TOWARDS AN INTERNATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

MAIN ASSERTIONS: 1

• ALL SOCIETIES HAVE TO RESOLVE THREE MAIN DILEMMAS:– HOW DO WE RELATE TO OTHER PEOPLE– HOW DO WE MANAGE TIME– HOW DO WE RELATE TO ENVIRONMENT

ASSERTION 2

• THE RESOLUTIONS TO THESE DILEMMAS DIFFER FROM ONE SOCIETY TO THE OTHER

• THESE RESOLUTIONS REFLECT VALUE PRIORITIES

• THESE NATIONAL PRIORITIES DO NOT EXCLUDE OTHER PRIORITIES 100 PERCENT

• THUS, EACH CULTURE PRESENTS RECONCILIATIONS OF THE PRIORITIES

ASSERTION 3

• SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES MANAGE THESE RECONCILIATIONS BETTER THAN OTHERS

• THEREFORE, THE KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER PRIORITIES AND OTHER METHODS OF RECONCILING THEM IS ESSENTIAL

RELATING TO OTHERS

• UNIVERSALISM/PARTICULARISM(RULES VS RELATIONSHIPS)

• COMMUNITARIANISM/INDIVIDUALISM (GROUP VS INDIVIDUAL)

• NEUTRAL/EMOTIONAL (THE RANGE IF FEELINGS)

• DIFFUSE/SPECIFIC (THE RANGE OF INVOLVEMENT)

• ACHIEVEMENT/ASCRIPTION (HOW STATUS IS ACCORDED)

UNIVERSALISM

• SIMPLISTIC NOTION: MORE ADVANCED THE SOCIETY, THE MORE THE DOMINANCE OF RULES

• CONTRACT ARE WEIGHTY

• TIMING OF THE BUSINESS CONTACT IS PRECISE• HQ WILL RUN THE BUSINESS FROM THE HEAD

OFFICE W/ POLICIES AND PROCEDURES• HQ DECIDES HOW THE JOB EVALUATION WILL BE

DONE IN ALL NATIONAL MARKETS• RESPONSE FROM PARTICULARISTIC NATIONS: LIP

SERVICE AND CORPORATE RAIN DANCE

TEST UNIVERSALISM• YOU ARE A JOURNALIST WRITING A RESTAURAN

CRITIQUE OF A RESTAURANT OWNED BY A GOOD FRIEND OF YOURS. YOU ATE THERE AND IT STINKS. DOES SHE HAVE A RIGHT TO EXPECT YOU TO GO EASY ON YOUR REVIEW?– DEFINITELY– SOME RIGHT– NO RIGHT

WOULD YOU GO EASY ON YOUR REVIEW?

YES

NO

RESULTS• NO RIGHT, WOULD NOT WRITE A GOOD REVIEW

– ONLY 24% SERBIA– RUSSIA 47%– FINDLAND 75%– USA 66%– MEXICO 59%– SWITZERLAND 74%– CANADA 69%

RECONCILIATION OF UNIVERSALISM AND PARTICULARISM

• APPLY THE RULES FOR CONSISTENCY AND EQUITY

• NEED TO AVOID RIGIDITY AND BUREAUCRACY

• ENCOURAGE ADAPATATION TO PARTICULAR SITUATIONS (LOCAL DISCRETION)

• NEED TO AVOID CHAOS AND LOSE SENSE OF CENTRAL DIRECTION

• RESORT TO MORE CENTRAL GUIDELINES

INDIVIDUALISM

• FOCUS IS WHAT I WANT, THEN NEGOTIATE THE DIFFERENCES.

MORE FREQUENT I FORM• DECISIONS ARE MADE BY INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR

REPS, ON THE SPOT• THE AIM IS TO MAKE A QUICK DEAL• PEOPLE ACHIEVE ALONE• PEOPLE ASSUME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY• VACATIONS IN PAIRS/ OR ALONE

TEST OF INDIVIDUALISM• HOW DOES IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE?

