American Business Culture

1
American Business Culture

• The American Experience and Value System
• Personal Qualities
• Communication
• Protocol
• Mores and Morality
• The Business Climate

2
American Values

• Independence
• Freedom
• Individualism
• Competition Free markets
• Skepticism toward central government
  deregulation

3
The American Experience

• Searching for the American Dream
• Dislike of centralized systems which limited
  personal development
• The importance of success
• Material success as a measure of personal
  development U.S. consumer debt 14 trillion
• Success is individualindividualism vs. feudalism
• The emphasis on initiative vs. govt intervention

4
Indvidualism Positives and Negatives

• Creates a need to perform because people are
  evaluated rewarded on individual performance.
• Make you customer a performeryou will save your
  company X and increase its latteral
  communication.
• Remember the strain and worry that Americans are
  under.

5
Indvidualism Positives and Negatives

• Self-improvement maniaAmericans want to be
  better so show them how your product will make
  them seem better.
• The negatives include the feeling that failure is
  individual inspite of the fact that often it is
  the result of circumstancesespecially today.

6
Positive Thinking

• Positive thoughts are rewarded and negative
  thoughts often penalized.
• Americans can fail to see the situation in a
  critical light and over-estimate what they are
  capable ofespecially since individual
  performance is the basis of their survival.
• Analysis/criticism can be viewed as negativism.
  Thus self-deception can result.

7
Positive Thinking

• A contradiction given the present situation
• The American economy is in shanbles, 7 million
  jobs have been lost and Americans are worried
  about losing their job.
• Yet they are expected to be positive, which may
  help them keep their jobs, while their situation
  is the opposite.

8
Positive Aspects of American Business

• Relatively limited government regulationpro
  business orientation
• Favorable tax structure
• Access to venture capitalpro risk
• Can-do spirit which encourages entrepreneurship
• Huge consumption-oriented market

9
The Mood in the U.S.

• Main St.
• Desparation loss of jobs, homes, homelessness
• The greatest fear loss of job, home and health
  insurance
• Rising anger against Wall St.
• Nickle and Dimed
• A state of denial

10
Existing Illusions

• The American Dream of social mobility is still
  alive
• Free markets benefit everyone
• Regulation prevents initiative and is bad for
  business
• Tax breaks for the rich generates GDP growth
• The U.S. is the greatest nation in the world.

11
Negative Aspects of American Business Culture

• Tremendous pressure
• Job insecurity
• Highly competitiveSwim with the Sharks without
  being eaten alive
• Short term thinking
• Hype
• Wall St. mentalityquick profits, little
  responsibility, gambling, moral hazard.

12
Personal Qualities

• Assertiveness
• Loyaltyin spite of job insecurityCorporate
  downsizers fire 1/3 of staff
• Team player--informative
• Outgoingsociable enthusiastic
• Confidence
• Toughness, drive dedication

13
Communication Style

• Informal
• First names and nick names
• Joking and bantering (one-upsmanship)
• Extrovert behavior (highly respected)
• Uncomfortable with silencethe Japanese weapon
• Time is money--be brief
• Conflict and confrontation accepted
• Exhibit confidencehype?

14
Protocol

• Dress--formal in business, informal socially
• Time--punctual in business, 20 minute rule
  socially
• Limited gift giving (Christmas)
• Achievement based respect, not seniority
• Not as rigid rules as Asia and perhaps Europe

15
Mores and Morality

• The importance of religious affiliation
• 2/3 go to church regularly
• Churches and civic organizations are meeting
  places for making connections
• Puritan tradition-- Sexual modesty (at least
  publicly) is a must
• You must appear to be moral, but morality does
  not always extend to business dealings--i.e.
  Enron, Tyco, etc.

16
Morality?

• Stock options and huge salaries
• 300 times the average worker-12 million is the
  average for C.E.O.s in Fortune 500
• In order to justify these, C.E.O.s are tempted
  to cook the books.
• 1970-2000 over 700 companies were caught doing
  this aided by auditors.
• Billions of have been stolen from the
  publicemployees and stockholders and yet none of
  the Wall St. financial firms have yet been fined.

17
The New Religion

• Positive thinking and attactions
• Mass churches where the congregation is motivated
  rather than preached the gospel.
• The message is thinking positively and God will
  reward you.
• I believe God wants to give us nice things.
• Think like God. Think big. Think increase. Think
  abundance. Think more than enough.
• Corporate religion, religious corporations.

18
Political Correctness

• Conservative and distrust of social democracy
• Life is a jungle, creates initiative
• Best not to tout the value of social democracy
• Harassment is the kiss of death
• Avoid discussing politics
• Labor relations--union membership is frowned
  upon Walmart

19
Salaries and Benefits

• Paid vacations--2-3 weeks
• Cant be taken consecutively
• 50 hour week not uncommon
• Unpaid overtime for managers
• Meritocracy, not seniority
• Never ask about ones salary
• Health insurance--must be negotiated
• Most benefits must be negotiated--no free lunch

20
Socializing

• Voluntary organizations are often meeting places
• Americans are joiners--Rotary Club, etc.
• Gentleman sports--tennis, squash, golf, hunting,
  alpine skiing are meeting places
• Smoking is frowned upon
• Expected to adapt to American values

21
Topics of Conversation

• Sportsknow the situation of the local teams. TV
  programs
• American accomplishments
• Both as a nation and the accomplishments of the
  company with which youre dealing
• Find common interestshobbies
• Get them talking about what they are in to
• Taxes in Norwaytheyll love it

22
Topics of Conversation

• Avoid mentioning the Norwegian social welfare
  system and that Norway is 1 on the UN human
  development index and that the U.S. is 13 and
  that the U.S. is 8th on the social molbility
  scale
• Avoid mentioning health care reform and how
  popular Obama is in Europe
• In fact just avoid political issues, regulation
  collective governmental responsibility.

23
Negotiating

• Tough negotiators
• High/Low balling is common
• Keep your bottom line a secret
• Your opponent will be looking for it
• Americans may promise more than they can deliver
• A result of high expectations
• Hype is common

24
Employer--Employee Relations

• Short-term thinking
• The quarterly report
• The basis of fat bonuses for execs
• Layoffs and firings
• Increases stock value
• Creates a loyalty dilemma
• No job security, no loyalty
• Its a jungle out there
• Informality does not mean concern

25
E-E Relations Continued

• Teamworking is important
• Requires good communication skills and
  information sharing
• Bosses can be tough and demanding, but
  performance is rewarded
• You must showcase yourself to be promoted
• Teamworking and competition for promotion--a
  contradiction?

26
Differences Between Norwegians and Americans

• Decision makingindividual vs. group
• Getting individual Norwegians to take
  responsibility for a decision.
• Identification and self-definition through ones
  jobare Americans more dedicated?
• Separation between job and private life
• Service mindedness
• The protected Norwegian workerprotects
  incompetence? Sick leave as a way out.
• Openness and self-promotion.

27
Differences Between Norwegians and Americans

• Bureaucracy and regulation
• The ease of starting new businesses
• Employee protection
• Distribution of wealth
• 20 of Americans own 89 of the total wealth
• Risk taking and access to venture capital