The World is shrinking, Culture is important.

The Manila Diaries

The World is shrinking – Culture is important.

19 December 2012

84 degrees Fahrenheit, Partly cloudy, Humidity 75%

As we wind down the year, I reflect on what seems to have been an eventful time.  I began the year living and working in London and am finishing the year living and working in Manila.  I have been here for 7 months now.  How quickly events come to pass.

I thought I would reflect on my last 2 months which have been the most interesting for me from a work / business point of view.

I joined the main faculty of the Asian Institute of Management on 1^st October, 2012 and am still finding my way around being part of a new organization and their way of working.  Some of the highlights for me have been:

·         Realising and experiencing the true meaning and effect of culture on business and everyday life through total immersion.  Hofstede’s work on cultural dimensions is proving invaluable as a Brit, living in the Philippines and delivering programs across a variety of Asian countries.

·         Delivering ‘People Development’ modules on AIM’s MBA program and appreciating at first-hand the differences that exist between Western and Eastern values.

·         To have had an opportunity to travel to India to be part of a team working with a large US owned financial company that has operations there and to be struck by the enthusiasm and passion for learning shown by all the participants.

·         To be invited to be part of a group at AIM whose objective is to research and develop leadership concepts and frameworks that are specifically relevant for leaders and managers in Asia. 

·         To be collaborating with an AIM colleague on a research paper that is looking at personality and social media connections and to have had that paper accepted for presentation at a conference in Japan early next year.

I continue to support the UK Operations of Level Seven where appropriate, particularly around our innovation diagnostic framework (the LID™) and to look for consultancy opportunities for Level Seven here in Asia.  Partnerships, connections and collaboration seem to be at the heart of doing business here, of course, not that different from doing business in the UK except a cultural lens needs to be applied!

With good wishes to all for success and lasting friendships in the coming year.

Maligayang Pasko Po!

Signing off for now.

Our correspondent in Manila

 

 

The Manila Diaries

Same challenges, different contexts

20 September 2012

30 Degrees Centigrade; Humidity: 70%; Mostly cloudy

It’s been a while since I wrote for our blog and am sorry I have not been able to maintain the weekly discipline.  But I am feeling I have something more worthwhile to say about my life here in Asia.  Whilst I have met some lovely people in a social context, I have been yearning to get back to a more fulfilling role within a working / business context.

I am at last happy and pleased to announce that I will be joining the full-time faculty of the Asian Institute of Management or AIM (www.aim.edu) a respected Graduate Business School as an Associate Professor here in Manila, Philippines with effect from 1^st October 2012.  I am still very much involved with Level Seven  (www.level7live.com) back in the UK which is being superbly managed by my business partner Dorothy and a team of valued associates and am hoping that opportunities will present themselves for joint ventures between these two organisations in the future.

Asia is becoming a vibrant place for business to flourish both for local Asian businesses as well as international companies.  In fact the CIPD (www.Cipd.co.uk) has recently published a survey that focuses on Learning, Talent and Innovation in Asia.  Some of the key findings of the report include:

·         Talent Development is buoyant and focuses on retaining key staff, developing high-potentials and growing future senior managers and leaders.

·         A high proportion of Asian countries believe they will be a net exporter of talent in the future which could result in skills shortages.

·         Coaching and mentoring appear to be popular strategies for developing managers and raising skills generally.

·         Leadership skills are critical for leading and managing change.

·         Innovation and creativity also appear to be critical for business success but implementing innovation strategies is being hampered due to a lack of resources.

If you are reading this in the UK you may well agree that the above findings resonate with the challenges your organisation is facing.  So, worldwide we have similar issues but the context in which those issues occur is different, specifically the context of national and local cultures.

I am looking forward to embracing my role at AIM and the learning I will gain from working within a truly multi-cultural organisation.  Will starting a new job in Manila bring the same challenges as starting a new job in the UK?  I will be happy to share my insights with you as this aspect of my life progresses.

Your correspondent in Manila

 

 

It's Team Time!

At a time when the Olympic Games are all pervading, our thoughts have turned to team working. It’s captivating to watch our athletes working together, striving for peak performance. How do they really perceive the balance between the euphoria of winning and the pride in taking part? To a large extent this will depend on the original goal - whether medals are a realistic prospect or not and how participants are then able to learn from their performance and take positives into the longer term from short term disappointment. Transposing this line of thinking into organisational life, the euphoria of winning equates with achieving stretching team goals that bring rewards for the team and help make the organisation successful. Pride in taking part resonates with the strong relationships that can endure longer term and pride in the company and employer brand.    

Looking at our Level Seven ‘7 Steps to Effective Team Work’ (http://bit.ly/QdOhsP) in the context of the Olympics, they are clearly relevant to sport as well as to business. 

Here are our thoughts – let us know what you think:

Step 1 – Create a common sense of purpose -  from ‘going for gold’ to ‘doing our absolute best’

Step 2 – Communicate – verbal, physical, emotional; before, during, after

Step 3 – Commitment to each other – the team is all; no blame; sharing glory and disappointment

Step 4 – Take calculated risks – exploring and supporting innovation

Step 5 – Learn from setbacks – reflection, analysis, energising change

Step 6 – Build on success – celebrate the highs, acknowledge the lows and grow stronger

Step 7 – Create space to learn and grow – ongoing philosophy of continuous improvement

Go for it Team GB!! 

