Managers from the US have a different approach to work when compared to those in Europe and other parts of the globe. American managers are getting exposed to diverse languages and cultures as a result of globalization. This requires them to be familiar with the attitudes and cultures of other people in countries that they work in.
Americans are thought of as ignorant, materialistic and difficult to deal with by many Europeans. However, Europeans admire the business acumen of Americans which has made American companies to consistently perform well. American firms post impressive financial outcomes yet American nationals have little knowledge about what happens in other countries in the world (Hymowitz, 2000, p.B1).
US managers, therefore, need to change these perceptions for them to succeed in foreign countries. American managers need to acquire skills on how to work in a multicultural environment. They need to improve on their knowledge of foreign languages, cultures, and attitudes.
The US has an informal approach to work relationships between managers and their subordinates. Hymowitz (2000) points out that European work culture is more formal and this can be challenging to an American working under European managers (p. B1). American managers need to improve on their knowledge of history and culture of countries they are posted to.
This will help them have a better approach to work and thereby achieve good results at the workplace. The European approach to working is based on long term results compared to the American approach which is mainly motivated by monthly or quarterly performance outcomes. American managers need to acclimatize to this fact for them to have realistic expectations in a European work environment.
American managers working in the Netherlands need to be aware of the relaxed approach to work that exists there. The communication approaches that are to be used by American managers while working in the Netherlands are different from those they are accustomed to. Dutch business culture allows for managers to be easy to approach by employees because there are fewer restrictions (Koopman, Hartog & Konrad, 1999, p. 507). Workers in the country go for longer lunch breaks than employees in the US. An American working in the Netherlands for the first time needs to understand the differences in a work culture that he is going to face.
Managers are more involved with what their employees are doing in the Netherlands compared to the US. American managers need to be in touch with their employees which can help them make better decisions.
Koopman, Hartog, and Konrad (1999) reveal that the Dutch organizational environment is mainly influenced by people’s values from their cultural backgrounds (p. 510). The experiences that Dutch workers have from their education and family life have a big influence on their personality and work ethic. Dutch employees value work assignments that contribute to progress in society. Individual competitiveness is less favored compared to the US.
The management style that is adopted by American managers needs to value the attachment Dutch nationals have to the past. They are less adventurous when making critical decisions and if an idea has not been tried before, they are less inclined to go for it (Ybema & Byun, 2009, p. 344). American managers should not bring radical changes to the work environment when working with Dutch employees. They need to evaluate the reactions of their junior employees towards policy changes that affect the running of the organization.
References
Hymowitz, C. (2000, August 15). In the lead: Companies go global, but many managers just don’t travel well. Wall Street Journal.
Koopman, P.L., Hartog, D.N.D., & Konrad, E. (1999). National culture and leadership profiles in Europe: Some results from the globe study. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8 (4), 503-520.
Ybema, S. & Byun, H. (2009). Cultivating culture differences in asymmetric power relations. Cross Culture Management, 9(3), 339-358.