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Case Notes
Case 14.2: Working Cross Culturally: Forget “Business as Usual”
Kanina Blanchard wrote this teaching note under the supervision of Professor Lynn Imai as an
aid to instructors in the classroom use of the case Working Cross Culturally: Forget “Business
as Usual”, No. 9B17C013. This teaching note should not be used in any way that would
prejudice the future use of the case.
This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized, or otherwise reproduced in any
form or by any means without the permission of the copyright holder. Reproduction of this
Teaching Note
Case Synopsis
Sophia Tannis, a 36-year-old professional with the U.S.-based multinational company CPA
Solutions (CPA), who has worked internationally for many years, is asked by an influential
leader at corporate headquarters in the United States to inject herself into a business-critical
situation in Moscow. She finds herself experiencing first-hand how unique complexities specific
to the cultural context create the need for home grown local solutions that do not necessarily
Instructor Resource
Rowe, Cases in Leadership 5e
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Learning Objectives
After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to
• explain the complexity of working internationally and cross-culturally;
• identify the role of stereotypes, culture, nationality, and gender (as examples) in working
cross-culturally;
Position in Course
This case can be used in undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, organizational
behaviour, human resources management, and international business.
Relevant Readings
• Barbera, K. M. (2014). The Oxford handbook of organizational climate and culture. New
York: Oxford University Press.
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Rowe, Cases in Leadership 5e
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• Patterson, K., Grenny, J., & McMillan, R. (2012). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking
when stakes are high (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2012.
Assignment Questions
The instructor can assign all or any combination of the following questions as a guide to case
preparation or class discussion:
1. What challenges did Tannis face in this situation?
2. What did Tannis do well, and where did she fall short in the initial stages of the case
(before the first evening/dinner)?
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Teaching Plan
This case can be taught during an 80-minute class session. In order to maximize the value of an
80-minute class, the following four approaches are suggested for consideration as discrete or
combined activities.
1. Discuss how the challenges faced in this case initially influenced actions and decisions.
Ask students to think of situations in history (their own or globally) where the same factors came
into play and impacted actions. Encourage the sharing of examples.
• How do emotions like uncertainty and unfamiliarity (for example, with language and
culture) affect people? How do they affect interpretation of information? How do they
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2. Have students conduct a role-play regarding Tannis’s and Vujevic’s discussion about
how to plan for the second dinner.
Following a review of the case, identify individuals to participate in a role-play based on their
interpretation of the situation. Assume both characters want to find a way to resolve the issue.
Begin with the following statement from Vujevic:
Consider the following questions:
• If you were Tannis, what approach would you take with Vujevic? Would you apologize?
What questions would you ask? How would you broach sensitive issues? How would you
react to his suggestions and recommendations? How would your conversation change?
How would you prepare with Vujevic and plan to present your case to Blankenship?
3. Ask students to reflect on the character that is required to successfully negotiate
challenges in cross-cultural environments.
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Working and leading cross-culturally truly involves competencies, commitment, and character.
1
Character, which determines what leaders will do in different situations, can be expressed as a set
of virtues, values, and traits. In its broadest sense, character influences most, if not all, decisions
• Transcendence: maintaining a sense of optimism and purpose; keeping the big picture in
mind and not being mired in inevitable challenges and obstacles.
• Drive: acting with passion and vigor; illustrating commitment to deliver.
• Collaboration: fostering cooperation with others and working collegially.
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• Justice: focusing on being fair, equitable, and even-handed so that decisions are accepted
as legitimate and reasonable by others.
4. Analyze the case through the lens of cultural intelligence.
Cultural intelligence (CQ) is discussed by Imai and Gelfand and defined by Earley and Ang as an
individual’s capability to adapt effectively to situations and successfully adapt to new cultural
settings. In brief, Imai and Gelfand draw from Ang and Van Dyne’s work to illustrate how the
• Ask students to consider Tannis’s behaviors in the context of CQ. Does she have higher,
average, or lower CQ? Consider that individuals with higher CQ are seen to genuinely
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Analysis
Working internationally and cross-culturally creates tremendous opportunities and challenges. A
nearly endless list of anticipated differences is discussed in books and courses that promise to help
individuals acclimate to new cultural contexts or even to embrace elements such as culture, food,
language, nationality, and cultural expectations. However, it can be most challenging to learn to
make decisions in areas related to unfamiliar political and legal systems, traditions, and embedded
social structures and mores.