Our UK Correspondent

The Manila Diaries

Experiential Learning

20 July 2012

79 degrees Fahrenheit, scattered thunder storms, Humidity 90%

I am pleased to report that notwithstanding a number of formalities I hope to soon be joining the faculty of the Asian Institute of Management www.AIM.edu  during my stay in Manila.  My responsibilities will include delivering corporate programmes to a range of AIM clients as well as delivering inputs into degree programmes such as MBA and Masters in Management programmes.  I will also have the opportunity to undertake some collaborative research and write this up for publication.  In addition, part of my time will be promoting joint consultancy opportunities between AIM clients and Level Seven’s portfolio of services.

Level Seven’s leadership and talent development programme, Putting Your Talent to Work is based on the notion that experiential learning is an effective way for adults to learn.  I have the opportunity to engage in this methodology first hand when joining AIM as I believe I will learn more about myself, culture and management and leadership style experientially through taking up this post with AIM than merely sitting on the sidelines of expat life.

I anticipate a start date in early August and so am using this time to expand my social network, learn how to play mah-jong, as well as indulge in some thinking about possible research ideas and workshops.  All positive activities.

Weather is still variable.  We had a tremendous storm last Friday and I have heard murmurings today of a typhoon about to strike!

Signing off for now

Our Correspondent in Manila

The Manila Diaries

Being or Doing

6 July 2012

82 degrees Fahrenheit, Scattered Thunder Storms, Humidity 76%

It’s been a week of ups and downs.  The Ups relate to emerging positive opportunities to do with work and business, the Downs are that each situation is taking longer to progress than I would have thought and therefore causing some anxiety and frustration.  So this down-time has given me space for some deep reflection.

I thought I would take some time-out and follow my instincts in terms of what I would do each day.  This reminded me of the debate that sometimes comes about when talking about the difference between ‘Being’ and ‘Doing’.  I know that often when asked to describe who I am I usually end up describing what I do as for me my identity is strongly linked to what I do and in most social situations (rather than academic debates) this is the sort of answer that is expected to the question, who are you?

With some time on my hands I tried a little experiment these last two weeks.  I have tried to just ‘Be’ in the world, i.e. not worry too much about taking specific actions (Doing) and actually just trying to go with the flow.  However, unless I sit still and contemplate or meditate then I have found that trying to ‘Be’ is intrinsically linked with what I do.  So, it seems that Being and Doing have a causal relationship.  However, what I have found that is interesting is that in trying not to worry too much about what I am doing has released my thinking process and allowed me moments to think about my thoughts and reflect on what these could mean in terms of possible future actions.  I have also been able to become a keener observer of what is going on around me. 

My feelings in the first week of this experiment of anxiety and frustration seem to have now taken a back seat and I am feeling more at ease with both my current and potential situations.  The ability to ‘let go’ has been liberating.

My conclusions are that I feel fortunate to have had this luxury of being able to take time out from what would normally be a busy schedule but the benefits resulting from having some ‘thinking  time and space’ may well enhance different areas of one’s personal life.  I would recommend taking time out even if only for short bursts, as it does help to re-charge the batteries.

And finally, the weather, it is still very hot with longer bursts of rain but with the rain comes a cooler temperature and I’m all for that!

Signing off for now

Our Correspondent in Manila

The Manila Diaries

Open or Direct

22 June 2012

90 degrees Fahrenheit, Partly Cloudy, Humidity 83%

Something I’ve come to notice is how open or direct Filipino people can be.  For example, when meeting someone for the first time, I smile at some of the questions I am asked about myself and my family.  Apparently this is just a way of getting to know you and actually I don’t find anything wrong with this.

I have also noticed that it is not just Filipino people who engage in this past-time here in Manila.  I have been struck by the number of strangers (non-Asian people) who strike up a conversation with me in the street and almost immediately I have swapped some personal details with them which if I was back in the UK I would probably not be so willing to divulge to someone I have just met.  I think in this situation it could be something to do with familiarity (a European / White face among a crowd of Asian nationalities) and a feeling that this person could be a potential friend / acquaintance / source of information, etc

It reminds me about Will Schutz’s theory about the development of interpersonal relationships (FIRO) and how our needs for Inclusion / Control and Affection (Openness) are met.  According to the theory these needs are met in a sequential way, after our needs for inclusion or involvement are met then the relationship goes onto deal with issues of control and once these are satisfactorily dealt with the relationship is able to deal with how open or affective the relationship can be.  That is why sometimes, Team Building events get off to a challenging start because the event goes straight into dealing with openness without first taking the time to address issues of inclusion and control.

Either way, I am getting to accept that culturally what I would normally think of as directness can be just another way of accelerating openness within a relationship.

And finally, the weather, it is still very hot and sticky!

Signing off for now

Our Correspondent in Manila

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