COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Macro/Micro Issues MACRO ISSUES Industrialization Level Economic system Political History and System Regional Integration Union Structure Consolidation of firms. MICRO ISSUES Leadership Styles Decision Making Governance Mechanisms Formal/Informal Structure

Greek Management Greatly influenced by U.S. and U.K Pressure of EU, rapid convergence to western management thought Masculinity, High Uncertainty Avoidance Consultative Leadership Style Centralized Power Less formality Less Comprehensive rational process

Brazilian Management Management style is paternalistic. Changes are made, albeit slowly, and require a considerable amount of thought, planning and evaluation. Brazil is a fluid time culture, and, as is the case with many fluid time cultures, it is also very relationship-oriented. Very Hierarchical. Power is held in the hands of the few. Great deference is paid to authority figures. The emerging idea of Ricardo Semla (SEMCO). This model emphasizes democracy, the wisdom of employees and the counter productiveness of control.

India Management Highly Religious and Moralistic Status Conscious High Power Distance Formality very high Low levels of Uncertainty Avoidance Low level of long range planning Collectivism

Chile Management Low level of long range planning Low level of assertiveness, but correlated with education level Socially dependent. Risk avoidance Group conformance over individual preference Socially acceptable discrimination in workplace.

Managing in the Arab World Arabized Theory and Islamic approach to modern management thought. Influence of Sheikocracy Formal Authority Rules Indecisiveness Centralized Decision Making. Personal rather than institutional arrangement Subordination of efficiency to human relations Concession and Compromise People Orientation Tribal and Family Loyalty.

Korean Management Characteristics of Successful CEOs Respect for employees Nurturing and spiritual care of employees Initiating attitude Tenacity and sense of calling Competency and development of technology. Can do spirit. Achievement oriented

Chinese Management Individual Duty and Collective Obligation Rule by Personality Monolithic power and homogeneity Cultural Isolation An internal orientation Passive fatalistic submission Reliance on precedent, intuition and wisdom. Until very recently subsistent economy An external locus of control

Management Styles in Selected African Countries Some generalizations particularly in some of African bigger economies, like South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. The concept of “Ubuntu” humaneness The idea that a person’s worth is tied to other people’s worth. The non-instrumental view of Human resources Loyalty to social group, importance of age, hierarchy, social pressure

Management Styles in Selected African Countries Importance of relationships Meritocracy, and increasingly collaborative management style in South Africa, but probably not as much in Kenya and Nigeria While time and deadlines are more structures in South Africa, they trend to be more fluid in Nigeria and Kenya Management style more paternalistic, and more centralization

Management Styles in Selected African Countries Need to be culturally sensitive, due to the multiethnic demographics. Honor and reputation highly regarded. The difference between francophone and Anglophone African countries. Francophone countries tend to be more formal, collaborative and expect collegiality.

European Management Style Is this a construct more in the mind of non- Europeans? Is it true that approaches to management are homogeneous in the region? Thames Valley/Rhine Valley Dichotomy Anglo-Saxon View emphasis on competitive advantage, resource based view of strategy, and capital asset pricing model.

European Management Style The Rhine Model emphasizes stability, social solidarity and long term survival. Investment in human capital, heavy R& D. Experience from practice does show that neither model has superiority over the other. The combination of the characteristics of the two models may be the ideal.

What is a manager to do? While no single universally applicable management approach and style, successful organizational and managerial approaches must be adapted to the society in which they transpire and the unique challenges facing a particular firm. This may call for multiple approaches to managing across national boundaries by a single MNC.