Cultural expectations and leadership

Cultural expectations and leadership Gabriela [blank_start]worked[blank_end] for a multinational company as a successful project manager in Brazil and [blank_start]was[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]challenge[blank_end].

Despite their friendliness, Gabriela didn’t [blank_start]feel[blank_end] respected as a leader. Her new [blank_start]staff[blank_end] would question her proposals openly in meetings, and when she [blank_start]gave[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]decisions[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]manager[blank_end] about the issues she was facing with her team. Her manager simply [blank_start]asked[blank_end] her if she felt her team was still performing, and what she [blank_start]thought[blank_end] would help her better collaborate with her team members. Gabriela [blank_start]found[blank_end] her manager vague and didn’t feel as if he [blank_start]was[blank_end] managing the situation satisfactorily.

What Gabriela was [blank_start]experiencing[blank_end] was a cultural clash in expectations. She was used to a more hierarchical framework where the team leader and manager [blank_start]took[blank_end] control and gave specific instructions on how things were to be done. This more directive [blank_start]management[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]hierarchy[blank_end] where decision making was more democratic. When Gabriela took the issue to her Swedish manager, rather than stepping in with [blank_start]directions[blank_end] about what to do, her manager took on the role of coach and focused on getting her to come [blank_start]up[blank_end] with her own solutions instead.

Dutch social [blank_start]psychologist[blank_end] Geert Hofstede uses the concept of ‘power distance’ to describe how power is distributed and how hierarchy is perceived in different [blank_start]cultures[blank_end]. 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, [blank_start]leaders[blank_end] make the big decisions and are not often challenged. Her Swedish team, [blank_start]however[blank_end], were used to working in a low power distance culture where subordinates often work together with their bosses to find [blank_start]solutions[blank_end] and make decisions. Here, leaders act as coaches or mentors who encourage [blank_start]independent[blank_end] thought and expect to be challenged.

When Gabriela [blank_start]became[blank_end] aware of the cultural differences between her and her team, she took the [blank_start]initiative[blank_end] to have an open conversation with them about their feelings about her leadership. Pleased to be asked for their thoughts, Gabriela’s team [blank_start]openly[blank_end] expressed that they were not used to being told what to do. They enjoyed having more room for initiative and creative freedom. When she [blank_start]told[blank_end] her team exactly what she needed them to do, they felt that she didn’t [blank_start]trust[blank_end] 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 [blank_start]were[blank_end] able to explain that it was how they’d always worked.