This review summarizes a paper that presents an alternative framework to the traditional value-focused approach for understanding cultural differences, called the situated dynamics framework. The reviewer, who is a real-life manager, appreciates the clarity and practicality of the paper. They believe the paper effectively explains the limitations of only considering cultural value differences and demonstrates the importance of also accounting for schemas and norms. The reviewer recommends the paper as a must-read for international managers, marketers and communicators.

1. Review for paper:
Leung, K., & Morris, M. W. (2014). Values, schemas, and norms in the culture-behavior nexus:
A situated dynamics framework. Journal of International Business Studies, 46(9), 1028-1050.
We, real-life managers, away from the research world, wish there were more papers like this! Its
clarity makes it very applicable to any intercultural communication project or to a multicultural
team-building program. Authors are generous in describing not only their approach centered on
schemas but give a complete (though short, we love it!) explanation on the traditional value-
focused approach.
The paper is practical in comparing both theories and gives solid reasons to understand why the
value-focused approach is incomplete. Now we, real-life managers, understand that we can
easily be misled to believe that value continuums are the only way to differentiate cultures, due
to the popularity of its most representative authors, like Hofstede, Trompenaars, Schwartz, etc.
This paper shows us that, in fact, there are more than two ways to determine cultural gaps. It
specifies what to have into account for practical tasks and the importance the individual has in
softening or accentuating these differences. A must read for international managers, marketers
and communicators.