21gradadm

With this much experience and knowledge in the field, we were of course very excited and thankful to get the opportunity to ask Mr. Hampden-Turner a few questions about transculturality.

Cultural heterogeneity, far from being an impediment to corporate success, constitutes a source of global value creation. This was the result of the two-day congress, „Transcultural Leadership Summit“, held on the campus of Zeppelin University (ZU) in Friedrichshafen. More than 190 participants – among them corporate leaders, experts from academia and business, and students – convened to share their ideas on leadership in globally operating enterprises. This year’s country of focus was China.

In studies on the welfare state and in the field of social policy, approaches to empowerment and capability are fiercely debated. In Attachment Theory, John Bowlby and Amartya Sen, suggest the Capability Approach which argues that an individual with increased resilience during childhood – supported by a strong attachment to the mother – develops a stronger personality. Also, Bowlby and Sen emphasize that empowered individuals, with increased capability, have more opportunities to succeed in life. In the following post, the Attachment Theory and the Capability Approach are outlined as the theoretical basis for a new perspective on leadership. Subsequently, this article examines why and how motherly love helps to build sustainable, ethical Transcultural Leaders. A blogpost by Florine Weiß.

On November 30th, 2016 I published a little piece on this blog which constituted a cautious attempt to take the slightly dated, Marxist-inspired, mid-20th-century idea of transculturality – which had since informed most transcultural discourses – beyond its egalitarian roots. Severing the notion of transculturalism from those roots appeared imperative to me for three reasons... A blogpost by Dr Lennart Brand.

In contemporary studies, cultural relativism is a widespread phenomenon. Yet in order to acknowledge differences, a common basis is necessary on which one can frame these. In the following article, the theory of shared values is the basis used to take a critical look at the proclaimed relativity of culture. A blogpost by Jonas Kellermeyer.

In contrast to an understanding of transculturalism that rests on – and indeed celebrates – the idea that globalization causes cultures, nation states, traditions, etc. to blend into each other and to thereby surrender their identities, I shall argue below that transculturality mainly occurs in a transnational sphere superimposed upon, yet largely detached from, those of traditional nation states, their traditions, and their cultures. Pointing out that transculturality increasingly lends itself to being perceived and described, I shall eventually pose the question whether, beyond mere positive description, its emergence can be explained in metaphysical terms. A blogpost by Dr Lennart Brand.

In today’s modern societies, social interactions are embedded in and significantly shaped by the consequences of a lasting globalization process that is not showing any indication of slowing down. These consequences are most notable in the increasing complexity of overseeing, understanding and managing the global web of different, as well as common cultural interests. This requires a sophisticated form of management that is able to bring together various cultural backgrounds and cultivate a new cultural self-understanding that can also be understood as global culture. A blogpost by Marco Möhrer.

Globalisation cannot succeed without the willingness and ability of people and organisations to cooperate. It is thus also dependent on moral resources for which a shared emotional and cognitive foundation must exist. A blogpost by Prof Dr Josef Wieland.