Organizational and National Cultures in a Polish-U.S. Joint Venture

Abstract

The U.S./Polish Company was a joint venture that was formed between a Polish partner and a subsidiary which was located in Poland but belonged to a multinational corporation in the United States. The joint venture was a non-bureaucratic organization that was small in size and had only 140 employees. This meant that all the employees knew each other and formed a family type of bonding and relationship that caused them to stay close to each other and allowed managers to cooperate with each other.

Table of Contents

Cultural differences, risks, and difficulties of working in Poland compared to the U.S.4

Hofstede's and the 7d cultural dimension models in relation to the cultural differences5

How the Polish workers reacted to U.S. management style and how the U.S. expatriate managers adapted culturally regarding their management styles6

How the joint venture can take advantage of the Polish cultural differences to build a stronger organization6

Conclusion7

Organizational and National Cultures in a Polish-U.S. Joint Venture

Cultural differences, risks, and difficulties of working in Poland compared to the U.S.

There are many differences and conflicts that exist when it comes to working to in the Polish companies compared to companies in the U.S. The type of managerial selection that was done resulted in hiring Polish manager who did not have any experience in the field of management or the main business functions, and only linked the term 'manager' to be belonging to a higher position in the official hierarchy.

When it came to age, merit and seniority, both the expatriate and the local managers felt that individuals were promoted and appointed on the basis of their professional expertise and knowledge, and could even mean that younger managers could have older people as their subordinates, as this was the way it happened in the U.S. This caused some of the Polish managers to develop a conflict as they were not comfortable with the idea of having a younger boss, since they deemed the younger boss to be having lesser experience.

The Polish managers also found problems while adapting to the confidentiality that the new salary system imposed. To them, it was integral to know as much as they could about the salaries of others and they did not feel there was a problem in asking another employee about his salary. On the other hand, the managers from the U.S. believed in keeping the information about their salaries private. The views of the Polish managers and the U.S. managers also differed in terms of team goals as the Polish managers felt that it was a challenge to work not just for one's own benefits and interests but also for the success of the team and the betterment of the whole organization.

Hofstede's and the 7d cultural dimension models in relation to the cultural differences

There are certain differences that exist in the working styles of Polish people and the people from U.S., and they can be evidently seen in the attitudes of the people of both countries when they ...