Effective cross-cultural management: lectures and tapas in sunny Granada
23/06/2017
![Cranfield School of Management Master’s in Management students in Granada Cranfield School of Management Master's in Management students in Granada](https://blogs.cranfield.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/18119027_10154595349156313_1753223937024338479_n-1.jpg)
Our one week module trip to Granada was awesome – we had a really good balance between the lessons with our course director Professor Michael Dickmann who delivered highly engaging lectures, and there were also activities planned after class almost every day. We had classes in the morning from 9am until 2pm then in the afternoon we took part in pre-arranged activities such as: visiting Abbott Laboratories, a tour of the Alhambra which is the most visited place in Spain, and a tour around the city. Finally on the day of our return to Cranfield, we had the chance to visit Malaga for almost the entire day.
After this module I became more aware of cultural differences among countries, identifying differences in the way cultures see the world and increasing my own understanding of what culture really means in a business/social context. Since I have lived in several countries and I plan to keep living abroad, what I learnt becomes really valuable in future attempts of doing business with other cultures and succeeding in challenges such as achieving a common understanding in a multicultural team or realising your own way of getting things done might not fit a country´s way of thinking.
Beyond the academic knowledge I gained, going on this trip was a great opportunity to become even closer with my MiM classmates. Although we are pretty close here at Cranfield and we share lots of time together between lectures, studying and having fun during the trip allowed us to learn more about each other’s cultures and have fun in a different setting. We shared good memories by enjoying Granada´s nightlife and sharing meals together in a more laid back setting. I find this very positive because you get to know more about them and you get this feeling of “Oh I didn’t know this about you and your culture before”.
Furthermore it was a unique opportunity to share more time with Professor Michael Dickmann. Besides the lectures he came on the tours with us and we had different discussions with him about his travels to Columbia, Germany and the US. He told us about the cultural challenges he has faced all along his life. It was a great chance to learn from a person who has actually experienced these cultural challenges and he’s not only talking from behind a desk/book but based on his real life experiences, in a fun and entertaining way.
I am sure the Effective Cross Cultural Management module is going to be one of the best memories we had in the whole year. We all got a very good impression of Granada as a unique city because of its vibrant student life, delicious food, warm people and interesting cultural background. I really hope next year this same module will have even more people enjoying Granada.
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Keren Tuv: My Cranfield experience studying Renewable Energy
Hello, my name is Keren, I am from London, UK, and I am studying Renewable Energy MSc. My journey to discovering Cranfield University began when I first decided to return to academia to pursue ...
3D Metal Manufacturing in space: A look into the future
David Rico Sierra, Research Fellow in Additive Manufacturing, was recently involved in an exciting project to manufacture parts using 3D printers in space. Here he reflects on his time working with Airbus in Toulouse… ...
A Legacy of Courage: From India to Britain, Three Generations Find Their Home
My story begins with my grandfather, who plucked up the courage to travel aboard at the age of 22 and start a new life in the UK. I don’t think he would have thought that ...
Cranfield to JLR: mastering mechatronics for a dream career
My name is Jerin Tom, and in 2023 I graduated from Cranfield with an MSc in Automotive Mechatronics. Originally from India, I've always been fascinated by the world of automobiles. Why Cranfield and the ...
Bringing the vision of advanced air mobility closer to reality
Experts at Cranfield University led by Professor Antonios Tsourdos, Head of the Autonomous and Cyber-Physical Systems Centre, are part of the Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium (AMEC), which aims to demonstrate the commercial and operational ...
Using grey literature in your research: A short guide
As you research and write your thesis, you might come across, or be looking for, ‘grey literature’. This is quite simply material that is either unpublished, or published but not in a commercial form. Types ...