SO WHICH ONE IS MORE LIKE YOU? – (ACCORDING TO THE STAFF?)

Leadership Anagram (new thinking)

L ove of followers is demonstrated
E mpathetic with individuals at all levels
A ble to create vision & achieve the mission
D emocratic decisions & communicates
E mpowers & encourages others
R esilient, overcomes setbacks
S haring, provides for followers needs
H opeful, positive & future driven
I ntelligent, uses the head and heart
P ersistent, sticks to the task, never gives up

Despotic Anagram (old thinking)

D ictatorial & commanding
E valuates rather than values
S uspicious and cynical
P ower seeking & taking
O ppresses differences
T otal control seeker
I ntrustive & instructive
C old and calculating

“THE WORLD THAT WE HAVE MADE AS A RESULT OF THE LEVEL OF THINKING WE HAVE DONE THUS FAR CREATES PROBLEMS THAT WE CANNOT SOLVE AT THE SAME LEVEL AT WHICH WE CREATED THEM” – Albert Einstein

I assume we are all a bit of a mixture of both leadership styles at different times however it would be interesting perhaps to do a 360 degree analysis on our management approach to see how we are viewed by others we deal with… or would that be a bit too stressful?

Hofstede and Bond found such countries shared the following beliefs: A stable society requires unequal relations, the family is the prototype of all social organizations and consequently, older people (parents) have more authority than younger people (and men more than women). When Hofstede and Bond developed a survey specifically for Asia and reevaluated earlier data, they found that long-term orientation cancelled out some of the effects of Masculinity/Femininity and Uncertainty Avoidance. They concluded that many Asian cultures are oriented to the search for (and practice the of) virtuous behavior. Virtuous behavior means NOT treating others as one would NOT like to be treated, (giving face and avoiding nastiness) and virtuous behavior in work means trying to acquire skills and education, working hard, being frugal, having a sense of shame, having patience and persevering for long-term gains.

Western countries, by contrast, have been found more likely to promote equal relationships and emphasize individualism. Focus is on ACTIVELY treating others, as you would like to be treated (open honest dealings?) and on finding fulfillment through creativity and self-actualization, with ‘now being the only time we really have’ and an orientation to personal belief and the search for truth.

So back to business and business culture itself

“The culture of business is the environment in which it operates; this includes its philosophy, values, shared assumptions, group standards, and the behavioral patterns of its employees. These cultural beliefs are taught to new employees as the correct ways to perceive, think and act within the business.” Ref 2

In addition to the subcultures associated with particular departments within the organization there are those based on power associated with leadership and allocation of resources, achievement, rewards, results and recognition, support placing value upon the employee and role dealing with rules and responsibility assigned to tasks performed. Ref 2

To understand what is happening with cultural influences perhaps the following ‘cultural iceberg’ will shed some further light. The iceberg is made up of the above factors and is shown below

Remember as a manger or employee (or for that matter as a human being) that you can only see what is above the waterline and that your actions and influence will only at best encourage or discourage behaviours. Perhaps if you are extremely effective you may (and should) change attitudes, however it is almost impossible and would be foolhardy to attempt to change another’s Cultural Assumptions, Beliefs or Values. You just don’t have the time to invest.

A FINAL REMINDER; CULTURAL STUDIES ACT AS… A GUIDE FOR THE WISE AND THE RULES FOR FOOLS! ASK DON’T ASSUME AND NEVER TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THEIR CULTURE.

Refs:
1 http://wwmr.org/AUSB-globalecon/readings/hofstede-ad.htm Excerpt from article by:
Aaron Marcus, President, Aaron Marcus and Asociates, Inc

2 http://workplaceculture.suite101.com/article.cfm/understanding_business_culture

In a particular it can explain why many around us (that come from high uncertainty avoidance societies) show anxiety about an uncertain future particularly in times of change and how change induces stress (and often aggressiveness) and why for some formal rules and structures are protected to reduce risk. New ideas on ways of doing things for some can be seen as little more than, not to be tolerated ‘deviant’ behavior. Uncertainty avoidance individuals who feel relatively threatened will strive to believe in a common set of absolute truths (“the way we did it in the past”), with time focus being the now and the past and the traditional hierarchy seen as determining their wellbeing. These individuals will constantly seek direction from a trusted leader in the hierarchy and avoid personal responsibility because mistakes are seen as ‘sins’ that will exact punishment.

