Near eastern: Turkey, Iran, and Greece.

Nordic: Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden

Germanic: Austria, Germany, Switzerland

Anglo: UK, Ireland, South Africa, USA-Canada, New Zealand.

All of these partitions refer to a cultural standards, behaviour and way of organisation and structure
about the country culture. When we decide to manage we have to take it into account. In terms of
how business operates (employees and management), there is a high context about interpersonal
relationship, there is a little need for explicit direction. Managers when they contract are facing an
intercultural and interpersonal communication, to achieve their operations. We have to adapt
ourselves to the culture and traditions of others countries. It’s necessary.

High interpersonal communication: Japan, Arabs, Latin Americans, Italian-Spanish,

Middle: French, English, North Americans, Scandinavians

Low: German, Swiss

Explicit: Swiss, Germans, and Scandinavians.

Messages: North Americans, English, French.

Implicit: Italian-Spanish, Latin Americans, Arabs...

By “explicit” we mean a much directed way of indicate things, stricter etc... Whereas implicit is the
contrary.

Another important cultural variable:

Uncertainty avoidance: scaled organisation where you are guided by rules in your framework. In
these countries things are very centralized (Hierarchically speaking).

In the contrary there is less guidance in the countries where there less uncertainty avoidance.

Masculinity index

Individual performance, performance in the workplace is highly rewarded, when you are high in the
masculinity index. (Germany, Switzerland...)

Quality of work life is very high; happiness of employees, the well being is generally speaking high.
Performance in the workplace is not the most important part, when you are low in the masculinity
index. (Sweden, Finland...)
Western business cultures.

When trading across global markets, academics and practitioners try and cluster cultures in terms of
similarities and differences.

The aim of this exercise is to reduce the errors and misunderstandings that can arise in cross-cultural
management.

Toward a European Culture?

There is increasing uniformity in the way business is done and the way individuals run their lives...

But some members’ states go to great lengths to preserve national cultures; they feel that
Europeanization is subsuming local cultures and languages.

Northwester/ Central European (Germany, UK, Scandinavia, Austria)

Task oriented: Efficient and fast, little time for irrelevant items, like structured agenda, start and
finish times are set; Formality.

Foreigners, who don’t respect time orientation, are less professional or less sophisticated.

Mediterranean Europe: Non Parisian French , Iberian, Italian, Greek

Can use task orientation:

Extended tribe- Develop a connection or personal bond (meet informality probe personal
connection).

Task important but time is flexible:

Late, delay delivery is OK

Competed tasks measure success

Foreigners:

Disconnect if no relationship – Connect on similarities e.g. tour, language

Latin Europe

Characterised by Romance languages, Roman Style legal system and strong Roman Catholicises

Often a personal approach to managing and organising with highly developed bureaucracy, many
lawyers of hierarchy and formal procedures.

SYSTEME D:
Sometimes, the only way to get a job done is to go round the official channels and use personal
networking to bend the rules.

Nevertheless, the boss is the boss. Authority rests on the need of the people for strong rule. There is
a great dependency and mistrust of authoritarian systems.

France differs from other Latin countries.

France was the model of European culture in the 18 th century, not only through the dissemation of
the universal values – liberty, equality and fraternity – proclaimed during the French Revolution but
also through its language.

But the end of the century its predominance in Europe waned as that of its main rival, England
flourished.

Nordic Europe :

Derived from Viking invasions; no over-riding hierarchy and no elaborate systems of control (in
contrast to Latin Europe).

Scandinavian business are based on Viking heritage; self-sufficiency, fairness, egalitarianism and
democracy.

Bosses as seen as team leader and group facilitators rather than decision makers who delegate.

Employees are encouraged to express their opinion at meetings and everyone’s input is considered
when a decision is made.

Countries in N.E share the same view of authority.

No one has the right to manage without consulting the others, 2-way communication and 2-way
decision-making (cf. Renault Trucks)

Managers are not expected to have all the answers , but they are expted to make use of the
resources to reach the right decision.

FROM A THEORICAL POINT OF VIEW :

Cross-reference with hofstede ; Nordic Eur. Countrus have very low power distance.

What advice would you give to a business from N.E who seeks to work with a French company ?

Germanic Eur.

Some similarities with N.Eur.

Lower power distance than latin EUropena countries.

But higher UA – business adopt a longer term-perspective when making strategic decisions.

However, they emphasis on getting the job done rather than the work environment and
relationships.

The culture is characterised but individual initiative, assertive behaviour, and explicit communication.

The ANGLOS :

-Abbreviation for Anglo Saxons – refers to people from Britain and those who emigrate to North
America (WASPs); Australia and New Zealand, plus Anglo- Canadians (as opposed to French
Canadians).

- British’ refers to the people of England ,northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and their culture.

According to Hofstede, the British have less power distance and lower UA than their Eur. Neighbours.

Characterised by being more individualistic and more ambitious/aggressive.

The relaxed British management style contrasts strongly with the Nordic and the Latin approach.

- In the individualistic nature of the British a job is a job.

Selecting Employees.

Recruitement selection is differcence across Europe.

In Britain, employees are chosen on what they can contribute to the organisation (via assessment
centres where skills are tested)

In Latin countries more focus is placed on the extent to which the applicant will fit into the staff
(emphasis on interpersonal skills and personality).

Consequently, the Fr. Favour one-to-one interviews rather than panel interviews, the concern is
about not just skills but operating successfully within hierarchies.

More emphasis is placed on references in Fr. Than in Britain where more reliance is placed on
objective criteria.

In Germanic cultures, there is a equal concern nor appropriate technical skills but in a much
broader and long term context.

Whereas a British employee is closely connected to the firm where she works, a German
employee considers a job more as career development that involves further (state-supported)
vocational training and inter-firm mobility.

British employees often have job-hopping tendencies.

British employees therefore focus more on short-term perspectives because there is no co-ordinated
training provision from state, employers and trade unions.

Anglosaxionisation :
This Anglo-saxion focus on short term profit in a deregulated environment su deplored by many
countries in present-day Europe.

Anglo saxon is used by some European political leaders to refer to the commitment to profit and free
markets at the expense of social fabric of their countries.

The future of Eur.

More important than agreements at economic and social level.

Depends on whether there is a willingness to work together at a cultural level.

This observation was made by jean Monet on one of the founders of the Eur. Community and it is still
true today.

Class discussion:

1. Considerable prominence has been given to the Anglo cluster and its approach to business.
What do you consider to be the reasons for giving the Anglo business cluster so much
attention?
2. The British have less power distance (distance between hierarchy and employees) and lower
UA than their Eur. Neighbours.
3. Characterised by being more individualistic and more ambitious/aggressive.
4. In Britain, employees are chosen on what they can contribute to the organisation (via
assessment centres where skills are tested)
5. In Britain more reliance is placed on objective criteria.
6. a British employee is closely connected to the firm where she works Anglo saxon is used by
some European political leaders to refer to the commitment to profit and free markets at the
expense of social fabric of their countries.

7. The Meta configuration uses 3 clusters within continental Europe. To what extent do you
consider these clusters to be valid? Devise other ways of distinguishing (business) cultures in
Europe.