CASE STUDY 145 SYNTHESIS 150 Life’s Work 156
A U.S. lease-to-own The rise of artificial Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
chain considers intelligence, and the on career transitions
expansion abroad human response
Experience Managing Your Professional Growth hbr.org
The world of work has changed dramatically over
the past decade. Companies are more global and
employee groups more diverse than ever before.
Organizational structures are less hierarchical and
more collaborative. And today’s networked offices
are full of technological distractions that would have
been unimaginable to the 20th-century manager.
Illustration: justin gabbard
We asked experts in cross-cultural communication,
information networks, and the science of attention
what specific skills executives should cultivate to
tackle these new challenges. Here are their answers.
January–February 2012 Harvard Business Review 139
, EXPERIENCE
Skill 1 So what’s holding them back? I’ve embracing the top-down, often harsh
spent the past 10 years studying hundreds leadership style that his Mumbai team
Code of savvy business professionals who
were thrust into unfamiliar cultures or
seemed to need in order to meet deadlines.
Whenever progress was so poor that he
Switching
who work with foreign colleagues, and had to yell out directives, he felt guilty (“I
I believe that what Marco, Anat, and shouldn’t treat employees this way!”) and
Seungwoo lack is a very specific skill I ineffective (“I sound ridiculous!”).
Between call “cultural code-switching”—the ability
to modify behavior in specific situations
The second step is to adapt your be-
havior to reduce your distress. That means
Cultures
to accommodate varying cultural norms. making small but meaningful adjustments
Code-switching requires far more than that are both appropriate in the new
the right mind-set, information, and moti- setting and true to your own values. It
To work well with foreign vation. It requires a capacity to manage may mean electing behavior that blends
the psychological challenges that arise elements of both cultures. Marco was
colleagues, you may have when someone tries to translate cultural able to find a middle ground between his
to risk feeling inauthentic knowledge into action. participative European management style
and incompetent. Executives often feel inauthentic and the more authoritarian kind expected
by Andrew L. Molinsky when their behavior conflicts with their in India. He could be significantly more
ingrained values and beliefs, and doubly hands-on and assertive without yelling.
uncomfortable when others assume that Anat was able to give feedback better
Marco, the Italian COO of a technology it is a true reflection of who they are. They tailored to an American audience while
company in Mumbai, can’t motivate his may also feel incompetent—anxious and retaining some of her direct, demanding
Indian employees. Anat, an Israeli man- embarrassed about acting in a way so far Israeli style.
agement consultant working in The third step is to fully appreci-
the United States, struggles to ate the value of code-switch-
give “American style” feed- ing. One way is to focus on
back. Seungwoo, the CEO of how the desired outcome
a Korean software firm with aligns with your personal
a new Shanghai office, has goals and values, even if
trouble retaining Chinese the behaviors themselves
staffers. All three of these do not. Marco knew that
executives should be success- adapting his style in India
ful in their respective cross- would help him become a
cultural contexts. They all have more effective global man-
what Mansour Javidan, of the ager, which was very important
Thunderbird School of Global to him. Seungwoo was able to
Management, calls a “global mind-set”: outside their comfort zone. Deeper down, ease up on his Chinese employees when
They are seasoned managers who ap- they may feel frustrated and angry that he reminded himself how important the
preciate diversity and have international they had to make changes in the first place. Shanghai operation was to future growth.
work experience. They also have specific After all, managers don’t usually have to Another way is to view your code-
cultural intelligence: Marco knows that adapt their behavior to the needs of their switching from the perspective of the
Indian workers are accustomed to leaders subordinates; most often it’s the other way other culture, rather than exclusively
who are more authoritarian than those in around. Together, these feelings can pre- through your own lens. Once Marco came
Italy; Anat knows that most Americans vent executives from making a successful to see that his employees actually valued
prefer criticism couched in kindness over code switch, thus imperiling their careers his new management style, it became
the blunt feedback she might ordinarily and their companies’ success. far easier to practice. Similarly, when
give; and Seungwoo knows that Chinese The good news is that it’s possible to Anat learned to appreciate the reasons
bosses tend to be more paternalistic than overcome this problem. The first step is for giving American-style feedback—her
Korean ones. These three leaders are mo- to diagnose the challenges you face. In colleagues were hurt and demotivated by
tivated to use this knowledge; in fact, their Marco’s case, a deep belief in empowering criticism delivered without praise—she
professional success depends on it. subordinates was preventing him from could more easily change her approach.
