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America, by Everyone Else
By: Joshua C. Parson
MGMT 500 – Organizational Behavior & Human Resource
September 30th, 2012
Whitney Stevens
Southwestern College Professional Studies
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Abstract
America has the worst reputation for apathy in the world, but in business we still remain the
pinnacle of performance. Many people may not understand how America’s reputation impacts
our standing in the world, but the culture shock of the housing collapse and the bank bailouts
began to shed light on how Americans have vulnerabilities. Having the ability to use situational
leadership in different countries allows professionals to adapt to these stereotypes. Regardless
of our public persona, businesses across our country strive to show that we can still work, still
outperform, and still manage our workers better than anyone else in the land. This is not an
easy undertaking. CNN and other 24 hour news media guarantee that every American
numbskull in a YouTube clip makes international news. So the question remains, what does an
American company that wants to either start or continue trading internationally do to shake off
other countries opinions? The answer is situational leadership, and using the tools it provides to
adapt to wherever you do business.
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The land of the free and the home of the brave is a memory that many Americans hold
onto. However the world sees us now as the land of the lazy and the home of the apathetic. So
when a relatively unknown American company grows to the point of moving onto the global
scene, are they left alone to change others opinions over an introductory lunch? Turns out,
others with the same concerns have banded together to break just such a stereotypical grip on
our culture through proper situational leadership. Though it can't solve the U.S. obesity
problem, a business group is attempting to beautify the time-worn image of the ugly American
by promoting an attitude adjustment among business executives traveling abroad. The nonprofit Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA) will formally launch its program in May 2006, when
it will make its World Citizens Guide available online. But the group already has distributed the
consciousness-raising pamphlet to 50 or so U.S. businesses, including American Airlines,
Enhanced Coverage Linking, Loews Hotels and Novell, says the group's executive director, Carl
Eggspuehler. The guide politely suggests that when traveling in foreign lands, Americans
generally should tone it down and dress it up, among other behavioral tips (Clark, 2006).
These critiques of how we interact do not come from simple guesses as to how to
“better get along” on the world stage. In man-on-the-street interviews conducted in more than
100 countries after 9/11 by the advertising conglomerate DDB Worldwide, respondents
repeatedly mentioned "arrogant," "loud" and "uninterested in the world" when asked their
perceptions of Americans, Eggspuehler says. "But the most consistent word in every region was
'respect.' They said we don't respect their cultures (Clark, 2006). So with the global economy
becoming a staple in the business environments of today, assimilation is now at the very top of
the list for CEO credentials. Companies are being forced to adapt to not only our own
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marketplace, but the situations of growing economies in the Middle East, India and South
America. The most surprising aspect is that despite the fact that Americans have the worst
social reputation; our business culture can adapt their leadership skills to the countries local
customs.
Where America Shines
Over the past decade, a team from Harvard Business School, London School of
Economics, McKinsey & Company, and Stanford has systematically surveyed global
management. When it comes to overall management, American firms outperform all others.
(Harvard, 2011) This could easily be due to the jump America has had on developing business
practices compared to the rest of the world. It may also be the America has adapted the best
cultures in manufacturing that the world can offer (Asia post WWII comes to mind) and used it
to stay ahead of the curve. Regardless of all of the different variables that have caused our
dominance, it may in fact be our business practices that save America’s reputation. Situational
leadership is using every resource available to ensure that we continue to drive this trend in the
future. The culture-focused country profiles contained in the World Business Culture website
are your passport to international business expertise. (WBC, 2012) Websites like
www.worldbusinessculture.com have popped up all over the largest resource used by people
today, the internet. These resources are also standard teachings in the higher executive boards
across every company that trades across the ponds. In any case, our representation of the
company has to intertwine with our knowledge that we represent our country as well. We have
a solid backing when we do business, and if used properly we may just promote our culture in a
way that allows everyone to grow in business with us. Being able to adapt leadership skills to
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the culture allows the company to appear more educated and concerned with long term
growth. These adaptations to the situation can be as simple as body language and tone all the
way to dress and organizational style on group projects.
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References
Clark, Jane April 2006 That 'ugly American' image is getting a makeover guide;
who knows? It could be good for business USA Today
Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.sckans.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?
Harvard Business Review June 2011 Why American Management Rules the World Bloomberg
Retrieved from
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/jun2011/ca20110614_682279.htm
World Business Culture 2012 World Business Culture homepage WorldBusinessCulture.com
Retrieved from http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/
America by Everyone Else