As an American working in the Caribbean I learned a lot about working with cultures outside of my own. The text refers to the American cultural belief that ‘their country is a force for enduring good.’ (Moran, Abramson, Moran, Pg. 30. This can often extend to American managers abroad believing their hard charging ways are the best. The problem is if as a leader one does not figure out a way to work within the host culture all the most current management techniques won’t matter. The Caribbean culture in particular has ways of dealing with precisely these kinds of manager.
In Antigua, it is important to be very aware of the history of the island. Antigua was colonized by the British, who imported slaves from Africa and worked them to death for obscene profits. When emancipation occurred in 1834 slavery was gone only in name. With only ‘king sugar’ as a means to earn money, and the plantations remaining in the white owners hands the ‘free’ slaves remained at the mercy of the powerful Sugar Syndicate until the 1940`s when organized labor took hold and a series of strikes finally brought down the sugar barons.
When independence came about in 1967 (for local matters, full independence was not until 1981) tourism was just in its infancy. Luckily Antigua has copious amounts of beaches (they advertise 365, one for every day of the year). I say luckily because agriculture was considered the least desirable of all occupations. Working in sugar fields as slaves had almost make even home agriculture a dirty word, being a taxi driver was considered far superior.
Because Antiguan independence took its root in the form of organized labor, unions are powerful and the labor laws are strict. Many a foreign manager I have seen come in and try to circumvent both. This has never worked. Slavery ingrained a deep feeling of pride among the Antiguans. They earned the land they have through the blood and suffering of almost 400 years of their forebears and they will patiently ‘go slow’ or create obstacles that will drive the most seasoned manager crazy.
‘If you want to enlarge your managerial frames, you must be curious about how the rest of the world thinks- and you must have humility. The real competitive problem is not that our institutional environment is hopelessly unhelpful, but that our managerial frames are hopelessly inappropriate to the next round of global competition.’ (Moran, Abramson, Moran, Pg. 31)
I was successful as a manager because I respected the history and the laws of the land. I worked hard with the unions to not only work on the benefits the staff wanted, but also on the disciplinary procedures I needed to manage. I was able to manage, which meant hiring and firing, but there were local norms and procedures to follow. It perhaps took longer than I would have liked to make changes in staff, but there was a way if I worked within the culture.
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge
Sven Frisell says
Hi Kylie Ann! Thanks for your comment! Yes, it was interesting how some managers would refuse to work within the culture of their host country. I think its important if one is offered a job overseas to be able to commit to being able to work within that culture. For some it was not possible. It didn’t matter if their way was better, if they couldn’t introduce it under the host country’s culture then the culture will reject them. This can be really challenging. I know in the Caribbean many expatriate managers who simply couldn’t adapt.
Have a great week! Sven
Kylie Ann Smith says
Sven, I really like that last quote you added in from page 31 of our reading. It couldn’t be anymore true. It basically means (to me, anyway) that you have to be aware of how other cultures are managing, not just your own culture. Every culture has certain procedures to follow when it comes to managing (as you said).