Graduate Studies Blog

NANYANG EXECUTIVE MBA

Cultivating Cultural Intelligence: Empowering Asian Leaders for Global Success through Nanyang EMBA

Asian professionals working towards global leadership understand the importance of cultural intelligence in leading multinational teams.

Yoshigou Fujii is one such leader. “The key is not to have the other person understand Japanese culture, but to understand the culture of the foreign country instead.” says the Executive Officer of SAP Japan’s Enterprise and Midmarket business sector, who has amassed over two decades at the software giant.

When working with people from other countries, “Mutual acceptance and respect can lead to new ideas and great work.” Fujii says.

These lessons gained from the Nanyang Executive MBA (Nanyang EMBA) are key intercultural insights that the senior leader aims leverage on, as he positions himself to expand into the wider Asia-Pacific region to unlock new growth for the firm.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 40 percent of SAP Japan’s sale. This has prompted the executive officer to explore new business cases in other countries to improve results.

“My next goal is to be active in the Asia-Pacific region and to support companies across borders,” he says. “I hope to create an environment where SAP Japan members can create a stronger presence in the Asia Pacific and Japan, and play an active role in shaping the future.”

A Diverse Environment

With these goals in mind, Fujii enrolled in the Nanyang Executive MBA in April 2023.

The course is offered by the Nanyang Business School (NBS) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). Ranked the #2 Executive MBA in Asia by the QS Global Executive MBA Rankings 2023, the Nanyang EMBA taps on NTU’s strengths as one of Asia’s most comprehensive research-intensive universities, which includes a leading research centre for cultural intelligence.

Through the course, participants can gain deep insights into Asian business practices, consumer psychology, and emerging markets in ASEAN. They are also exposed to cutting edge-business management concepts, tech research innovation and leadership perspectives – through study trips to partner institutes Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing.

The United States of America (USA) and China are two of the most highly developed business ecosystems in the world, ideal for business leaders to compare how cultures, regulations, and innovation networks affect business strategies.

“I chose the Nanyang EMBA because I wanted to study in a diverse environment,” Fuji explains. “By spending time learning and working with people from other countries, cultures, and personalities, I am able to learn the becoming of a global leader.”

This decision particularly impactful, given that the executive officer holds two postgraduate degrees from Japan’s Keio and Konan universities.

Recognising the shrinking size of Japan’s workforce, Fuji points out that Japanese professionals will gain more opportunities to work with non-Japanese workers. “At that time, it will be increasingly important to develop more global and cross-cultural skills,” he remarks.

Hoping to nurture leaders to succeed in Asia and beyond, he says, “The key for Japanese leaders will be how effectively they can run global companies with people from diverse backgrounds.”

Interculturally Intelligent

Beyond intellectual and emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence has become one of the key strategic capabilities senior leaders need to possess in today’s global economy, especially to function effectively across a variety of cultural contexts.

As such, the Nanyang EMBA offers participants opportunities for interdisciplinary study, which develops their ability to lead with impact in a rapidly evolving world and offers enriching opportunities to strengthen their cross-cultural communication skills.

One example is through group work and team-building opportunities. Fujii developed a powerful personal practice: “I learn to clarify and communicate my opinions and intentions, an aspect which I found challenging previously. I also make it a habit to always seeking the ‘why’ in things.”

“Japanese people tend to use indirect communication. This prevents communication from being understood, and causes confusion when working globally,” he explains.

In addition, a module on cultural intelligence improved the executives’ awareness of their strengths and weaknesses in managing cross-cultural situations. This enabled them to discern the underlying assumptions of their own cultural perspective and helped them understand the implications of cultural intelligence when working in global industries. “Since culture varies with everyone, it is also important to put aside stereotypes, have respect for each person, and try to understand his or her personality.” Fujii says.

Staying Current

Fujii is not alone in his journey to develop intercultural skills. He is joined by 35 senior leaders, including C-suite executives, partners, managing directors, business owners, directors, and vice presidents hailing from 15 nationalities and across 20 industries.

Nanyang EMBA participants boast an average of 17 years’ experience, and an average age of 41. This diverse network of professionals offers participants safe setting to hone cultural intelligence, and a powerful avenue of knowledge-sharing that can yield tangible outcomes. For Fujii, it “created the opportunity to explore new possibilities for business models, especially in the area of sustainability”.

“I would like to contribute to customer success, like sustainability, society, and enabling business transformation for our business partners,” he says. “I had a great experience working in SAP for 20 years. But looking at how everything has changed and evolved so rapidly in the last few years, I realised that my past successes could hinder my growth. Therefore, I decided to start over again and make a re-start by learning.”

“As a senior executive, I believe age doesn’t matter. Learning never stops,” he adds. “In this world where change can occur at an incredible pace, we should always create opportunities to update ourselves in order to keep up with the times.”

About the Nanyang Executive MBA

In this rapidly changing world driven by technology, digitalisation, and sustainability, lifelong learning is the key to stay ahead of the competition. The Nanyang EMBA equips business leaders with the tools and strategies to lead purposefully in the hyperconnected economy.

This part-time programme offers a career-compatible schedule, which allows you to focus on both work and study. The programme’s duration is 13-months with the flexibility to stretch to 2 years to accommodate work demands.

Visit our website at https://bit.ly/NanyangExecMBA or download the brochure to learn more about the programme and available funding options.