Calm approach to tasks

As far as task orientation is concerned, British managers perform better. They are not sticklers for punctuality, but time wasting is not endemic in British companies and staff take pride in completing tasks thoroughly, although in their own time frame. British managers like to leave at five or six, as do their subordinates, but work is often taken home. As for strate­gies, managers generally achieve a balance between short- and long-term planning. Interim failures are not unduly frowned on and there are few pressures to make a quick buck. Teamwork is encouraged and often achieved, although it is understood that individual competition may be fierce. It is not unusual for managers to have 'direct lines' to staff mem­bers, especially those whom they favour or consider intelligent and pro­gressive. Chains of command are observed less than in German and French companies. The organisation subscribes in general to the Protestant work ethic, but this must be observed against a background of smooth, unhur­ried functions and traditional self-confidence. The contrast with the immediacy and driving force of American management is quite striking when one considers the commonality of language and heritage as well as the Anglo-Celtic roots of US business.

AMERICA

The Puritan work ethic and the right to dissent dominated the mentality of the early American settlers. It was an Anglo-Saxon-Celtic, Northern European culture, but the very nature and hugeness of the terrain, along with the advent of independence, soon led to the 'frontier spirit' which has characterized the US mindset since the end of the eighteenth century.

The vast lands of America were an entrepreneur's dream. Unlimited expanses of wilderness signified unlimited wealth which could be exploited, if one moved quickly enough, without taking it away from others. Only Siberia has offered a similar challenge in modern times.

The nature of the challenge soon produced American values: speed was of the essence; you acted individually and in your own interest; the wilder­ness forced you to be self-reliant, tough, risk taking; you did not easily cede what you had claimed and owned; you needed to be aggressive against for­eign neighbours; anyone with talent and initiative could get ahead; if you suffered a setback, it was not ultimate failure, there was always more land or opportunity; bonds broken with the past meant that future orientation was all important; you were optimistic about change, for the past had brought little reward; throwing off the yoke of the King of England led to a distrust of supreme authority.

American managers symbolise the vitality and audacity of the land of free enterprise. In most cases they retain the frontier spirit: they are assertive, aggressive, goal and action oriented, confident, vigorous, opti­mistic, ready for change, achievers used to hard work, instant mobility and making decisions. They are capable of teamwork and corporate spirit, but they value individual freedom above the welfare of the company and their first interest is furthering their own career.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30