Post on 30-Dec-2015
description
Managing Cultures
Pellegrino Riccardi
Vettre Hotel: March 2007
A DEFINITION OF CULTURE
a complex pattern of ideas, emotions and behaviours
… that tend to be expected, reinforced and rewarded
by and within a group
Levels of Culture
National
Professional
Organisational
Departmental
Individual
EXPECTED
REINFORCED
REWARDED
"Nordmannen er en nøktern person. Hans forhold til Gud er omtrent som hans forhold til Kongen: Han synes Gud (og Kongen) er grei nok - forutsett at han oppfører seg som en skikkelig nordmann og ikke tror at han er noe spesielt.”
”The average Norwegian is a down-to-earth kind of person. His relationship to God is more or less the same as his relationship to the King. He thinks that God (and the King) are OK kind of guys – provided that they behave like proper Norwegians and don’t go around thinking they are anything special!”
Nordmannen sier det ikke rett ut, men han mener at Gud (og Kongen) tross alt ikke er mer enn et menneske han heller. Nordmannen ville ikke bli forbauset om han en dag så Gud (eller Kongen) f. eks. foran seg i busskø eller på Karl Johansgate i Oslo.”
”A Norwegian will not say it straight out, but basically he believes that God (and the King for that matter) is, after all, no more a person than he is. Your average Norwegian would not be surprised if one day he saw God (or the King for that matter) standing in front of him in a bus queue in the centre of Oslo.”
MAL
How important is HIERARCHY?
PHIIN
DSIN
GBRA
FRAHKIT
AUSA
NLNOR
100
50
Percentage of respondents that feel that it is Percentage of respondents that feel that it is important for a boss to act and look like a bossimportant for a boss to act and look like a boss
Equality (Small Power Distance) cultures- Too much power in only a few hands is a NEGATIVE thing
- Powerful people often play down their status and power
- Employees expect to be consulted before important decisions are made (consensus)
- People do not adjust their communication style when speaking to other people higher than them in the hierarchy
- People are relatively less afraid of speaking their minds (especially to people in higher positions
Hierarchy (Large Power Distance) cultures- Leadership style tends to be top-down
- People at the top of the hierarchy have much more power than people at the bottom
- Those who are lower in the hierarchy expect direction and guidance from the people above them
- The ideal boss should be a “good father” (able to combine power with kindness)
- People lower down will not disagree with people above them in the hierarchy (at least not in public)
Hierarchypeople who agree that when you ask a manager a question, the
manager should know the precise answer
Customers don’t buy products or services,
they only buy the
SATISFACTION
they imagine they will get
by using them
SATISFACTION = A FEELING
the YOU as others see you
the YOU as you see yourself
the YOU as you would like to be seen
the YOU as others see you
the YOU as you see yourself
the YOU as you would like to be seen
EXPECTATIONS of others
the YOU as you see yourself
the YOU as you would like to be seen
Cultural & Ethical DILEMMA
You are the passenger in a car driven by a close friend
Your friend hits a pedestrian
Your know your friend was driving at 50km per hour in a 30 zone
There are no witnesses
Your friend’s lawyer says that if you testify under oath in court that your
friend was only driving at 30, it might save him/her from serious
consequences
Would you lie in court to help your friend?
SWI GER SWE NOR NETH
Percentage of respondents who said they would probably NOT lie in court
SPA POL IND
CHI INDO RUS KOR VEN
20
40
60
80
100
Rules vs. Relationships
Rules (aka Universalist) Relationships (aka Particularist)
“One-rule-for-all” attitude
Procedures and standards should be applied consistently and universally
NO EXCEPTIONS
The same rules cannot apply to everyone
Procedures and standards should allow room for discretion
Rules applied on a more case-by-case basis
Greece
Italy
Spain
Portugal
France
Ireland
Europe
Belgium
Luxembourg
UK
Netherlands
Germany
Denmark 33
35
45
46
50
52
55
57
58
67
73
81
88
0 50 100 150 200Source: Grant Thornton 1999
Greece
Italy
Spain
Portugal
France
Ireland
Europe
Belgium
Luxembourg
UK
Netherlands
Germany
Denmark
Average Payment Periods 1999
RULES
application of rules
(one-law-for-all principle)
CONSISTENT
OBJECTIVE
PREDICTABLE
FAIR
CONSISTENCY
RELATIONSHIPS
application of rules
(case-by-case principle)
UNIQUE
PERSONAL
FLEXIBLE
FAIR
DISCRETION
THE FAVOUR BANK
FIXED-TIME cultures- Time is divided into units so it can be measured and tracked
accurately
- Time is a straight line
- Order, precision, detail, agendas, deadlines, structure, action plans, predictability, budgets, reliability, process, systems
- Business interactions focus on task details rather than the relationship with the person you are working
Typical Examples of
FIXED-TIME Cultures
Finland
Germany
Hong Kong
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
USA
UK
Japan
FLUID TIME cultures
- More “relaxed attitude” to time – loose and flexible schedules
- Time is fluid, cyclical
- Focus is on relationship building as well as tasks and deadlines
- Interruptions and “distractions” can be common during meetings
- It is often disrespectful not to "spend" time with people
Typical Examples of
FLUID-TIME Cultures
Brazil
China
France
India
Indonesia
Italy
Mexico
Philippines
Saudi Arabia
Vietnam
JapanSingapore
Algeria
BELGIUM
Switzerland
Denmark
USA
Netherlands
France
Russia
ItalyGreece
Venezuela
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
INDIA
Philippines
Korea
China
Vietnam
FinlandUK
Germany
Sweden Hong Kong
BASED ON A MODEL BY RICHARD LEWIS
Angola
Bangladesh
CANADA
Typical Anglo-Saxon Meeting
Segmentation of issues (tasks)
Discussion
Solutions
Fixed
Agenda
Typical Latin Meeting
In random order
Preliminary
discussion of issues
Wide-ranging,
all-embracing discussion
Inter-related
issues / tasks
Extensive
small talk
Looking for
some support
Meetings in YELLOW Cultures
Opposing Converging Closing Merging