READING SKILLS
Gabriela worked for a
multinational company as a successful project manager in Brazil and was
transferred to manage a team in Sweden. She was excited about her new role but
soon realised that managing her new team would be a challenge.
Despite their friendliness,
Gabriela didn't feel respected as a leader. Her new staff would question her
proposals openly in meetings, and when she gave them instructions on how to
carry out a task, they would often go about it in their own way without
checking with her. When she announced her decisions on the project, they would
continue giving their opinions as if it was still up for discussion.
After weeks of
frustration, Gabriela emailed her Swedish manager about the issues she was
facing with her team. Her manager simply asked her if she felt her team was
still performing, and what she thought would help her better collaborate with
her team members. Gabriela found her manager vague and didn't feel as if he was
managing the situation satisfactorily.
What Gabriela was experiencing
was a cultural clash in expectations. She was used to a more hierarchical
framework where the team leader and manager took control and gave specific
instructions on how things were to be done. This more directive management
style worked well for her and her team in Brazil but did not transfer well to
her new team in Sweden, who were more used to a flatter hierarchy where
decision making was more democratic. When Gabriela took the issue to her
Swedish manager, rather than stepping in with directions about what to do, her
manager took on the role of coach and focused on getting her to come up with
her own solutions instead.
Dutch social
psychologist Geert Hofstede uses the concept of 'power distance' to describe
how power is distributed and how hierarchy is perceived in different cultures.
In her previous work environment, Gabriela was used to a high power distance
culture where power and authority are respected and everyone has their rightful
place. In such a culture, leaders make the big decisions and are not often
challenged. Her Swedish team, however, were used to working in a low power
distance culture where subordinates often work together with their bosses to
find solutions and make decisions. Here, leaders act as coaches or mentors who
encourage independent thought and expect to be challenged.
When Gabriela became
aware of the cultural differences between her and her team, she took the
initiative to have an open conversation with them about their feelings about
her leadership. Pleased to be asked for their thoughts, Gabriela's team openly
expressed that they were not used to being told what to do. They enjoyed having
more room for initiative and creative freedom. When she told her team exactly
what she needed them to do, they felt that she didn't trust them to do their
job well. They realised that Gabriela was taking it personally when they tried
to challenge or make changes to her decisions, and were able to explain that it
was how they'd always worked.
With a better
understanding of the underlying reasons behind each other's behaviour, Gabriela
and her team were able to adapt their way of working. Gabriela was then able to
make adjustments to her management style so as to better fit the expectations
of her team and more effectively motivate her team to achieve their goals.
Are the sentences true or false?
1. Gabriela's management style
worked well with her team in Brazil but not with her team in Sweden.
True
2. Gabriela's team questioned
her proposals and her decisions because they didn't trust or respect her.
False
3. Gabriela was satisfied with
her Swedish manager's way of dealing with her problem.
False
4. Gabriela found it helpful
to talk openly with her team about the differences in their expectations.
True
5. Gabriela faced a problem
with her Swedish team because her management style was old-fashioned and wrong
for the modern world.
6. The author believes that
people from high power distance cultures and low power distance cultures should
never work together.
1.True
2.False
3.False
4.True
5.False
6.False
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