business cultures from confusion to fusion #icca12 tuesday 23/10/2012

Culture & Management Consulting

Danaë HuijserOct. 23rd, 2012

Business CulturesFrom confusion to fusion

Combining the best of all

Embracing the power of diversity

Awareness

Culture is who you are

Appreciation

Value differences

Authenticity

Combine strengths

Diversity awareness

What gives value to difference in teams is not why we are different, but

how we are different.

Our social identity influences how we perceive the world

Individual

Group

-Nationality

-Age

-Gender

-…

Universal

Personality

Culture

Human Nature

Kurt Lewin

American& German Personality Structures

Personality or Culture?

Public

Private

Danger Zone

Individual

Group

-Nationality

-Age

-Gender

-…

Universal

Personality

Culture

Human Nature

Human nature or culture?

The Model of FreedomCulture is our feel good zone

Where we feel free, within the limitations set by our culture

ACTION

PROCESS

ROLETASK

Cultural identity

Balance rights and duties

Direct or indirect communication

Email or face to face

The meaning of conflicts and disagreements

I have the right to:-Do things my way-Speak up-Look after myself-Decide for myself

We have a duty to:-Be disciplined-Conform-Look after each other-Share responsibility

Task Role

What do you think?

Communication with a new business relation should be about the business. If he or she keeps inviting you for city tours, tea and dinner, it’s a sign there is no business here and you should just give up.

What do you think?

Communication with a new business relation is all about building trust. If he or she wants to meet you at the airport for a short meeting, and only has one hour between flights, it’s a sign there is no business here and you should just give up.

Cultural preferences

Rules and exceptions

Time perception

Decision making

Learning style

0

Action

Process

Follow the rulesTime is moneyBe decisive, be fastLearning by doing, mistakes happenFactual information counts

Look for exceptionsTime is infiniteGood decisions take timePrepare well to avoid mistakesGut feelings count

What would you do?

You rush to be on time to an appointment, where you find yourself waiting for two hours until your partner arrives. He explains he met an old friend and could not just ignore him on the street. Is this disrespect, or could it be something else?

What would you do?

After years of negotiation your US based company established a joint venture with a Brazilian counterpart. You present yourselves as partners to the press. Then, your Brazilian counterpart tears up the contract! What does this mean?

The Model of FreedomCulture is our feel good zone

Where we feel free, within the limitations set by our culture

ACTION

PROCESS

ROLETASK

RoleTask

Process

Action

Action

Focus on doing

Action orientation

Features:

Drive to achieve Decisive Fast: time is money Mistakes happen Risk taking Tangible and visible results count Future oriented

Fast food

Quantity matters: bigger is better

It’s ok to eat alone

It’s ok to eat while you drive

Process

Focus on thinking

Task Role

Action

Process

Process orientation

Features:

Value discussion and preparation Careful decision making, analytic Drive to prevent mistakes Time is an investment Past oriented The (intellectual) process counts

Slow food, take your time

Quality matters

Food should be shared

Food is an opportunity for discussion and socializing

Action

Process

Task

Focus on

individual

RoleTask

Task orientation

Features:

Direct style of communication Pragmatic Personal responsibility Focus on rights Belief in equality: “you may be different, but not ‘better’ than me”

Food is there to keep you alive and should be nutritious

Food is measured per person

Role

Focus on group

Action

Process

Task Role

Role orientation

Features:

Clear role Focus on duties and responsibilities Quality and discpline count Conflicts are perceived as disruptive Indirect and formal communication

Food is about all the tastes, every dish has its own purpose

Food should be of high quality, both in taste and in looks

The advantage of diversity

Experiencing creativity within diverse teams

Creative perception

Creative problem

Acting on an anonymous phone call, the police raid a house to arrest a suspected murderer. They don’t know what he looks like, but they know his name is John. Inside they find a carpenter, a lorry driver, a car mechanic and a fire-fighter playing cards. Without even asking his name, they immediately arrest the fire-fighter. How do they know they’ve got their man?

Idea killers

Yes, but … It already exists! Our customers won’t like that! We don’t have time… It’s not possible… It’s too expensive! Let’s be realistic. That’s not logical… There’s no budget… I’m not creative… It’s not my responsibility… It’s too difficult… The market is not ready…

Creative design

• Redesign (a part of) the human body

• What is the 1st idea that comes to your mind?

• Now, let’s combine ideas into one design.

• (How) did we manage to cooperate?

ADVANTAGE

Risk taking, fast decision making

ADVANTAGE

Details are analysed before decisions are made

DISADVANTAGE

Making mistakes is part of the game

DISADVANTAGE

Relatively slow process

Culture A Culture B

ADVANTAGE

Risk taking, fast decision making

ADVANTAGE

Details are analysed before decisions are made

DISADVANTAGE

Making mistakes is part of the game

DISADVANTAGE

Relatively slow process

Culture A Culture B

Creativity exercise

There are 10 glasses in a row. The first five glasses are empty and the last five are filled with water. How would you create a row of alternating empty and full glasses by only moving two of the glasses?

It’s all about fusion

Tripple-A formula

Be aware of your own biases and the advantages of your preferred style

Appreciate other styles as possible ways to success: what you perceive as right does not make someone else’s perception wrong. Try not to judge.

Remain authentic: adopt, don’t adapt.

Danaë Huijserdhuijser@cmc-eu.com