During the SAP Radio show, we talked about why strategic initiatives fail when being implemented, especially globally. Do cultural differences cause failure, or is it bad change management?
Dr. Steven Hunt discussed implementation failure: “Culture is a convenient scapegoat for explaining why something didn’t work.” When you look at changing any process in a company — regardless of location — leadership has to ensure that it has effective change management practices in place. If you have great change management, which takes into account local regulations or restrictions, then you are more likely to see adoption instead of resistance.
China Gorman links this back to understanding your customer, even your internal ones. “Developing a global market — or at least a market outside the U.S. — requires understanding and experience on the ground. The challenge is how to get it.” Ask yourself, “What does the customer want and what message will most effectively convey that you meet that want?” Changing a process requires you to think in the same manner as the customer.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to know what’s in it for them. Culture may impact how you convey the message, but if you take barriers into account, your change management practices should compensate for any differences in culture that would impact an implementation.
What do you think? Are culture and change management exclusive issues that don’t impact the launch of an initiative? Or can they serve each other? What else complicates the issue?
This post is part of the series from the SAP Radio show – HR Globalization, Ready or Not?
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Interesting insights into culture and change management … for waht its worth (and this comes from somone living in SE ASia) you aboslutely need to understand the culture of the country into which you are implementing as there are many factors that come into play. Just for the record (input from a survey) I have identified the following 15 cultural dynamics that impact the way change & transformation os practised in Asia:
1. Religion – central to beliefs and ways of doing things in Asia.
2. Pace of change – slower in Asia.
3. Reasons for resistance – different reasons in Asia than in the West.
4. Change awareness – understanding of the need for change is less prevalent in Asia.
5. Cycles – not so important as in the West.
6. Families – Asia is heavily focused on the family unit.
7. Indigenous knowledge – more focused on the output rather than the process in Asia.
8. Group focus – more focused on groups than individuals in Asia.
9 Cultural integrity – an understanding of the Asian way of life.
10. Inter-country obligations –less in Asia than in the West.
11.Consensus – a need to understand and engage at all levels in Asia.
12. Regulatory environment – not as strict as in the West.
13. Education – less creative learning in Asia than in the West.
14. Hierarchy – bosses in Asia find it harder to let go, to empower their staff.
15. Responsibility – Asian staff find it difficult to express their opinion until the boss has and then they all agree!
These are generic and whilst there is some consistency the dymamics vary from country to country … that is now the focus of my research.
In answer to the question “Do cultural differences cause failure or is it bad change management?” I would say it is bad change management but only if time is not taken not to understand the cultural dynamics that impact change in different countries. Your change management approach needs to be fully aware of these cultural dynamics in order for you to develop an adequate change management approach to deal with them.