The Manila
Diaries
Culture
18 June 2012
91 degrees Fahrenheit, Partly Cloudy,
Humidity 77%
Culture is a word that often
finds its way into discussions in the world of Leadership and Organisational
Development and in my working experience as a Consultant I have been involved
in trying to help organisations and teams develop or change their culture. Living and working in the UK I have had
little exposure to the effect of national culture on organisational culture as
I have usually been part of the majority, not the minority. However, now that I am immersed in a different
culture to that which I have been used to is giving me a lot to think about as
a developer of leaders and talent.
I had the privilege recently to
attend a seminar delivered by a Filipino University Professor aimed at HR
professionals on how to assess organisational culture. Being the only European, female in
attendance, I was definitely in the minority but was welcomed into the group
through the use of warmth and humour. I
learned a lot about Filipino culture both from listening to the discussions as
well as from the actual experience of being there. For example, we started the seminar with a
prayer which everyone participated in; what in the UK would be a mid-morning break
with coffee and biscuits turned out to be more like lunch and the seminar was
delivered in a mix of English and Filipino languages.
Some of the discussions focused
on the challenges faced when trying to merge organisational culture with national
culture and the message I took away is that national culture will tend to over-ride
organisational culture and understanding and sensitivity to these issues are
critical. The phrase which has stayed
with me is, Think Global, Act Local: A
useful phrase that Managers and Management Developers could usefully embrace to
help minimise conflict.
Signing off for now
Our Correspondent in Manila
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