Riding the Whirlwind

Creativity and innovation are what the dreams of every company are made of these days. There is enough literature on the topic to fill whole libraries. With his book ìRiding the Whirlwindî Fons Trompenaars has made his own contribution as well. His latest work, however, stands out from most others by introducing a practical approach to diversity. At the HR exhibition Zukunft Personal on 9 September 2008 he will be explaining what employees, teams and companies can do to constantly renew the talent and motivation within the organisation.

Fons Trompenaars likes to think in opposites. The cultural researcher is convinced that ìwe need to abandon our linear thinking and instead take on an approach that is more like a coordinate system, which connects oppositesî. This dialectic approach leads to more innovation because, according to Trompenaars, ideas evolve in surroundings that leave room for differences. For that purpose, the cultural expert has developed seven pairs of opposites to describe the behaviour of both the employees and the management. In order to explain the following two opposites, universalism and particularism, he asks: ìWhich is more important – rules or relationshipsî? According to Trompenaars, the answers differ from country to country. Companies must not ignore such differences - even though some of them are trying to. At the very latest, it is in times of fundamental change, as for example caused by merger and takeover processes, that this strategy starts to fail. ìIn the beginning, people try to become more and more similar. After this so-called `Honeymoon-Period`, however, they start thinking in stereotypes againî, Trompenaars explains.

For that reason, companies with intercultural competence should, according to the cultural researcher, identify their common values. The central question is: which values help the company solve problems? This is because the management expert believes that values do not just evolve coincidentally but always follow a reasonable pattern or have a common goal. Take Holland for example: since the country lies below sea level, it has always been the common goal of the Dutch to claim land and protect the country from the water. Thus, values such as cooperation have secured the nationís survival.

However, despite having common values, companies also have to leave room for interpretation. Trompenaars uses the image of a pendulum to explain this idea. The pendulum is held by a nail at the top, which represents the common and stable values. The ball, which swings on a cord, symbolises diversity. The strength of the cord stands for the management. ìGood managers know exactly which similarities hold the organisation together and which differences can be toleratedî.

Transcultural competence can be practiced only to a certain extent – just like creativity. This is why Trompenaars recommends organisations create a culture in which the balancing of cultural differences becomes a second nature. He outlines how this idea can be implemented in a practicable strategy, using Shell as an example: the company established a bonus-system which rewarded employees who were very team-oriented. Furthermore, teams that managed to promote individual creativity also received a bonus. This principle, which has proven effective across all cultures, is described as ìco-opetitionî. ìThis is how Shell encouraged cooperative behaviour among their employees and motivated teams to promote individual creativityî, Trompenaars explains.