business cultures from confusion to fusion #icca12 tuesday 23/10/2012
DESCRIPTION
Presentation held at the 51st ICCA Congress which took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico from 20 - 24 October 2012. For more information on ICCA please visit www.iccaworld.com.TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected]