Leading Change in Multicultural Context

Leading change is a challenge undertaken by many managers and leader. Leading change in a Vietnamese partnership context may present its unique challenges and difficulties, deriving from the unique professional culture in Vietnam. The Marxist ideology poses great influence in the values of organizations and managers, and classic change management models fail in their basic assumptions. The Doi Moi reform initiated in 1986 triggered a process of privatization and market orientation in Vietnam, shifting the organizations' attention on performance and productivity. Multinational partners still pressure Vietnamese counterpart in enhancing productivity and production quality, demanding a shift in the production paradigm.This book analyses the change process undergone between a western and a Vietnamese company in their production setup - Vestergaard Frandsen and Det10/10 - and analyzes the successes of management tools used in leading change. Problematizing correctly the change processand adapting and adopting specific tools are part of the "art" that needs to be mastered by a change leader in order to succeed