siegfried langer managing collaboration

Managing Successful Collaboration between Cultures Track 2, Session 1: Managing Customers Satisfaction: 

Managing Successful Collaboration between Cultures Track 2, Session 1: Managing Customers Satisfaction Siegfried Langer Relationship Executive R&D Russia

Agenda: 

Agenda Cultural differences Handling conversations “Hofstede Dimensions” Personal relationships in business Teams – Organizations - Communications Practical tips

Cultural differences: 

Cultural differences   "Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster."      Prof. Geert Hofstede, Emeritus Professor, Maastricht University.

Handling conversations: 

Handling conversations Anglo-saxon : Latin : Oriental :

Cultural differences (“Hofstede Dimensions”) : 

Team accomplishment Group Egalitarian Joint decision making Low dependence on supervisor Quality of life outweighs material gain Ambiguity Provides opportunities Personal accomplishment Individual Authoritarian style Top down communications Formal structures Material possession is important Stability Routine is valued Cultural differences (“Hofstede Dimensions”) Individualism Power Distance Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance

Personal Relationships in Business: 

Personal Relationships in Business From: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe, by John Mole 

Communications: 

Communications From: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe, by John Mole 

The Organization Dimension: 

The Organization Dimension From: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe, by John Mole 

Time management: 

Time management

Organization: 

Organization From: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe, by John Mole 

The Leadership Dimension: 

The Leadership Dimension From: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe, by John Mole 

Teams: 

Teams From: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe, by John Mole 

Multicultural Organization and Leadership: 

Multicultural Organization and Leadership Note: map looks only at business (sub) culture! From: Mind Your Manners: Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe, by John Mole 

Russians – from a German’s view: 

Russians – from a German’s view are proud people tell them “it is impossible” and they will love the challenge like to act are seeking clear directions and stability are control focused (in order to reduce uncertainty) respect hierarchies like attentiveness and honor personal relationships may not clearly say what they want may have a tendency of mistrust or negative thinking Show me! attitude

Typical German !?: 

Typical German !? Germans prefer structure love organization planning ahead drive for the optimum strive to avoid risk and failure detail orientation may panic at barriers Source: Dr. Sylvia Schroll-Machl, www.schroll-machl.de

Typical American (USA) !?: 

Typical American (USA) !? Patriotisms Equality thinking Focus on actions Easy going Strong orientation towards achievement Individualism Social acceptance (nice guy) Minimizing interpersonal distance (soft shell) Source: Dr. Sylvia Schroll-Machl, www.schroll-machl.de

Practical tips: 

Practical tips There are no absolute standards of behavior Our value judgments are derived from perception filtered through our own working practices and beliefs Be aware of differences and accept them Give your counterpart a chance to adjust Let him/her know what causes confusion Over-invest into personal communications and team building – specifically at the start of a relationship or project Building trust and allow for learning/experiencing the differences Language difficulties may aggravate problems in understanding Build and maintain multiple communications channels (on work group and management level) Budget for extra visits

The five Hofstede Dimensions… : 

The five Hofstede Dimensions… Prof. Geert Hofstede conducted perhaps the most comprehensive study of how values in the workplace are influenced by culture.  From the initial results, and later additions, Hofstede developed a model that identifies five dimensions to assist in differentiating cultures: Power Distance Index (PDI) Individualism (IDV) Masculinity (MAS) Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) Long-Term Orientation (LTO)  

…The five Hofstede Dimensions: 

…The five Hofstede Dimensions Power Distance Index (PDI) Degree of equality, or inequality, between people in the country's society. A low Power Distance ranking indicates the society de-emphasizes the differences between citizen's power and wealth. Individualism (IDV) Degree the society reinforces individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships. A low Individualism ranking typifies societies of a more collectivist nature with close ties between individuals. Masculinity (MAS) Degree the society reinforces, or does not reinforce, the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control, and power. A low masculinity ranking indicates the country has a low level of differentiation and discrimination between genders. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) Level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society - i.e. unstructured situations. A Low Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has less concern about ambiguity and uncertainty and has more tolerance for a variety of opinions. Long-Term Orientation (LTO) Degree the society embraces, or does not embrace, long-term devotion to traditional, forward thinking values. A Low Long-Term Orientation ranking indicates the country does not reinforce the concept of long-term, traditional orientation.

The five Hofstede Dimensions: 

The five Hofstede Dimensions

Reference: : 

Reference: Mind Your Manners – Managing Business Cultures in the New Global Europe by John Mole