Romanian and British Managers - Is there a Difference?

Flanders and Swan
As he walked into the room, the British manager, in his 50s with a somewhat deferential air, cleared his throat. "Well- if you don't mind, Andrei, that would be marvellous!". Andrei, his Romanian subordinate, just looked at him. "Well, in fact, I do mind- I don't want to do it".

The manager became somewhat flustered and, trying to look stern, said, "It simply must be done". otherwise, our clients will not receive the correct specification."
"In that case", said Andrei, somewhat reasonably, "why didn't you say you wanted it done straightaway instead of giving me a choice?!".

And in that interaction, you have one of the essences of the difference in Romanian and British management cultures. In Romania, possibly due to a legacy of the communist era, managers are expected to say what they mean and to give instructions.

The British, brought up on an unyielding diet of political correctness and politeness, can fudge the issue and make what they want done into a vague request. If their Romanian subordinate, quite reasonably in their view, challenges the request, believing it to be optional, the Brit will tend to feel affronted and furious that his request, and thus his authority, is being so obviously challenged.

This, what the Romanians believe to be false politeness, drives the average Romanian up the wall. "Why can't the British just say what they mean?", they think. "Why does it have to be covered up in this artificial veneer of ghastly friendliness: after all, you are not my friend - you are my boss. Just tell me what I need to do and I will get on with it".

Take the simple "thank you". The Romanians will not say "multumesc", unless they genuinely mean it. The British say "thank you" for everything, whether or not it is warranted, and, more importantly, expect others to do the same. When their efforts go unacknowledged, the British manager starts to describe their Romanian colleagues as "impolite", "uncivilised", "unfriendly", "not a team player" - imagine the response of a Romanian, or indeed anyone, described thus and you have all the ingredients for a full scale "razboi".

In general, British managers do not perceive Romanians to have a particularly prominent customer service ethic. They cite instances of being ignored by shop assistants, shouted at by bus drivers and sneered at by waiters. In fact, the majority of Romanians do not disagree. Most of us, from whatever nationality, like to be on the end of a friendly smile or to experience that moment when someone does something beyond the normal call of duty.

So why is the service ethic less prominent in Romania than in West Europe? To some extent, it comes from the Romanian way of "calling a spade a spade..". After all, if I am a shop assistant or bus driver, my job is to sell you goods or drive the bus. Nothing about politeness comes into this - why should it? It is not a part of my job description. And, very frequently, I will be doing my job extremely well.

But there may be another reason why this happens - one which is more deeply routed in the Romanian manager's psyche. Almost above all else, Romanian managers feel the need to keep control. They feel that this is the only way in which they can keep order, persuade others and drive forward their plans. The main way this is achieved is through a strong sense of assertiveness and even aggression. Being polite lessens control, in their view: it suggests a need to be liked, to avoid conflict and, thus, shows a weakness which could be exploited by a ruthless enemy.

Managers from the West often see things in a different way. They appreciate that, in order to enable subordinates to fulfil their potential, something more than direction is needed. People who are shouted at are rarely motivated: in point of fact, they can become fearful, lack creativity and even plot against their boss. By motivating subordinates through providing interesting work assignments, giving praise, introducing variety and responsibility, ex-pat managers realise that they do keep control but that it is more by loyalty than coercion.

Is there a sense of superiority in this? Do British managers look loftily down from their "exalted positions" at their supposedly inferior counterparts and patronisingly draw them to one side to give, " a few words of advice.."? By a number of Romanian managers, the British are perceived as arrogant.

President (now Prime Minister) Putin of Russia himself even indicated that the British still seemed to be clinging obstinately to what they perceive to be their right to lecture the rest of the world on anything from morality to codes of business. How annoying can that be for a Romanian manager? It is their country, they were born in it and here is this jumped-up English idiot giving him advice.

Possibly it is not arrogance which the British can be accused of here but more of a lack of understanding of Romanian sensitivities and the psyche. A British manager does often have belief in his / her own abilities and wants to genuinely share this with their colleagues.

What they don't do is to consider how this may come across to their Romanian counterpart - the message is what is important to them. British managers need to do more to understand the people and Romanian culture of this extraordinary and diverse land and then tailor their message in a way which takes these sensitivities into account.

In spite of all this, in many instances, the partnership works incredibly well. British managers often do appreciate the persistence, dynamism and straightforward approach of their Romanian counterparts and tell them so. Romanians are frequently keen to learn about ways in which they can improve their businesses and use all the resources they can find to help them.

The sense of informality frequently brought by British managers, where titles are unnecessary and people are called by their first names, is frequently seen as something which contributes to a healthy, friendly and enjoyable working environment.

Both nationalities have huge amounts to offer each other. The Romanians have incredible dynamism, persistence, intelligence and education. The British understand motivation, have a strong service ethic as well as the advantage of tools and techniques in all matters of management which have been developed in the West over a considerable period. By bringing these attributes together, the momentum should be unstoppable.

Lets make it so.