著者

Jutta Jerlich

雑誌

人間文化研究 (ISSN:13480308)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.14, pp.115-128, 2011-02-01

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National borders have lost importance and competition is becoming more global every day. Products and services are sold and available concurrently in large geographical regions. Problems and issues are crossing borders, affecting the global economy rather than only the national. The need to address global problems on a global level by the international community is apparent. For a company to survive in such an environment it has become a pre-requisite to attract and retain the best human capital. It has to adopt and apply knowledge-based intercultural and interdisciplinary work processes and go beyond their national markets. Education is having a growing importance for supplying qualified graduates to industry. My observations and experiences from teaching in Japan, seen through the filter of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, illustrate how a threefold cultural layer constrains the adaptation demanded by the pressure from a competitive global market. The change process happening all over the world is hindered and halted by a mindset that has not yet seen the need for change to communicate and cooperate across borders.