Being the boss in Brussels, Boston and Beijing. (2017)

“The management approach that works in Lagos won’t be as effective in Stockholm.”

Prof. Erin Meyer, INSEAD
HBR July-Aug 2017
Image: Mark Boardman

“Cultural differences in leadership styles often create unexpected misunderstandings.

“Americans, for example, are used to thinking of the Japanese as hierarchical while considering themselves egalitarian.

“Yet the Japanese find Americans confusing to deal with. Although American bosses are outwardly egalitarian – encouraging subordinates to use first names and to speak up in meetings – they seem to the Japanese to be extremely autocratic in the way they make decisions.

“…Often (it’s) because managers fail to distinguish between two important dimensions of leadership culture.

“The first of these is …: authority. How much attention do we pay to the rank or status of a person, and how much respect and deference do we pay to that status? On this dimension, the Japanese are clearly more hierarchical than Americans.

“The positions are reversed, however, when we look at the second dimension: decision making. Who calls the shots, and how? Does the boss decide, or does the team decide collectively? On this dimension, which is often overlooked, the Japanese are more consensual than Americans.”

The author describes the four cultural types – consensual and egalitarian; consensual and hierarchical; top-down and hierarchical; and top-down and egalitarian – and the corresponding expectations about leadership in each environment.

“If you keep those in mind, you’ll be more successful in your cross-cultural interactions.”

Access the full article here: Being the boss in Brussels, Boston and Beijing.