“Sī fuerīs Rōmae, Rōmānō vīvitō more.” Or “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” So said Italian theologian Saint Ambrose nearly 1,650 years ago when counseling Saint Monica and her son Saint Augustine to fast on Saturdays, instead of Sundays, when visiting Rome. But what should an expat project leader do nowadays when working with a local team in Rwanda? Or a Rwandan department head with a highly diverse, multicultural team of locals, East Africans and Europeans? As we explored in the last ‘Leading Rwanda’ column on 3 June, geographical culture can have a big influence on the way people interact at work. In particular, unknown or unacknowledged differences in deep-rooted, core national values can bring about misunderstandings, miscommunication and even conflict in a multicultural working situation. So the initial challenge for any leader in such an environment is to identify their own preferences in relation to these five continua of cultural dimensions (that were introduced in the most recent column): Change…… .Tradition Equality… Hierarchy Individual…… .Group Time……… relationship Directness… .…Indirectness/’Face’ (Source: ‘The Values Americans Live By’, Robert Kohls) For example, one leader might communicate very directly and believe strongly in the power of change and everyone having the chance to reach their individual aspirations in their own way. Another might be more traditional, primarily concerned with ‘face’ and honor in both teamwork and communications so that group harmony and individual relationships can be maintained at all costs. Tensions and problems might arise when the team members are at odds with their leader’s cultural preferences. Here are a few real-life examples from here in Rwanda, with names withheld or changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty: Susan is a recently arrived foreign leader, who is keen to create a “culture of accountability” in a new Rwandan team, urging individual workers to take risks, try out new approaches and speak up right away if and when there are any problems. Unfortunately, this approach might not work very well with those Rwandans, who are used to a more nurturing, directive and prescriptive style of leadership in which the leader is out front and always shows the way. Using a cultural lens, Susan would definitely have benefited from taking the time as soon as possible to really get to know the history and context of both the enterprise and the project as well as each member of the team: their background, skills, strengths, challenges and - if relevant and appropriate - personal situation. James is a brilliant engineer and a dedicated worker but he often needs to take time off at a moment’s notice to look after an ailing family member. Susan would also be advised to cultivate a solid relationship of trust with one of the more senior/experienced members of the team so that if there is any conflict that needs to be addressed, they can discuss possible approaches and solutions in private and then have discreet conversations with individual team members rather than calling someone out in public and risking embarrassment and humiliation. From a very different perspective, a more collaborative and hierarchical Rwandan leader, such as Jean Marie, might wonder why no one in his multinational team seems to be paying attention to him and his efforts to keep track of who is doing what and what milestones are being met. “This is anarchy. Everyone wants to do what they want to do and no one is following guidelines”. In this situation, Jean Marie might want to revisit the project goals, roles and responsibilities, deadlines and norms and work out what is absolutely necessary and what is just a preference of his. Then he might try to identify where there is some flexibility in terms of how people work and achieve both their individual and team targets. To add to the complexity, Culture in a behavioral, work context is, of course, not just related to geography and where people come from. It can also be related to other ‘Cultures’, such as organizational, professional, team and, particularly, individual. Local cross-cultural expert, Justin Ngoga, warns, “A failure to perform may relate to individual skill sets”. As such, a savvy leader from any cultural background needs to become what another cross-cultural expert, Dianne Hofner Saphiere, describes as a ‘cultural detective’. Such leaders maintain a high level of cultural humility and curiosity, always looking for clues as to what factors are really at play and how best to adapt their behavior and help others to avoid conflict, build bridges and ensure sustained performance in multicultural teams over the longer term. “Live a life full of humility, gratitude, intellectual curiosity, and never stop learning.” (US Musician Gza) “A curious woman is capable of turning around the rainbow just to see what is on the other side.” (Chinese proverb) The views expressed in this column are entirely those of the writer who can be reached at jeremy@jeremysolomons.com