Although here again I have been discussing societies in general some families I believe produce these types of individuals in all societies so when looking to influence others around us we must be conscious of these traits. Again it is best to ask (tactfully) to understand another’s motivation rather than assuming.

If we add to a work situation a “masculine society”, assertive, materialistic, quantity of life individual who is trying to lead/manage and associate with a; sensitive, relationship oriented, group-welfare valuing, ‘quality of life’ driven flock of people, you can see why difficulties occur. A great example; many hotel GM’s are Austrian, who rank as no 2 in the world in masculine orientation. Imagine an Austrian GM trying to deal with a Thai workforce that rank at no 44, i.e. have a more “feminine” or relationship approach to life.

Part 6 final and back to main orglearn blog

What are the differences between individualist and collectivist societies? Well it is “I” v.’s “We”. In individualist societies the wife and kids need me to support them v.’s in collectivist, the ‘extended’ family, parents, uncles, aunts etc., who will protect me in exchange for my loyalty. Individualism is also about speaking our mind, regardless of the situation as honesty counts and leads to respect v.’s think before you speak, harmony is imperative, what I say may bring shame and loss of face to my group, I must show respect. In individualistic societies employees contract their services to achieve a common goal based on aligned visions and they are promoted primarily on competence. In collectivist societies employees build relationships with their organizations based on the moral worth of the employer along similar lines to the family concept and expect to be promoted due to their overall connections and associations. Managers in the first case manage individuals and the task rules the relationships whereas in the second case they manage (or control) groups in which the relationships are more important than the task.

In individualistic societies education is about learning how to learn and ‘academic degrees’ signify economic worth and create self-respect v.’s an the attitude that education is to learn how to do things and the value of a degree is its power to provide a way into higher status groups. Also in individualistic societies personal rights, such as the right to privacy and personal freedom prevail; whereas in collectivist societies group interests prevail to the point where groups are likely to invade our privacy as equality overrides the rights of the individual. In these collectivist societies individuals are expected to join a state of ‘groupthink’. Finally in individualistic societies self-fulfillment (almost at any cost) is the ultimate goal v.’s that of a collectivist society where harmony and consensus are the ultimate goals.

So what do you do if you’re and individual in a collectivist society… spend time, build relationships, see business as a long-term partnership, think total group… and most of all… be prepared to do it their way!

IN A FOREIGN CULTURE MANAGEMENT POSITION BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE WORLD… OR THE FRUSTRATION MAY WELL KILL YOU!

Continue to part 5

Hofstede’s research indicated four main areas of national culture; small or large power distance, individualistic or collectivist philosophy, high or low uncertainty avoidance and finally quantity of life (materialistic), versus quality of life (relationships and concern for each other). As managers/leaders Hofstede helps us understand what we may be dealing with when we are working in a multi-racial or international group. Remember, these are ‘clues’ to potential differences in doctrines, not facts and they should only be used to help us figure out what questions it might be worth asking to explore why one individual reacts to certain stimuli differently to another.

A few examples of small and large power distance are; inequalities among people should be minimized (small), v’s Inequalities among people are both expected and desired (large), parents and children are equal (small) v’s parents expect obedience and children show respect (large). In the classroom teachers are our equals (although experts) who transfer impersonal ‘truths’ and expect students to show initiative (small) v’s teachers are gurus that take all the initiative and transfer ‘personal’ wisdom (large). In organisations in small distance societies, decentralized hierarchies (which bring inequality) are established for convenience only, whereas in large power distance societies hierarchical inequality with power centralized is a reflection of ‘real’ existence and it is expected to maintain this ‘natural’ inequality. Again in small distance societies, moderately paid, resourceful democratic bosses are expected to consult with reasonably paid subordinates, versus (large) where highly paid benevolent autocrats are expected to be good ‘mums’ and ‘dads’ and tell poorly paid subordinates what to do. Importantly in small power distance societies, power is based on formal position, expertise, the ability to give rewards and its use should be legitimate and subject to the criteria of good and evil. Conversely in large distance societies power is based on association with powerful individuals, family or friends, charisma, the ability to use force, where might prevails over right, that is, whoever holds the power is right and good.

Direct page viewers can go to main blog to check out other posts by clicking on the white “orglearn.org” in the header panel above!

If you are looking for an overseas posting take a look at the free blank resume form and make sure you include some cross cultural abilities in your competencies!

