I have always been part of a multicultural environment and have been exposed to different languages and cultures from an early age because I have a Franco-Mexican background.

Nonetheless, not until I had graduated with a degree in International Management did I discover the importance of intercultural communication and adaptability. I have been working with a Moroccan team for a long time; adapting to the culture has been paramount. For instance, to put through our project, I had to accommodate myself to their time management, hierarchy, decision-making procedure, feedback formulation etc.

Time management

I have adopted a monochronic perception of time [1] so to say, I view time as linear and tangible, which is the norm in the West. In France for exemple, it is acceptable to be five to ten minutes late, and up to fifteen minutes in my region of origin. In other cultures, time is polychronic i.e., flexible. This means that time is approximate.

“We were not able to complete half of the tasks I had planned. After that first day, I felt so disappointed. What a frustration!

During my first Lean workshop, I had a busy agenda; I wanted to achieve tasks properly. I had established a tight schedule to ensure that the participants will have enough time to work after the sessions and not return home too late. Can you guess what happened? We started an hour late and the breaks were longer than expected. We were not able to complete half of the tasks I had planned. After that first day, I felt so disappointed. What a frustration! I got back to my hotel and exercised at the gym in an attempt to calm down…

Then I remembered that in Mexico, my friends used to say: “Ahorita, pasamos por ti” (we’ll pick you up in a bit) when they weren’t even ready to go out. This contrast is expressed by one of the cultural dimensions[2] related to time, called time management, illustrated in the table below.

 
Therefore, I decided to reconsider my program and tried to establish a common language. The next morning, I took a moment to explain to my team my constraints, my needs, and my expectations. Together, we have established common rules. From that moment, respecting the agenda was not a source of frustration anymore.

Later on, I had to go the opposite way and adopt a new posture during a project in Scandinavia. It should be noted that Scandinavian countries are egalitarian, and the relationship between time and hierarchy is very different from the one followed in Morocco.

Relationship to the hierarchy

“In Morocco, directors join a working session only after receiving an invitation from a superior. However, in Sweden, the directors were present at the workshops and were participating just like the rest of their teams.”

In Morocco, you have to address superiors politely using formal pronouns as a sign of respect. The managers have a defined parking spot within the precincts of the company, large offices with imposing furniture and many windows. In addition, the hierarchical distance is marked between managers and their teams. Moreover, the chain of command is clear and influences communication and decision-making methods. Whereas in the Scandinavian countries, and particularly in Sweden, egalitarian management is celebrated. You can refer to superiors and call them by their first name. The directors join a working session only after receiving an invitation from a superior. However, in Sweden, the directors were present at the workshops and were participating just like the rest of their teams.

 
Therefore, I decided to reconsider my program and tried to establish a common language. The next morning, I took a moment to explain to my team my constraints, my needs, and my expectations. Together, we have established common rules. From that moment, respecting the agenda was not a source of frustration anymore.

How to address the cultural differences during a Lean transformation?

Each one of us perceives the world around through different prisms that influence our personal and professional behavior. I invite project managers to question their own “glasses” and to open up to the people around them because this is a must when embarking on the Lean Journey. In my opinion, Lean cannot be inscribed in the new DNA of an organization without taking into account its cultural aspects.
A large number of intercultural models are available nowadays, among which an intercultural tool dedicated to Lean deployment: the Lean cultural compass.

Being aware of the intercultural field enables:

• a better understanding of expectations,

 • identifying reticence’s origins,

 • addressing both of them properly,

Lean puts individuals back at the core of the organization while respecting everyone. It makes them grow and promotes convergence towards a common goal. The consideration of cultural levers, as well as adapted management of cultural barriers, encourages a conducive context to the development of Lean management by promoting:

• sharing points of view while respecting specificities,

• establishing the rules of the game,

• adopting a common language and shared objectives,

• ensuring alignment

This alignment allows us to serve customers in a better way and to change together, so we can adapt more efficiently to the world around us.