consulting firms and client organisations should consider these conditions in the selection and training of business consultants.
The positions of the owner/entrepreneur and manager, in principle, are in contradiction of the role of the consultant. Basically, he/she, in person or their organisation, request support in a single or multiple areas of the existing or future activities of the organisation. There are two directions regarding the position of the owner/entrepreneur and manager. According to the first direction, their role and style in the professional execution of their position in the organisation should be especially oriented on the process of the transfer of managerial/business knowledge. This direction opposes to the position and function of the consultant, involved in the KT (translation) process, and in majority acting as a transmitter function. The owner/entrepreneur and manager, engaged in any KT process act from their position as a leader, facilitating and stimulating the process and being the receiver in the majority of cases.
Despite a large number of studies, there still are some uncertainties regarding the entrepreneurship. The definition of entrepreneurship and an entrepreneur still generates debates (Low, 2001). Some search for an overarching theory of entrepreneurship (e.g. Bull & Willard, 1993), whereas others argue that one single theory of entrepreneurship cannot be expected and is not needed (Gartner, 1990). According to the latter, a body of
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