Building Capitalism and Ending Communism in East European Business Culture  Michael D. Kennedy Seminar Introduction We often think of European communism's end in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, although for many who seek to build capitalism and democracy in East European everyday life, communism still lives. Communist leaders may have fallen from power, currencies may now be convertible and elections may be competitive, but the culture cultivated during communist rule still fuels the contest over who represents the future, and who is stuck in the past. Who represents that past, and who represents the future, however, is not always so clear.   In this seminar, Michael D. Kennedy--vice provost for international affairs, director of the International Institute, and associate professor of sociology at the University of Michigan--looks at the encounters between American business advisors and East European managers within a culture in transition from a socialist past to a capitalist future. Kennedy asks: How do Western business practices fuse with local cultures? How do managers on both sides negotiate claims to competence in these newly emerged transition firms? Who "owns" this transition culture? Learning Objectives Identify the ways in which Western experts and East European business leaders have worked together and against one another to develop a business culture in transition. Review the specific challenges encountered by Western and East European business leaders as they move from a production-centered to a market-driven company. Understand how transition culture is a dynamic process of change that relies on a series of logical oppositions, interpretations of history and valuations of expertise. Recognize the ways in which Western business models may replicate or encourage residual communist modes of thinking. Analyze the ways in which Western business tactics did not translate well into local East European culture, and the reasons for this. Understand the multiple strategies used by both Western business people and East European managers to present claims to competence and to gain acceptance and membership in transition culture. Sessions Session 1 Culture in Transition Session 2 Grounding Transition Culture Session 3 The Challenge of Transition and Specific Skills Session 4 Negotiating East European Difference Within Transition Culture Session 5 Contesting Claims to Competence Contributors Credits Copyright 2001 Regents of the University of Michigan. Technical Requirements