140 Harvard Business Review January–February 2012
A U.S. lease-to-own The rise of artificial Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
chain considers intelligence, and the on career transitions
expansion abroad human response
Experience Managing Your Professional Growth hbr.org
The world of work has changed dramatically over
the past decade. Companies are more global and
employee groups more diverse than ever before.
Organizational structures are less hierarchical and
more collaborative. And today’s networked offices
are full of technological distractions that would have
been unimaginable to the 20th-century manager.
Illustration: justin gabbard
We asked experts in cross-cultural communication,
information networks, and the science of attention
what specific skills executives should cultivate to
tackle these new challenges. Here are their answers.
January–February 2012 Harvard Business Review 139
, EXPERIENCE
Skill 1 So what’s holding them back? I’ve embracing the top-down, often harsh
spent the past 10 years studying hundreds leadership style that his Mumbai team
Code of savvy business professionals who
were thrust into unfamiliar cultures or
seemed to need in order to meet deadlines.
Whenever progress was so poor that he
Switching
who work with foreign colleagues, and had to yell out directives, he felt guilty (“I
I believe that what Marco, Anat, and shouldn’t treat employees this way!”) and
Seungwoo lack is a very specific skill I ineffective (“I sound ridiculous!”).
Between call “cultural code-switching”—the ability
to modify behavior in specific situations
The second step is to adapt your be-
havior to reduce your distress. That means
Cultures
to accommodate varying cultural norms. making small but meaningful adjustments
Code-switching requires far more than that are both appropriate in the new
the right mind-set, information, and moti- setting and true to your own values. It
To work well with foreign vation. It requires a capacity to manage may mean electing behavior that blends
the psychological challenges that arise elements of both cultures. Marco was
colleagues, you may have when someone tries to translate cultural able to find a middle ground between his
to risk feeling inauthentic knowledge into action. participative European management style
and incompetent. Executives often feel inauthentic and the more authoritarian kind expected
by Andrew L. Molinsky when their behavior conflicts with their in India. He could be significantly more
ingrained values and beliefs, and doubly hands-on and assertive without yelling.
uncomfortable when others assume that Anat was able to give feedback better
Marco, the Italian COO of a technology it is a true reflection of who they are. They tailored to an American audience while
company in Mumbai, can’t motivate his may also feel incompetent—anxious and retaining some of her direct, demanding
Indian employees. Anat, an Israeli man- embarrassed about acting in a way so far Israeli style.
agement consultant working in The third step is to fully appreci-
the United States, struggles to ate the value of code-switch-
give “American style” feed- ing. One way is to focus on
back. Seungwoo, the CEO of how the desired outcome
a Korean software firm with aligns with your personal
a new Shanghai office, has goals and values, even if
trouble retaining Chinese the behaviors themselves
staffers. All three of these do not. Marco knew that
executives should be success- adapting his style in India
ful in their respective cross- would help him become a
cultural contexts. They all have more effective global man-
what Mansour Javidan, of the ager, which was very important
Thunderbird School of Global to him. Seungwoo was able to
Management, calls a “global mind-set”: outside their comfort zone. Deeper down, ease up on his Chinese employees when
They are seasoned managers who ap- they may feel frustrated and angry that he reminded himself how important the
preciate diversity and have international they had to make changes in the first place. Shanghai operation was to future growth.
work experience. They also have specific After all, managers don’t usually have to Another way is to view your code-
cultural intelligence: Marco knows that adapt their behavior to the needs of their switching from the perspective of the
Indian workers are accustomed to leaders subordinates; most often it’s the other way other culture, rather than exclusively
who are more authoritarian than those in around. Together, these feelings can pre- through your own lens. Once Marco came
Italy; Anat knows that most Americans vent executives from making a successful to see that his employees actually valued
prefer criticism couched in kindness over code switch, thus imperiling their careers his new management style, it became
the blunt feedback she might ordinarily and their companies’ success. far easier to practice. Similarly, when
give; and Seungwoo knows that Chinese The good news is that it’s possible to Anat learned to appreciate the reasons
bosses tend to be more paternalistic than overcome this problem. The first step is for giving American-style feedback—her
Korean ones. These three leaders are mo- to diagnose the challenges you face. In colleagues were hurt and demotivated by
tivated to use this knowledge; in fact, their Marco’s case, a deep belief in empowering criticism delivered without praise—she
professional success depends on it. subordinates was preventing him from could more easily change her approach.
140 Harvard Business Review January–February 2012
