Intercultural management and communication: essential tools in today’s global market for managers and organizations

In the last decades, managers in Portugal have been dealing with the increasingly important need to internationalize their organizations, largely due to the impact that the global crisis has had on our small economy. It has thus become imperative that Portuguese managers explore new markets to promote their products and services in other continents. These facts have contributed to the raise of a new manager profile. The focus will be on three types of managers: top managers, middle managers and first line managers. In addition to their daily routines, these global managers have to face adversity and several cultural challenges while undertaking an international negotiation. They are faced with the need to develop critical cultural skills to be able to negotiate. This paper addresses the challenges of the theoretical articulation between management, leadership skills and communication, essential tools for the success of an international negotiation process. This article will demonstrate that intercultural management skills are fundamental for this new type of global manager, which has to interact with many different cultures. Such skills highly benefit the new global manager’s professional and organizational performance and are key for the success of their business relations. The data presented in this article are the result of several exploratory interviews with Portuguese managers working in Africa, specifically in Luanda.N/