Understanding cross-cultural leadership is often touted as an important requirement in today’s globalized marketplace, where managers must be able to adapt to different environments and work with people from varied backgrounds.
To further this understanding, Gang Wang, Madeline Duncan Rolland Professor at Florida State University College of Commerceconducted research last semester at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland, as part of the Fulbright-Hanken Distinguished Chair in Business and Economics award.
THE Fulbright-Hanken Distinguished Chair in Business and Economics Award offers U.S. academics the opportunity to lecture and conduct research at the Hanken School of Economics, a research-intensive business school with a portfolio of programs spanning the full spectrum of education levels, from bachelor’s to doctoral and continuing education offered separately for working professionals. . FSU has a Global Exchange Program for College of Business students who wish to study at Hanken University.
Wang, who is also director of the Organizational Behavior and Human Resources (OBHR) and Strategy program at the Ph.D. in Business Administration, chose to apply for a Fulbright experience for a multitude of reasons, but said international collaboration and knowledge sharing were the main factors.
“I realized that through conferences and other opportunities when I interact with non-American scholars, they seem to have different goals and they also have different ways of doing research,” Wang said. “So I’m just curious about what they’re doing and how they approach research questions, and I think that’s a big motivator for me.”
While in Finland, Wang conducted a two-part study on leadership, acquisition premium (the difference between the purchase price of a company and its market value) and human resources management. Specifically, it examined how a CEO’s attractiveness and facial attractiveness can explain variation in the acquisition premium when that CEO’s firm is merged or acquired. He built a database for this study that includes digital images of CEOs and information about their identities, including their age, ethnicity and education.
“People tend to trust an attractive CEO and believe that the company led by that person has more value and potential,” Wang said. “They’re more willing to pay attention and prioritize acquiring that business because people just trust attractive people. It’s human nature.
Working in another country with peers in the same field also allowed Wang to gain a new perspective on how research is conducted around the world.
“They have some very interesting ideas that I hadn’t thought of,” he said. “I found that there was so much overlap between our research interests and the type of research methods we use, and the more we talk about it, the more we realize we have similar ideas. »
The difference in work-life balance between Finland and the United States also struck Wang during his time in Helsinki, noting that Finns seem to prioritize time with family more than Americans.
“People understand and respect that,” he said.
Wang also noted the exclusive use of first names within the university and the generally lower level of stress surrounding working in Finland, but notes that his host country’s passion and efforts for research are at the height of America. He also discovered that it is actually a small world after all, with connections between continents far more possible than previously thought. One host was even already familiar with Wang’s previous findings, which quickly opened the door to collaboration.
“Immediately we clicked,” Wang said.
In addition to the hospitality and warm welcome he received from the Hanken School of Economics and Hanken University, Wang said he also received “incredible” support from FSU.
“I think all faculty members should take advantage of this tremendous opportunity and support to get to know their peers from other cultures,” he said.
If you are a faculty member interested in applying for a Fulbright, visit fda.fsu.edu or contact Peggy Wright-Cleveland, Director of Faculty Development, at mwrightc@fsu.edu. If you are a undergraduate student interested in applying for a Fulbright, visit onf.fsu.edu or contact Jesse Wieland, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships, at awieland@fsu.edu. If you are a graduate student interested in applying for a Fulbright, visit ogfa.fsu.edu or contact Keith McCall, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Scholarships and Awards, at kmccall2@fsu.edu.
For more information about the FSU College of Business, visit business.fsu.edu.
