|
 Richard
Hill is an intercultural consultant, trainer and author of
"We Europeans", "EuroManagers & Martians"
and other books on intercultural understanding.
Some expatriates can attest to the fact that culture shock
extends to management styles. I have known cases of foreign managers
assigned to the local subsidiary of a multinational who have
quickly sensed differences in relationships between management
and employees in their host country. Sometimes it is even more
apparent in the behavioural patterns of the employees than the
managers. But precisely because the relationship is a symbiotic
one, it tends to work both ways. The local management culture
will, to some extent, reflect the local national or social culture
of the country as much as the management philosophy of the mother-company.
Europe is a case in point. I used to think the 'Old World'
was divided into three schools. Managers earned the respect of
their subordinates, and therefore the right to manage, in one
of three ways: either by constantly consulting their teams like
the Nordics, or by taking all decisions unilaterally like the
French, or by showing that they knew more about their speciality
than their subordinates like the Germans. Today, it's a bit more
complicated than that…
An eight-country study undertaken by the UK's Cranfield School
of Management identified four distinctive management styles.
The countries were Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Austria,
Sweden, Finland and Ireland, and the four styles were Inspirational,
Directive, Consensual and Elitist.
Essentially it was the British and the Irish who subscribed
to the Inspirational approach, which the researchers described
as being "driven by beliefs concerning the future and supported
by a charismatic leadership style." Yet these two countries
were just beaten to the post by the Spanish, who demonstrably
can make a claim to being charismatic.
The second style, Directive, is characterised by focus:
"everything depends on what needs to be achieved, using
an appropriate style to enhance the attainment of goals."
Here, not altogether surprisingly, the Germans dominate, closely
followed by the Austrians. The others are way behind and there
is absolutely no sign of the French.
Consensual, the third style, is described as "discussion
with minimal constraint… involving all relevant parties
irrespective of organisational position." Here the Swedes
and Finns score the most, and the French are again nowhere to
be seen.
So what has happened with the French? They have opted for
a fourth style, the Elitist approach, "displaying
a capacity for conceptual debate accompanied by a style of top-down
leadership." No less than 83 per cent of French respondents
identify themselves with this type of management. Runners-up
are the Swedes with just three per cent!
The Swedes are of course well into the Consensual thing. Other
Europeans will comment that they just talk and talk - and even
German managers have been heard to complain about the time it
takes for their Swedish counterparts to make a decision. By comparison
the Danes, a relatively entrepreneurial people, are positively
impulsive.
But the Swedes do earn top marks for their concern for the
opinions and feelings of their subordinates. This compares starkly
with the no-nonsense management style of many Finns, where recommendations
and reactions tend to be negative: demands, instructions, criticisms
and the like. For the self-respecting Finn, to lavish praise
on someone or to offer verbal encouragement seems rather silly!
Many people suspect that the German management style is just
as severe. Not so, German managers are generally fair-minded
and supportive. But the style itself tends to be serious and,
by virtue of qualification and rank, authoritative (with the
French, by comparison, it is strictly a matter of status). As
for the British, well, there's a lot going on there as the old
tradition of gifted amateurism loses ground and the younger generation
of managers combines free-wheeling native wit with higher levels
of preparedness and professionalism than in the past.
Where do the Italians stand in all this? Well, rather like
the British, they are either very good or very bad. Italian opportunism
does not encourage a tradition of firm management, yet Italian
business schools have now turned out two generations of international
managers that are as good as anything the rest of Europe has
to offer. As always, the Italians are the dark horses of the
Continent, drawing on hidden reserves of energy, perfectionism
and resourcefulness. If you happen to be an expatriate manager
heading for Italy, be prepared for surprises! |
Alain
Verstandig, Managing Director, Net Expat
Net
Expat has been interviewing Mrs. Cathryn Valentine from South
Africa, on her first impressions on job hunting.
Claire
Bisqueret, Managing Director; 
Beverley Platt-Higgins,
Programme Director Net Expat UK
Hervé
Hasquin, Minister of Communications of the 
Mrs. L. Gossot
Head of the "Mission Femmes françaises à l'Etranger"
at the French Foreign Affairs Ministry