Managing Across Caribbean Cultures 2006

Managing Across Caribbean Cultures Framework Consulting High-Stake Interventions. Nov 9th, 2006

If you can see in any given situation only what everybody else can see, you can be said to be so much a representative of your culture that you are a victim of it. S.I. Hayakawa

Agenda

Background Studies

Starting Points

Challenges

Recommendations

2001-2002

Study of intra-company Anti-Trinidadian Sentiments 2006 Study: Trinidadian Executives in Jamaica – 2006 (underway)

Surveyed 38 staff members in the company in focus groups, individual interviews and online surveys

Interviewed 30+ Trinidadians outside the company

Secondary research

“ Why Workers Won’t Work”

“ Is there a significant anti-Trinidadian sentiment?”

NO – but there will continue to be anti-Trinidadian “rumblings”

Starting Points

False Assumptions A Home-Country Bias

A Cultural Difference Exists

Trinidadian vs. Jamaican Workers Educational Difference Emotional Workplace Maturity Respect, Disrespect, Pride and Shame Informers and Authority

Educational Differences and Disempowering by Following-Through

Emotional Workplace Maturity -- starts with an ability to identify, name and manage one’s emotional states - being able to enter emotional states and recognize them in others

Emotional Workplace Maturity: “ Switching Gears” seems like duplicity

Respect and Pecong / Informality

Informers and the Greater Good “ Informer Fi Dead” Loyalty to a person? Where is the greater loss?

Authority, Status and “All a We is One’

Heavy community involvement vs. Shareholders first? Cosmopolitan Assertive: – the best

Boardroom Challenges

Developing the Caribbean Manager

Demanding Regional Posts

Preparing Your Family

A Capacity to Self-Reflect

On Teaching Reception Skills to Engineers: Module 1: The Nature of Problem Solvers Concepts Learned: How the very qualities that make problem solvers successful tend to cause difficulties with interpersonal interactions.

Sensing the public mood Gauging key relationships Crafting communication

Sensing the workforce mood Hearing and making sense of “mutterings” or weak messages

Gauging the “space” or “mood” of a live group

Non-verbal cues

Active listening

Following intuition

Recommendations to Augment Reception Skills Rough Success Measure: No Further Rude Surprises Use a personal coach. Attend skill training in reception skills and giving feedback. Group and Interpersonal Create and use best-practices in communication. Workforce Appoint an Executive-level Company Spokesperson, and devise a multi-year brand strategy for the company. Public

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