Some time ago, I went for an interview for a possible project in Germany. Naturally, the differences between Dutch and German culture came up for discussion. The manager conducting the interview even asked at one point what, in my view, were the differences between Germans and Dutch, to which I asked what the reference is for Dutch people: Frisians or Brabanders?
With that, the manager realised that it is difficult or impossible to describe an entire mentality or culture in general terms. That was exactly what I wanted to indicate with my counter-question: not that there are no differences or that those differences don't matter, quite the contrary!
Small details
Especially when working abroad, cultural differences naturally play an important role and the degree of acceptance can be strongly influenced by how one deals with cultural differences. Much has already been written about the major differences (e.g. the Rhineland model and Anglo-Saxon model), but within projects it is also often about small details: how people can/should or should be approached.
I read about these little details much less often. Maybe also because it is almost impossible to define guidelines for that, however important those details are. Part of the culture is reflected, for instance, in the way hierarchy is handled and whether matters are dealt with formally or less formally.
Cultural differences within the industry
In any case, it is important (always and everywhere) to be respectful of the prevailing culture. Small mistakes can have big consequences! As with many other things in improvement projects, dealing with cultural differences also largely comes down to empathy and (one's own) feelings.
For projects abroad, one is usually warned, but cultural differences are of course also abundant within national borders (e.g. between Friesland and Brabant!), but every industry and even every company has its own culture and a consultant/interim manager does well to take this into account. On your own, you won't get much done and if you manage to score an improvement, it will only stick if people feel good about it. That good feeling stands or falls with acceptance, and that acceptance is influenced by dealing with cultural differences.
Well-honed instincts
The challenge for the consultant or interim manager is therefore to quickly get a feel for the culture within a company and to determine the best way to deal with it, gather information and get ideas accepted. Excel and PowerPoint are commonly used tools in projects, but a set of well-developed instincts is just as important!
Frits de Wind - logistics consultant