“THE ONLY VALID REASON TO SEEK POWER IS TO CREATE SOMETHING POSITIVE” (Ric influenced by Blanchard)

part 4

Admittedly it is dangerous to comment or make judgments regarding another’s culture however sometimes I believe it is necessary.

With that said did I once have the misfortune to listen to a young American professor while he advised a willing audience of ‘expats’ and ‘locals’ on the intricacies of dealing across cultures and how they should approach their life and work assignments in this case in Taiwan. He eagerly gave a broad brush explanation of how the Taiwanese behave and why, based on the studies of the renowned G. Hofstede. This professor (cultural consultant) was obviously selling his wares and insisting that cross-cultural training was essential for those being posted overseas. In my view cross-cultural training is often unless carefully selected and moderated represent nothing more than help you (and I) try to break the rules of good human relations. However there are some handy practices and behaviors that can at least bring a civilized approach to dealing with others of a different persuasion or those whom have a different perspective on what is a priority or on what constitutes

GOOD IDEA: NEVER TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THEIR CULTURE… ASK

So what is a reasonable starting point when thinking about or dealing with cross-cultural relations? Perhaps the following can be used as basic ground-rules for those interacting with different cultural groups? We must believe and act as if the following where true (as it is)…

No-one is an expert on any culture – not even their own
Another’s culture is not better or worse than our own – just different (well maybe see part 3)
Stereotyping or generalizing is inept, stupid and intellectually unsound
We must be flexible and able to accept a lack of clarity and a differing view
Always ask about another’s ways and never tell someone about their culture
And of course… DO NOT assume anything… ever!

If you are going to invest (or perhaps waste) your money on cross cultural training check very carefully that it will not create non-thinking individuals or worse, a bunch of inflexible experts that can clearly stereotype ‘lesser beings’ (or greater gods). Don’t let your staff become users of a bunch of unsound generalizations that will relieve them (and/or us) of the responsibility of asking what motivates those they (or we) associate with and manage.

part 3

To begin lets look at what a culture is and how it manifests itself in our behavior. According to a variety of dictionaries the key words are “type of civilization”, “manners & tastes”, “ideas and customs” and “beliefs, way of life and art”. Again to look at a simple example the ideas, values and customs of the accounting department will very really differ from those in the sales and marketing department.

Why you should take my observations and opinions on culture at least as reasonable.

Having lived in and/or worked in seven ‘foreign’ Asian countries, being in a cross cultural marriage, having a son in a cross cultural marriage and having friends from diverse national and religious backgrounds hopefully qualifies me to provide some accurate observations on culture. In addition at the basic level I have worked in debt collection, sales, advertising-creative, manufacturing, education and corporate training so my work with many corporate cultures has been pretty much part of my career.

At this point I would also like to state that many so called ‘cultural difficulties’ in international organisations where “expats” work with “locals” are often little more than a tactic by which ‘locals’ or ‘expats’ will try to justify a lousy attitude, unethical behaviour or worse, try to support an intellectually unsound work or business practice. The cry, “you don’t understand our culture” is often no more than a ploy to… dare I say it… avoid reality, ignore changes that may be being implemented or to and cop out of necessary activities or operational standards.

Part 2

5) Facilitative Listening This goes beyond even empathic listening because it implies and requires that you are able to extend an especially helpful approach to the other person or people. A crucial factor here is “the capability to interpret the cognisance or self-awareness  of the speaker and the extent to which you are hearing and observing genuine ‘adult’ sounds and signals as distinct from [the senders] emotionally skewed [‘child’ or ‘parent’] outputs”. Again according to Business Balls ‘facilitative listening requires that you as listener will pause to think and prepare your responses during the exchange’, which is not a common trait with many listeners. They go on to say, “facilitative listening contains a strong additional element of being interested in helping the other person see and understand their options and choices”. To be a facilitative listener ‘you need to be devoid of any selfish personal motive, other than to extend help and to place the other person’s interests are at the forefront’. In my experience sound practitioners of this form of listening are able to use effective questions rather than making long winded so called ‘statements of fact’ to help the sender get where they need to be in their conversation and thoughts.

