Designing a relevant cross-cultural management course: a view through the lens of scientific mindfulness

Literature review and interviews with CCM instructors and former course participants who are now expatriates indicate that CCM courses generally lack relevance. To address this problem, we suggest a new type of CCM course designed through the lens of scientific mindfulness, a holistic, cross-disciplinary, contextual, and reflexive approach to scholarship and practice with the intent to contribute to the betterment of society. First, regarding the course content, a scientifically mindful course is based on a broad and phenomenon-based definition of CCM recognizing that today’s corporations are not purely economic, but also social and political actors with a responsibility for global sustainability. Thus, this type of course highlights how cross-cultural competencies are critical for sustainable and responsible management. Second, this type of course makes extensive use of skill-building methods, such as service learning experiences. Third, such a course is evaluated at the levels of both student performance and course effectiveness in delivering outcomes that have the potential to contribute to society.