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Seeking Commonality While Preserving Difference: A Dynamic Balancing Approach for Leading Across Cultures

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A Relational View on Cultural Complexity

Part of the book series: Relational Economics and Organization Governance ((REOG))

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Abstract

To foster cross-cultural collaboration, leaders must go beyond describing cultural differences and instead create effective connections among members. We propose a dynamic balancing framework, drawing on the Chinese principle of “seeking commonality while preserving difference,” that emphasizes seeking commonality by connecting with universal human values and needs, aligning shared goals and objectives, and fostering shared identity and belonging, while at the same time preserve difference by respecting diverse cultural values, attending contextualized local needs, and validating unique strengths and identities. A case study of a business leader exemplifies this framework. This approach can enhance leadership effectiveness for successful cross-cultural collaborations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    “Record of Music”, or樂記 (Yueji) in Chinese, is the 19th chapter of the Book of Rites, one of Five Classics written before 300 BC. It was one of the classic texts used by Confucius in his education that shaped the foundation of Confucianism.

  2. 2.

    The concept of love may carry a variety of connotation across cultures. Here the idea of love refers to a sense of compassion and altruism toward wider human community beyond romantic love or love in private situations.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank John Almandoz, Michael Harris Bond, Nana Yaa A. Gyamfi, Ryan Quinn, Anneloes Raes, Sebastian Reiche, and Sonja Sackmann for their insightful comments and support in the preparation of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain

    Yih-Teen Lee

  2. University of Michigan, Dearborn, MI, USA

    Shawn Quinn

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  1. Yih-Teen Lee
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Correspondence to Yih-Teen Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. HFU Business School, Furtwangen University, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany

    Julika Baumann Montecinos

  2. LEIZ, Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen, Germany

    Tobias Grünfelder

  3. LEIZ, Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen, Germany

    Josef Wieland

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Lee, YT., Quinn, S. (2023). Seeking Commonality While Preserving Difference: A Dynamic Balancing Approach for Leading Across Cultures. In: Baumann Montecinos, J., Grünfelder, T., Wieland, J. (eds) A Relational View on Cultural Complexity. Relational Economics and Organization Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27454-1_17

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