Culture and the Issue of “Best Practices”

Blog by Huib Wursten and Fernando Lanzer

In the previous blog, we described downward causation, the way necessary new policies and actions are derived from the existing Seven Worldviews and their preferred “rules of the game.” These rules of the game are not just different, as the rules for a card game like Blackjack can differ per country. They are the preferred rules of the game, which makes it not only a matter of rational deliberations. Values and deep-lying emotions are involved.

Consequently, it is necessary to examine the attributes and conditions of existing and new leadership- and management ideas and see if they “fit” with the values and rules of the game of the country where they are supposed to be applied.

Peter Drucker and the advice of Jack Welch

Peter Drucker, the influential writer on organizational behavior, once said, “What managers do is the same worldwide, but how they do it is embedded in their tradition and culture.” 

A possible counterargument is that not all approaches are equally effective everywhere. People can learn from each other, adapt and improve their approaches.

This was actually what Jack Welch, the successful former CEO of GE,  said in an interview after his retirement. Being asked about his experience, he responded:

What I learned  is that the ultimate recipe for success is:

1. To be able to identify “best practices” everywhere. But he added: this is not enough! One should also be able to:
2.  “Translate” these practices into the local value systems. 

In our words, forcing people to do things against the basic values of their culture is counterproductive. The new ideas must be tailored to the “Worldview” of the culture at hand.

To follow up on this advice, we recommend never saying that certain approaches are impossible because of culture. 

The better approach is to analyze the cultural parameters and then specify what changes are needed to make it work.

An example of this approach can be found in a paper on agility by Wursten, Imfeld and Karaffa about how to cope with “Agility Management”. See: 

https://www.academia.edu/44132939

Best Practices

An interesting thing about Jack Welch’s advice is his emphasis on best practices. 

“Best practices” is a way of thinking that clearly originates from countries with the value combination of Anglo-Saxon countries. In short, the Contest countries. What they have in common is a low score on Power Distance, a high score on Individualism, a high score on Masculinity, and a low score on Uncertainty Avoidance.

A cultural analysis.

Pragmatism: Anglo-Saxon cultures, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, have a strong tradition of pragmatism, emphasizing practical results and solutions over theoretical considerations. Best practices fit well with this mindset, as they are based on proven success and tangible outcomes.

Pragmatism reflects the low score on uncertainty avoidance in the contest countries. It is largely connected to risk appetite. These cultures are happy to experiment and adjust, experiment and adjust, etc., until they are satisfied with the result.

Quote: 

Franklin D. Roosevelt:

“The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something!”

The thinking style is inductive. Inductive and deductive thinking are two fundamental approaches to reasoning and problem-solving. They differ primarily in moving from general to specific or vice versa.The direction of inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to quick, broader generalizations.

This inductive thinking is reflected in how business schools in these countries often emphasize case studies as the key to understanding success.

This also affects the leadership styles in the contest countries. In short:

The highest credibility is for “practitioners” and “generalists.”

In pragmatism, the touchstone for settling arguments is “truth”, as formulated by William James, who is called the “father of pragmatism”: “The truth is what works.”

In daily communication, this attitude is expressed by sayings and slogans like “Whatever works” and “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

When discussing best practices, the most stinging dismissal of a point is to say: “That’s academic.” 

Deductive reasoning

By contrast, in cultures with a high score on Uncertainty Avoidance, the reasoning is deductive. It starts with general principles before actions can be taken. 

Business books in these cultures don’t start with “cases” but start with chapters about “The principles of” (especially in the “Well-Oiled Machine countries) or “The Philosophy of”(especially in the Solar System and Pyramid cultures).

In leadership, the highest credibility is for experts and specialists. Academic titles help to establish credibility.

Perceptions about each other can often be negative. 

From the deductive reasoning side, inductive reasoning tends to be called “hasty,” “superficial,” or sometimes even “sloppy.”

From the inductive reasoning side, deductive reasoning tends to be called:

 “Too slow”, “too intellectual”, or “too academic.”

Conclusion:

in identifying successful approaches, it is necessary to be aware that downward causation by culture is already at work in establishing the way success is defined.