Biculturalism in Management: Leveraging the Benefits of Intrapersonal Diversity

Abstract:     
In this paper, we ask: Can biculturalism help in management? Why should scholars in organizational behavior and international management pay attention to biculturalism? We will argue that biculturalism offers two elements that can benefit organizations: adaptability and boundary spanning. Adaptability is the ability to shift one’s actions to the demands of a particular cultural audience, and boundary spanning is the ability to serve as a conduit between cultural groups. The first quality affects individual interactions with others. The second quality affects the network structures of organizations. Further, we discuss how bicultural people’s adaptability and boundary spanning benefit managerial activities, including teams, decision making, leadership, and dispute resolution. We are also aware that the benefits of biculturalism are not unconditional. We will discuss the boundary conditions and potential negative sides of biculturalism along our discussion.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 18

Accepted Paper Series