I lived in Antigua, a small island in the Caribbean, for twenty-five years. Most people if they think of Antigua at all, think of it as it is today, a tourist destination. They will think of the beaches, and turquoise seas, they will think of rum punch and cool breezes. If they think of the locals at all, they will think of happy smiling people. While all of this is true, there is a deep history that touches all of Antiguans and yet is hardly thought of by anyone visiting. Antigua was colonized by the British for its strategic location and for the ease with which they could grow sugar cane, the cash crop that helped run the British empire.

Most of the people who live in Antigua today were descendants from the slaves who were forced to grow the sugar cane. Independence was only something that locals started agitating for successfully in the 1930’s and was not achieved in full until 1981. For an outsider, it can be difficult to comprehend the savagery and inhumanity that was meted out to the African torn from their homes and forced to work thousands of miles away on a Caribbean plantation:

‘They ceased being Yoruba, Igbo, or Akan and became Negroes or Blacks. This racialization biologized African identities, dehumanizing and deculturing them in the process. As Negroes, it was the body and particularly its skin color that emerged as the new signifiers of identity. As a result, Afro-Antiguans and Barbudans were reinscribed in a dehumanized and racialized discourse that established their inferiority, and hence the legitimacy of their earlier enslavement and later exploitation as wage laborers.’ (Countries and their culture)

This history created many cultural idiosyncrasies in Antigua that have continued to this day. As a slave, it was very risky when asked a question by anyone in authority to answer with a straight yes or no. In no way did a slave want to be held responsible for anything, as arousing the ire of their owner could result in horrific punishment. The cultural habit of not giving a direct answer continues today.

I first noticed this when I tried to ask a direct question. For example, I would ask my mechanic if I could have my car repaired by the next day his reply was: ‘I want to believe so.’ I have also been told ‘I want to believe so’, in answer to the same question, and my personal favorite: “Definitely maybe.’

‘To facilitate our interactions with persons who do not share our values, assumptions, or learned ways of behaving requires new competencies and sensitivities so that those very cultural differences become resources.’ (Moran, Abramson, and Moran, 2014, Pg. 66)

I met a lot of expatriates like myself who got frustrated by this idiosyncrasy and get angry at the local person for giving a vague answer. This would only make matters worse, and the Antiguan could get rather truculent and unhelpful as a result, digging their heels in, and refusing to give a direct answer. They knew that the foreigner would come and go, but they would remain, after all it was now their island. It was to my advantage to learn and respect Antiguan history, and over time develop a working relationship with people so that they would feel comfortable communicating with me, and I could follow up on progress to ensure that I achieved what I was trying to accomplish.

‘Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution because every situation is comprised of a diverse set of people, possibly from multiple cultures. Each one of those people is going to have some very human biases as well as their own individual biases.’ (Penn State, 2047, OLEAD 410, Lesson 04)

I learned very quickly that visiting paradise, and living and working there were two very different experiences.

References:

Countries and their culture, Blog, Antigua and Barbuda, Retrieved from: http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Antigua-And-Barbuda.html

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge

Penn State, 2017, OLEAD 410, Lesson 04, Challenges of Communication in a Global Context, Retrieved from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1847401/modules/items/22619408

 

 

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