Cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall relished using parables in his writings to make points about cultural differences that more serious scholarly treatments often obscure. One of his more popular parables continues to be salient today as organizations and their managers increasingly interact with their distant counterparts around the world. Hall (1960) recalled a time of a great flood that involved a monkey and a fish. When the flood came, the agile and experienced monkey quickly scrambled up a tree to escape the raging waters below. As she looked down from her safe perch, she noticed a poor fish struggling against the swift current. With the very best of intentions, she reached down and lifted the fish from the water, with predictable consequences for the fish. Unfortunately, as globalization takes hold around the world, more and more monkeys are increasingly trying to save more and more fish, frequently leading to confusion, misunderstandings, conflicts, and lost opportunities.

Most organizations today are increasingly going global, whether they wish to or not. In doing so, however, it would be incorrect to assume that these highly diverse organizations seek convergence in their strategies and structures for accomplishing their missions. Simply put, there is no such thing as a preferred global organization design. Many factors – including cultural differences – play important roles in determining how organizations are structured and work to achieve their goals. In this regard, organizational scholars risk losing their relevance to the extent that they lose sight of many of the key structural and managerial differences that proliferate around the world.