“Culture Programs,” Cultural Differences, Knowledge Resources, and Their Impacts on Learning Cultures in Transnational Enterprises in China

Abstract

This contribution discusses selected basic theoretical principles and empirical results from my postdoctoral thesis (Robak, 2012a), which investigates the learning and educational processes of German-speaking expatriates in global enterprises in China. I start by showing that no adequately developed concepts for an integrated learning culture framework exist for transnational businesses. Next, I develop theoretic premises for accessing knowledge, learning processes, culture, and cultural differences, which form the input for an empirical analysis model. Examples of empirical results based on one typical analyzed type, the cosmopolitan nomads, are used to substantiate cultural hybrid formation processes, which influence working and learning processes and require support by transnational learning cultures.

Notes

Culture-specific knowledge in the form of Hofstede’s culture dimensions (1980) has been incorporated in IPM theory (for a critical analysis, see Robak, 2012a).

This involved people who had only been in China for a few weeks at the time of the first interview. Note that one of the people interviewed had just moved to a different company and was reinterviewed in the context of this new situation.

The characteristics (Kluge, 1999) for type definition were identified in accordance with the question constructs (see above). Specific combinations of characteristics resulted in the profiles for the four types.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Steffi Robak

Steffi Robak is a professor of education in adult life at Leibniz University of Hanover. At the Institute for Vocational Education and Adult Education she focuses on intercultural and international education research in areas such as education management and professionalization in adult education, learning culture research and learning culture developments in business, and transnational personnel development. Address for correspondence: [email protected]