– HAVE MAXIMUM INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITY DEVELOP THEMSELVES. QUALITY OF THEIR LIFE WILL IMPROVE AS A RESULT

– HAVE INDIVIDUALS CONTINUALLY TAKE CARE OF FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS QUALITY OF LIFE. EVERYONE’S QUALITY OF LIFE WILL INCREASE AS A RESULT

RESULTS• OPTING FOR INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM

– EGYPT 30%– ISRAEL 89%– USA 69%– MEXICO32%– RUSSIA 60%

COMMUNITARIANSIM

• FOCUS IS ON A SHARED CONCEPT OF PUBLIC OR COLLECTIVE GOOD

• MORE FREQUENT WE FORM• DECISIONS ARE CLEARED W/ THE ORGANIZATION• ACHIEVEMENT/FAILURE IN GROUPS• JOINT RESPONSIBILITY• GROUP OR EXTENDED FAMILY VACATIONS• THE AIM TO BUILD A LASTING RELATIONSHIP

RECONCILING “I” AND “WE”

• ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY

• BUT, NEED TO AVOID SELF CENTEREDNESS, FORCED COMPROMISE AND EXCESSIVE GREED

• ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS TO BUILD CONSENSUS

• NEED TO AVOID CONFORMISM,

• ENCOURAGE MORE INDIVIDUAL DISCRETION

AFFECTIVE VS/ NEUTRAL CULTURES

• HIGH AFFECTIVITY: SHOW FEELINGS OPENLY, FREELY, PLAINLY. EMOTIONS ARE AMPLIFIED.

• LOW AFFECTIVITY: FEELINGS ARE KEPT UNDER CONTROL, SUBDUED. ANGER AND DELIGHT IN THE WORKPLACE ARE UNPROFESSIONAL

• DIFFERENCES ARE RESULTS OF CONVENTION.

HIGH AFFECTIVE

• REVEAL FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS VERBALLY AND NON-VERBALLY

• TRANSPARENT AND EXPRESSIVE TO RELAESE TENSIONS

• EMOTIONS FLOW EASILY, EFFUSIVELY AND VEHEMENTLY

• ADMIRE HEATED, VITAL AND ANIMATED GESTURES• TOUCHING, GESTURING, STRONG FACIAL

EXPRESSIONS• DRAMATIC AN FLUENT STATEMENTS

TESTING AFFECTIVITY

• AT WORK HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU FELT UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING? WOULD YOU EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS OPENLY?

RESULTS• % OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD NOT

SHOW EMOTIONS OPENLY– KUWAIT, EGYPT 15%, 18%– JAPAN 74%– USA 43%– MEXICO 41%– RUSSIA 24%

HIGH NEUTRALITY

• DO NOT REVEAL THINKING AND FEELING

• COOL AND SELF POSESSED CONDUCT IS ADMIRED

• PHYISICAL CONTACT/ GESTURING/ FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ARE TABOO

• STATEMENTS ARE IN MONOTONE

• WELLED UP EMOTIONS MAY SELDOM EXPLODE

RECOCILING AFFECTIVE AND NEUTRAL CULTURES

• OVERLY AFFECTIVE AND OVERLY NEUTRAL HAVE PROBLEMS DEALING W/ EACH OTHER

• PERCEIVE OTHERS “ICE-COLD, NO HEART” OR “OUT OF CONTROL, INCONSISTENT”

• THESE TYPES ARE IN INCREASING CONTACT• THEY NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCES

AND LEGITIMIZE THE STYLES• THEY NEED TO REFRAIN FROM MAKING ANY

JUDGEMENTS• SO THAT THEY CAN CONDUCT BUSINESS

SPECIFIC/DIFFUSE CULTURES(LOW CONTEXT/HIGH CONTEXT)

• DO WE INCLUDE OTHERS IN ONLY SPECIFIC AREAS OF OUR LIVES, AT SINGLE LEVEL. KEEP PUBLIC SPACE SMALL. KEEP PRIVATE AND DISTANT

• OR• DO WE INCLUDE OTHERS IN MULTIPLE AREAS OF

OUR LIVES, AT SEVERAL LEVELS, SIMULATANEOUSLY. PRIVATE SPACES ARE SMALL. ACCESSIBLE, FRIENDLY

DIFFUSE CULTURE

• INDIRECT, CIRCUITOUS FORMS OF RELATING

• EVASIVE, TACTFUL, AMBIGIUOUS EVEN OPAQUE COMMUNICATION

• CONTEXTUAL EVALUATIONS

• SITUATIONAL MORALITY

• MANY ROADS TO ROME

TESTING DIFFUSENESS• THE BOSS OF YOUR FRIEND ASKS HIM TO PAINT

HIS HOUSE. HE DOES NOT FEEL LIKE DOING IT. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE HIM?

– YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT. HE IS YOUR BOSS AT WORK. THAT IS WHERE HIS AUTHORITY ENDS.

– PAINT THE HOUSE EVEN IF YOU DO NOT WANT IT. HE IS YOUR BOSS AND YOU CAN NOT IGNORE IT OUTSIDE OF THE WORK EITHER

RESULTS• DO NOT PAINT THE HOUSE

– CHINA 32%– SWEDEN, NETHERLANDS 91%– USA 82 %– MEXICO 70 %– RUSSIA 86%– KUWAIT 47%

DISAGREE THAT THE COMPANY SHOULD PROVIDE HOUSING?

-SERBIA 11%, HUNGARY 17%, CHINA 18%, RUSSIA 22%

-SWEDEN 89%, USA 85%, NETHERLANDS 83%

-JAPAN 45%, INDIA 46%

SPECIFIC CULTURES

• DIRECT, PURPOSEFUL, TO THE POINT IN RELATING

• PRECISE, BLUNT,DEFINITIVE AND TRANSPARANT COMMUNICATION

• PRINCIPLES ARE PARAMOUNT

• EFFICIENCY IS THE KING

• CONSISTENCY IN MORAL STANDS ADMIRED

RECONCILING SPECIFIC/DIFFUSE CULTURES

• EMPHASIZE THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT (SPECIFIC CULTURE) (DON’T TALK SHOP!)

• BUT THIS NEEDS INVESTMENT IN SOCIAL CAPITAL

• HIGH IN THE QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS (DIFFUSE CULTURE) (MIX BUSINESS W/ PLEASURE)

• WHICH ULTIMATELY GUARANTEES HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS

ACHIEVEMENT VS ASCRIPTION(HOW WE ACCORD STATUS

• DO WE BASE STATUS DIFFERENCES ON ACHIEVEMENT, SUCCESS, PROVEN TRACK RECORD (DOING)

• OR• DO WE BASE STATUS DIFFERENCES ON THINGS

LIKE AGE, SKIN COLOR, GENDER, EDUCATION (BEING)

TESTING ACHIEVEMENT ORIENTATION

• YOU HAVE TO THINK AND ACT THE WAY THAT SUITS WHO YOU ARE, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT GET THINGS DONE

• YOU HAVE TO THINK AND ACT IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET THINGS DONE, EVEN IF THAT DOES NOT SUIT YOU

RESULTS• % DISAGREE W/ ACTING AS SUITS YOU EVEN IF

NOTHING IS ACHIVED– EGYPT 4%– NORWAY 77%, USA 75%– MEXICO 31%– RUSSIA 30%– JAPAN 26%

ACHIEVEMENT ORIENTATION

• DO NOT EMPHASIZE TITLES

• FOCUS ON SKA’s

• RESPECT FOR SUPERIORS BASED ON COMPETENCE AND SUCCESS

• SENIOR MANAGERS ARE MIXED BAGS OF AGES, GENDERS, NATIONAL ORIGINS

• UPWARD MOBILITY BASED ON ACHIEVEMENT

ASCRIPTION ORIENTATION

• EXTENSIVE USE OF TITLES, DESIGNATIONS

• EMPHASIZE BACKGROUND AND SOCIAL CLASS

• RESPECT FOR SUPERIORS FOR BEING BOSSES

• HIERARCHICAL DEFERRAL SIGNALS LOYALTY AND COMMITMENT

• MOST BOSSES ARE MIDDLE AGED(OR OLDER) MALES QUALIFIED BY THEIR BACKGROUND.

RECONCILING ASCRIPTION/ACHIEVEMENT

• NEED TO REWARD PEOPLE FOR ACHIEVEMENT AND SKILL

• BUT NEED TO AVOID DESTABILIZING EMPHASIS ON RECENT PERFORMANCE

• HAVE TO SHOW RESPECT FOR PEOPLE FOR THEIR EXPERIENCE

• NEED TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO, OTHERWISE PROGRESS IS HINDERED

• MORE NEED TO REWARD PEOPLE FOR ACHIEVEMENT

DIFFUSE CULTURE

• INDIRECT, CIRCUITOUS FORMS OF RELATING

• EVASIVE, TACTFUL, AMBIGIUOUS EVEN OPAQUE COMMUNICATION

• CONTEXTUAAL EVALUATIONS

• SITUATIONAL MORALITY

• MANY ROADS TO ROME