Archives for October 2018

Cultural Differences When Expanding Globally

October 1, 2018 by aip5445 1 Comment

This weeks lesson felt particularly relevant because the company that I work for is rapidly expanding globally. Because I work in Human Resources, we are the first stop in getting teams assembled in those countries and getting feedback from those teams and other advisers regarding benefits, compensation, etc. Because in doing so, I work directly with our HR lead in those countries, its particularly important that we establish and maintain global synergy. That being said, we don’t always maintain that and it can be a struggle finding common ground in lieu of our cultural differences. In looking for ways to do so, I found a few helpful tips:

– be culturally aware: It may sound obviously but taking the time to learn the fine nuances of the culture that are working with makes all the difference. In doing so, it helps to understand where your counterpart is coming from plus gives yo a competitive edge in terms of cross cultural knowledge.

– take the idea of “win-win” to heart: keep in mind that there doesn’t have to be one “winner’; both sides can win without sacrificing who the are.

– retain your own identity: lastly, be flexible but also be sure to preserve your own identity and ideas. After all, your experiences and social norms are one of the pieces that you bring to the table from your “group”. Make sure that you are thoughtful and know compromise but maintain your own identity.

By incorporating some of these ideas into our collaborations with other HR professionals in our sister countries, I believe that our business will be stronger if we are able to utilize these tips when doing so and maintaining an overall sense of cultural synergy.

Citation:

Dealing with Cultural Differences in International Business

http://tamkjournal-en.tamk.fi/dealing-with-cultural-differences-in-international-business/

Cultural Synergy differs from the US to the UK…and that’s okay.

October 1, 2018 by Nicole Leave a Comment

After learning about cultural synergy this week, I was curious to know more about the subject in a global context. Upon research, I came across an article regarding leadership in cultural synergy in Europe that was quite interesting. Harris described, “Synergy is cooperative or combined action. It occurs when diverse or disparate individuals or groups of people collaborate in a common cause. The objective is to increase effectiveness by sharing perceptions and experiences, insights and knowledge” (Harris, 2004). This concept was very familiar to me as a leader myself. The ability to perform better by working together in a somewhat unified way has always proven to be quite successful. My former corporation ran several retail companies in both the US and the UK. However, our companies could not be any different.

In the article Harris discussed high and low energy societies which was quite beneficial when deciphering how synergy translates in other cultures. For example, “A high-synergy corporation is one in which employees cooperate for mutual advantage because the customs and traditions of the corporation or organization support such behavior. In this non-competitive atmosphere, the individual works toward his or her betterment as well as that of the group” (Harris, 2004). My prior organization was very much like this and we all worked toward the greater good of our company. A lot of this is connected to the culture of the company which is built upon integrity, sincerity, and a family feel. Allowing for everyone to play a part and feel important. There was also a commission factor for all sales people. Our managers also owned a percentage of the entire store they ran. All of this enticed members to be accountable to the business and more connected to the needs of the business. There are many organizations in retail however that do not operate like this, such as the one we operated in the UK.

The retail company we ran in the UK was built with a salary compensation structure for all people. There is no incentive to sell more product. They also do not have a long standing heritage like the American retail company we operated. For instance, “A low-synergy business is one that is ruggedly individualistic, insisting on going it alone. It avoids partnerships and agreements with other entities, and finds it difficult to adapt too quickly to change. Employees are not empowered – often systems and policies are more important than the customer or the people. Managers impose “their way” or organizational culture upon others, often to their mutual detriment” (Harris, 2004). Organizations that function through a very individually driven environment create less team work. However in Europe this structure works better. Our employees in the UK have more stable income because there is no fluctuation in commissions earned. This is a perfect example of how

Works Cited

Harris, P. R. (2004). European Leadershipn in Cultural Synergy. Emerald Publishing. Retrieved from Emerald Publishing: https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/225420349?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=13158

It’s All in the Details

October 1, 2018 by met5356 2 Comments

My father has an Ivy League engineering degree. He was recruited during his senior year in college to work for a major engineering company with offices in countries all over the world. During his career, he was sometimes partnered with people across one ocean or another, and on occasion flew over to meet in person with colleagues overseas. His drive and determination, his personal commitment to excellence in his work and his ambition to survive every round of layoffs, as well as every big change that occurred in the company during his thirty-plus year tenure, paid off. These attributes were not without cost, however.

My father was scheduled to retire at age 65. He retired earlier, giving up a portion of his pension payments in order to reclaim a portion of his sanity. What drove him to feel he should trade a few extra retirement years for what could have amounted to a lot of money? Issues of synergy.

In Harvard Business Review, Goold and Campbell (1998) express, “The goals of synergy programs tend to be expressed in broad, vague terms: “sharing best practices,” “coordinating customer relationships,” “cross-fertilizing ideas” . . . such fuzzy language obscures rather than clarifies the real costs and benefits of the programs. It also tends to undermine implementation, leading to scattershot, unfocused efforts.”

My father worked for a company that valued international connections and required those international connections in order to succeed in what was, is, and will continue to be a global marketplace. The need for the connections was expressed in forming cross-cultural, international teams to work on projects together. The idea was (is) great, the goal was (is) honorable, and the efforts were (are) ultimately successful, but the details were difficult to manage. My father frequently had to attend a conference call with international partners at midnight, or 2:00 a.m., and then was still expected to show up in the office in the morning as usual for meetings and work with local coworkers. He was exhausted by the time he decided to take that early retirement.

My parents are planning to buy an RV and travel the country. They’ll be shopping for the perfect bed to put in it – and my father will finally be able to sleep all night long, every night, in that RV, until the morning sunshine wakes him. I think he’s earned that, and taking early retirement was a great choice, because while synergy is paramount to success in a global experience, it cannot be created by broad goals and a desire to team up – it must take into account the measurable differences – things like time differences – that exist between cultures on each team, and adjust expectations and processes to account for those and allow every team member to continue thriving both inside his or her own cultural experience, and the synergistic experience of the team as a whole.

Reference

Goold, M., & Campbell, A. (1998, September-October). Desperately Seeking Synergy. Harvard Business Review: Managing People. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from https://hbr.org/1998/09/desperately-seeking-synergy