Data, logic, processes, systems, technology, and business intelligence are all valuable, but
they cannot replace judgment—the capacity to be situationally aware, intuitive, pragmatic, and
adaptable. It is also critical to collaborate and be willing to take accountability in unfamiliar
1. What challenges did Tannis face in this situation?
• There was a clear and present challenge that affected the business and brand, and there
were clear expectations from a senior leader who had responsibility for the situation.
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• She was unfamiliar with the location and local players.
• The location was identified as a priority for the company, but it was still unknown for
many.
2. What did Tannis do well, and where did she fall short in the initial stages of the case
(before the first evening/dinner)?
• On the positive side, she dedicated time to the file by getting other matters off her desk;
she did her homework by consulting literature and reports and talking to people she
3. What kind of power and influence did Blankenship have and exert?
• Tannis knew of Blankenship’s reputation as a trusted, well-known, well-respected, and
experienced leader.
4. What factors influenced Tannis’s initial perceptions?
• Intellectually, Tannis recognized the opportunity the company saw and the natural
tension, given the different political, economic, and legal structures in Russia.
• She did not have any experience in the location or with the people.
• She knew the resolution must be speedy.
• Blankenship’s approach and concerns reinforced the intensity of the situation.
5. Was Vujevic an impartial colleague or a manipulator?
• As should be expected, Vujevic was both an impartial mediator and a manipulator.
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• He was honest in his desire to do what he felt was right for the company in Russia: he
had the interest of growing business in the location at heart and, based on his experience
and relationships, believed that the corporate way would not work.
• He based his approach on several years of tough learning and building credibility locally.
6. How did Tannis’s choices, related to Vujevic’s recommendations, affect the outcome of
the first evening/dinner?
• Events unfolded quickly, and because she felt pressure from deadlines and heightened
expectations, Tannis did not take time to look at the situation with complete openness.
• She sensed that Vujevic was manipulating her, and because she did not know him well,
she was cautious at first and not confident about how to interpret all his comments and
suggestions.
7. How well did Tannis handle the situation with Goldstein? How do you think he felt about
the situation? What key lesson did Tannis learn from this situation?
• She had been honest in her overture and genuinely felt remorseful and worried about him.
Although she needed to work with Vujevic right away, she could have approached
Goldstein earlier in the day.
• Goldstein was familiar with the realities and was not surprised at the outcome of the
invitation or the reaction of some of the dinner guests. His graciousness and
8. What is your reaction to the strategic approach and intense planning regarding the
conversation at the second dinner?
• The strategizing was about building a relationship and a common purpose, developing a
plan to gain corporate support for reframing the issue, and securing assistance from
partners in positions of power. Vujevic was also committed to helping Tannis understand
9. Did Tannis’s decision to support a local solution reflect a strategic decision or an
emotional response after the disastrous first dinner?
• Tannis believed her decision was based on recognizing the need to open her mind to
alternatives that she had originally not considered. In the end, she believed that the local
approach was best for the company as a whole, if not for the immediate situation in the
business. She recognized that she had not engaged neutrally in the beginning and chided
10. How could Tannis’s decision influence her future at CPA?
• Tannis was in a leadership role that required dealing with conflict and making decisions
that would not always make everyone happy.
• Her responsibility was to make decisions respectfully, consider all sides, communicate
her decision honestly with those involved, and live with the consequences.
11. Were there any other options that Tannis could have considered or developed in
dealing with the situation?
• Tannis could have tried to slow things down or negotiated some extra time up front. For
example, she could have suggested to Blankenship that she needed to spend some more
12. What would you have done?
Following are some of the lessons Tannis learned as a result of this experience:
• The learning never ends; do not get complacent.
• Do your formal and informal homework and tap your networks and mentors.
• Remember that companies strive to retain their corporate culture across geographies, but
nations do not.
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Rowe, Cases in Leadership 5e
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Additional relevant readings
• Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2008). Conceptualization of cultural intelligence: Definition,
distinctiveness, and nomological network. In S. Ang & L. Van Dyne (Eds.), Handbook of
cultural intelligence: Theory, measurement, and applications (pp. 3–15). Armonk, NY:
M.E. Sharpe.
• Bregman, P. (2013, July 10). Why so many leadership programs ultimately fail. Harvard
Business Review. Retrieved January 3, 2017 from https://hbr.org/2013/07/why-so-many-
leadership-program.
Instructor Resource
Rowe, Cases in Leadership 5e
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• InterNations. (n.d.). What is culture shock? InterNations Expat Magazine. Retrieved
January 3, 2017 from www.internations.org/magazine/what-is-culture-shock-15332.