As I said the type of listening we use can have considerable outcomes in terms of our relationships and we all have a natural tendency to use one type or another. Again different situations or message senders will tend to influence our listening behaviour. I guess the most important thing to understand is that there are different forms of listening or listening behaviours and whether you see them as a hierarchy of “seven stages” or “eight levels” implying ‘improving progressions’ or you just accept my “five types” model you must be aware of how you are perceived as a listener and the consequences.

references

(1) http://www.managementblog.org/archives/2010/04/09/seven-stages-of-listening/

(2) http://www.businessballs.com/empathy.htm

3) Listening to understand. Business Balls states here “you listen only to the content and fail to receive all the non-verbal sounds and signals, such as tone of voice, facial expression, reaction of speaker to your own listening and reactions”. “Attentive data-only listening is typically driven by a strong personal results motive. It can be highly manipulative and forceful.” With this type of listening no effort is put into trying to build a relationship with the speaker. Here the listener is often asking lots of questions to reaffirm facts and can akin to the interrogator or inquisitor type of behaviour as described in the Johari Window model. This form of listening can at its best become listening to learn or active listening and can be quite difficult as we as listener attempt to come to “grips with new ideas or views to consolidated some long term memory”(2).

4) Empathetic listening or as Tom calls it “listening for the intersection where someone else’s experience meets our experience on which we can build trust.” Business Balls describe this as ‘listening with full attention to the sounds, and all other relevant signals, including: tone of voice, other verbal aspects – e.g., pace, volume, flow, style, emphasis facial expression body language, cultural or ethnic or other aspects of the person which would affect the way their communications and signals are affecting you.’ “This requires you to have an overall collective appreciation through all relevant senses of how the other person is feeling you able to see and feel the situation from the other person’s position.” With this type of listening “you are also reacting and giving feedback and checking understanding with the speaker. You will be [selectively questioning,] summarizing and probably taking notes.” Here you will be able to disagree constructively, signal understanding and use appropriate emotion controls. If you are able to engage in this type of listening behaviour you will be able to create an “improved relationship” and hopefully reach a state of “mutual awareness” with the other party.

If you are having trouble getting anyone to listen to you, perhaps its time for a change, so take a look at the free blank resume form to find some better listeners!

go to listening skills part 3

According to Tom Foster (ref:1) Every conversation can be calibrated, has a platform and he states there are seven stages of listening. The website Business Balls (ref 2) on the other hand states there are eight levels or types of listening

Both listening models referenced (see part 3) that I have used as the basis of this discussion start with not listening. To my way of thinking if we are not listening we are not listening therefore I don’t think point one in ether list is valid so I will ignore it other than to remark that we all have a capacity to physically or mentally block out what is being spoken and assigning it as background noise.

For my five types of listening I do admit I have relied in building this model heavily on both the articles by both Tom Foster and Business Balls and I suggest you visit their sites as they provide excellent information.

Ric’s FIVE TYPES of LISTENING

1) Pretending to listen or giving into your own thoughts or other distractions whilst trying to give the impression you are engaged with the speaker. Now we all know that this happens when the topic or the speaker are boring or we are say trying to hear what someone else is saying (eavesdrop) in a social situation. As Business Balls states when we are doing this we tend to use “stock nods and smiles” and non-committal verbal responses. If you do not maintain eye contact or even stare blankly others can easily tell you are not listening. You must realize that this behaviour is easily recognizable and for most is considered patronizing and extremely rude. If you are to maintain good relations you must avoid this behaviour at all costs and it is best if you find yourself doing this apologize for being distracted and politely withdraw from the engagement totally. The term I use is “sorry I’m very distracted at the moment perhaps we could have this conversation at another time”. Obviously if it is your boss you are listening to you must force yourself to concentrate and make sure you do not allow your distractions to let you down or your actions could be a career limiting event.

2) Listening selectively, listening to respond or as some call it biased listening. This is where I believe most listeners sit and in men I like to call this testosterone listening. The main listening purpose if you are in this mode is to find points of disagreement or weaknesses in another’s point of view so that we can you to reaffirm our attitude or argument. You may have some “interest and perhaps some flexibility in respect of the words spoken and your reactions to them, however because you are not thinking objectively and purely putting your own interpretation on what you are hearing by making the words fit what you expect or want them to fit”(2). Even if you are more benevolent in your attitude to what is being said much of your mind in this state will be preoccupied with plotting a response and usually the full message will be missed and misunderstanding will be common. This form of listening behaviour is damaging and over time and a number of interactions can destroy relationships.

see types of listening part 2