MANAGER FROM ANOTHER PLANET
by Richard Cook

When the new manager (sent from the 'home country') arrives at the company's subsidiary in country X there are high levels of expectations on both sides. There is also trepidation on both sides. Will the new manager understand us? Will he or she work with what they find or try to change everything so it looks like the way things are back home? For the new manager, this assignment may be part of a major career move and a lot may rest on it's success. For him or her there are the issues of a new country, new language to learn (if the time can be found), a new marketplace (all that is known so far is what was in the handover report).

Then there are the business reasons behind the move - both declared and yet to be announced. Change is in the air and trust needs to be established as quickly as possible but how to do it here - where everything is so different?

Managing cultural differences can render otherwise successful mangers and organisations ineffective and frustrated when working across cultures.

There are five learning stages that a manager needs to go through in order to achieve success in international management:

  1. Understand that the cultural factor contributes to international business success or failure but is often an 'invisible' problem.
  2. Understand that our own cultural values affect the way we behave.
  3. Understand that other cultures have different values from our own (not 'better' or 'worse' - just different)
  4. Understand why conflict between cultures occurs as a result of different values. If this is understood it is possible to:
    • adjust our own behaviour
    • build bridges across cultural differences having accepted and agreed on different priorities
  5. Develop and modify our cross-cultural model through observation and experience.

Characteristics of Successful 'Global Operators'

These consists of a series of extra-linguistic skills, attitudes, strategies, beliefs and practices that facilitate the communication and interaction and understanding between people working together across diverse cultures.

When these skills are combined the result is a highly effective Global Operator.

These are people who seem to move effortlessly across cultures and time-zones, building powerful business relationships, obtaining commitment, even where the prevailing conditions on the ground are hostile and achieving clear, high-quality results within agreed time-frames.

  • Patient but persistent
  • Willing to learn and fail
  • Possessing a good sense of humour and perspective
  • Strongly imaginative
  • Able to withhold judgement/reactions until sure of others' intentions
  • Perceptually acute
  • Respectful of differences even when not understood
  • Language learning skills
  • Intuitive about communication, especially the silent language of culture (non-verbal)
  • Able to function within high-uncertainty environments
  • Have excellent listening skills
  • Able to 'step into the others' shoes and see things from a different perspective
  • Flexibility - adapting behaviour and communication style to new situations and contexts
  • Transparency - saying not only what you are going to do but also why and how
  • Rapport building skills - matching the communication style of your international colleague.

Conclusion

What solutions are readily available in order for both organisations and individual managers to become effective global operators - and at what price?
Is it necessary for major or minor changes to be implemented? Do we simply train those working internationally or should we take more of an O.D. (Organisational Developmental) approach to these issues?

Each organisation needs to find its own specific solutions to its own problems. These will depend on the position that it finds itself in and in what markets it is entering or developing. What is clear is that each organisations needs to look at developing global skills, both at the individual level as well as the organisational level if it is to thrive in the 21st century.


To get in touch with Richard Cook email him on: richardcook@global-excellence.com

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