|
1) Simple Misunderstanding Leads to Silo-ing. Energy is spent protecting one's "home" location resources and one's position instead of collaborating on common goals for the good of the company as a whole.
2)Expat managers are sent to work in a foreign subsidiary in a country they've never even visited. Sometimes the manager gets language training or a short orientation to the cultural differences in business. But without prior experience, or extensive coaching, ramp-up time will be slow and the risk of failure high.
3) Underestimating the impact of culture on business. Studies show that 70% of behavior is influenced by one's culture. So the way people make decisions, hold a meeting, manage a project, or prioritize are all strongly rooted in one's cultural background. Culture can't be ignored in business!
4) Pretending an acquisition is a merger of two equals. If you want to lower engagement, say "its a team effort" or call it "a merger of equals". Many times it wasn't a good situation to begin with and now, more than ever, transparency, honesty and clear messaging is needed. By calling it a team effort, it not only incites cynicism, it fosters distrust amongst the workforce.
5) Don't give international offices too much autonomy, but don't leave them alone either. Create efficiency with standardized processes, systems, and procedures worldwide, but make sure to get buy-in from the local workforce. In some cases you will need to adapt your strategy to the local culture. For example, customer expectations in Europe are absolutely opposite from client expectations in the U.S.
For more answers to Rookie Mistakes and more contact us!
| 
