Isolating the cultural within organizational analysis and extracting cultural lessons from managerial situations have generated cross-national categories of culture and competing paradigms for studying the cultural, intercultural, and cross-cultural influences of economic and social life. As organizations around the world combine different cultural diversities, and the use of individual, national, and political aggregates of study do not necessarily transpose well onto many business situations (especially in atypical examples such as those presented in nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], clubs, associations, and public agencies), the use of nation profiles and dimensions as analytical terms for culture in organizations has become questionable. This conceptual article draws from critical theory, anthropology, cultural studies, and management literature in investigating to what extent national character and dimensions should still be the dominant filter for studying people and culture in organizations. Postcolonial theory has revealed that research paradigms promoting gender, nation, age, ethnic, and other categories suffer from bias implicit in all “essentializing” and “reifying” projects. Such designs are too overconfident in their account of culture and do not sufficiently recognize a diversity of organizational subjects as a variable for study. A postnational cultural analysis is prescribed requiring a mitigated use of nation and dimension frameworks, a stakeholder perspective, and a research standpoint that transcends the perspective of the managerial function. Cross-cultural, intercultural, and multicultural business situations in the context of global work require a transcultural paradigm, created by and serving multiple cultures and acting across national and occupational boundaries. This accommodates the fact that much global trade is conducted primarily by oligopolistic corporations and that organizations not prioritizing profit objectives (NGOs, humanitarian associations, virtual chats, and public agencies) offer completely original avenues of cultural research. This article explores options for integrating the cultural credibly among the explanatory tools of contractual human organization and for innovating on the methods, designs, and formats of cultural research for management studies.

Designing educational sequences that enhance the cognitive, behavioral, and critical skills of a diverse learning community seeking global competencies, requires mindfulness of different international educational models, a tailored curriculum designed to build different types of awareness learning, and clarity in targeted outputs keeping in mind a range of potential occupations and life situations in which such skills will be used. This article outlines conceptual frameworks for global awareness sequences in international management programs, building on existing crosscultural research, training literature, and comparative analysis of different higher education models. It updates global competence learning frameworks to include recent advances in cultural intelligence, critical reflexivity, and post-colonial perspectives on management education. It calls attention to changing student demographics as a catalyst for moderate curriculum reform, especially a rehabilitation of core global awareness knowledge components eclipsed by cross-cultural courses and humanities requirements. A curriculum for business students with a sequential and/or simultaneous implementation of three pedagogical dispositions (knowledge, behavior, and critical acculturation) is discussed.

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Purpose – This paper aims to describe a proverb game where the themes of work and money introduce participants to world perspectives on handling social transactions and establishing “fair play” between people. Design/methodology/approach – Students are involved in a “serious game” where they work in international groups to piece together parts of a linguistic puzzle drawing on the language competencies of the group. They exchange viewpoints about “fair play”. This experiential learning opportunity introduces an ethics and cross-cultural framework into the curriculum. Findings – The game has been used to “break the ice” at the start of international business programs and allow exchange students greater opportunity to become involved in problem solving activities. Practical implications – In three versions, the authors have tested over three academic years, the proverb game has allowed the participants to reach the objectives: become involved with international classmates, co-produce cultural knowledge with peers (an alternative to a teacher-driven seminar on culture), develop awareness of cultural self, study world values through proverbs, and examine the importance of rule-based behavior and fair play. Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge, there are no “language” games suitable for the international business classroom whose purpose is actually ethical.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that co-operation is a vital behavioral skill that should be developed in educational systems, particularly business and management programs, because it is an intangible factor that boosts productive output. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explains why co-operation is an important intangible factor for organizations and the larger economy. It recommends the development of educational designs to remediate the pedagogical lack of focus on the cooperative disposition. Findings – Co-operation is contingent on trust – an indispensable factor to engage in distant relations, accept rule of law across nations, and confer in intermediaries the authority to arbitrate unresolved differences between organizations. In other words, without co-operation, people within organizations commit themselves to parochial concerns, inhibiting efforts to combine resources toward a collective goal. The lack of a cooperative attitude is not destiny – it can be forged through careful educational designs and organizational strategy. Research limitations/implications – There is little empirical data available to measure co-operation in a diverse environment and co-operation is an intangible concept that is difficult to pin to specific organizational habits. The concepts developed here based on broad social science data would do will to be tested in an empirical framework at the micro level. Practical implications – Low co-operation arises in an environment which does not foster trust. Management might inadvertently reward low organizational capacity by not evaluating co-operation and monitoring narcissism. Recruiters need to adapt recruitment strategies that pinpoint individuals capable of managing the specific co-operation needs of situational organizations, especially in diverse situations. A successful managerial education program will target training that optimizes thoughtful and sustainable co-operation. Social implications – Co-operation is a factor of sustainability for development but also for the modern organization. It is both a moral and methodological disposition that fosters collective action positively, while inhibiting in-group interests. Originality/value – Formal management training to instill a thoughtful sense of co-operation would complement the current emphasis on teamwork and leadership. Without the moral and methodological goal of being co-operative for the greater good, organizations waste human resources and fail to reap benefits from collective productions.