Understanding cross-cultural leadership is often touted as an important requirement in today’s globalized marketplace, where managers need to be able to adjust to different environments and work with people from varied backgrounds.
To deepen this understanding, Gang Wang, the Madeline Duncan Rolland Professor in the Florida State University College of Business, conducted research last semester at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland, through the Fulbright-Hanken Distinguished Chair in Business and Economics Award.
The Fulbright-Hanken Distinguished Chair in Business and Economics Award provides U.S. scholars with the opportunity to guest lecture and conduct research at the Hanken School of Economics, a research-intensive business school with a program portfolio covering the whole range of educational levels, from bachelor’s to doctoral degrees and separately offered executive education for working professionals. FSU has a Global Exchange program for students in the College of Business to study at Hanken University.
Wang, who also serves as the program director for organizational behavior and human resources (OBHR) and strategy majors in the Ph.D. in Business Administration program, chose to apply for a Fulbright experience for a myriad of reasons, but said international collaboration and the sharing of knowledge were top factors.
“I realized that through conferences and other opportunities when I interact with non-U.S. scholars, they seem to have a different focus and they also have different ways of doing research,” Wang said. “So, I’m just curious to learn what they’re doing and how they’re approaching research questions, and I think that’s a big motivation for me.”
During his time in Finland, Wang conducted a two-part study on leadership, acquisition premium (the difference between a firm’s purchase price and its market value), and human resource management. Specifically, he looked at how a CEO’s attractiveness and facial attractiveness may explain variance in acquisition premium when that CEO’s firm is merged or acquired. He’s built a database for this study that includes digital images of CEOs and information about their identities, including age, ethnicity and education.
“People tend to trust an attractive CEO and believe the firm led by this individual has more value and potential,” Wang said. “They’re more willing to pay attention and premium to acquire this firm, because people just trust attractive people. That’s human nature.”
Working in a different country with peers in the same field has also allowed Wang to gain a new perspective on how research is conducted around the world.
“They have some very interesting ideas that I haven’t thought about,” he said. “I found that there are so many overlaps between our research interests and the kind of research methods that we use, and the more we talk about, the more we realize we have similar ideas.”
The difference in work-life balance between Finland and the U.S. has also stood out to Wang during his time in Helsinki, noting that the Finns seem to prioritize family time more than Americans.
“People understand and respect that,” he said.
Wang also noticed the sole usage of first names within the university and the general lower stress levels surrounding work in Finland but notes his host country’s passion and effort for research matches America. He also discovered that it really is a small world after all, with connections across continents being much more possible than previously suspected. One host was even already familiar with Wang’s previous findings, which quickly opened the door to collaboration.
“Immediately we just clicked,” Wang said.
In addition to the hospitality and warm welcome he’s received from the Hanken School of Economics and Hanken University, Wang said he’s also benefited from “unbelievable” support from FSU.
“I think all faculty members should take advantage of this great opportunity and support to get to know your peers in other cultures,” he said.
If you are a faculty member interested in applying for a Fulbright, visit fda.fsu.edu or reach out to Peggy Wright-Cleveland, director of Faculty Development, at mwrightc@fsu.edu. If you are an undergraduate student interested in applying for a Fulbright, visit onf.fsu.edu or reach out to 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 reach out to Keith McCall, assistant director of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards, at kmccall2@fsu.edu.
For more information about the FSU College of Business, visit business.fsu.edu.
