In the Workplace

Individualism , American Style

Individualism shows up in a number of subtle and not-so-subtle ways in the workplace. One of the most common is the typical American s desire to be left alone to do his or her job. Americans hate to be micromanaged, to have the boss ” or anyone else ” watching over them, telling them what to do. A good boss gives subordinates plenty of room and lets them approach him or her if they need something. This doesn t mean Americans don t take orders or follow instructions; it means, rather, that once someone makes a request or gives instructions, one should leave the person alone to carry out the request in whatever way he or she feels best. In the workplace at least, Americans generally don t mind being told what to do ” they know this is a manager s responsibility ” but they do mind being told how they should do it. The best managers issue their instructions and then disappear back into their offices. (For more on the manager/subordinate relationship, see chapter 9.)

Individualism is also a great support for the American habit of being direct. If people rely mainly on themselves , there s no reason to hold back, to not tell others what they think or describe things the way they are. The value orientation of individualism, it has been noted,

propels North Americans to speak their minds freely through direct verbal expression. Individualistic values foster the norms of honesty and openness. Honesty and openness are achieved through the use of precise, straightforward language. . . .(Gudykunst and Ting-Toomey 1988, 102)

Another form individualism takes on the job is the attitude of the average American toward working on a team. As discussed in chapter 5, Americans don t like to work on teams , and they aren t very good at it.

They don t have the right instincts for cooperating and no real knack for consulting or collaborating. Teamwork, after all, means subsuming the will of the individual to the needs of the group , the letting go of a certain amount of control and autonomy, and this does not come easily to Americans. To need, and especially to have to depend on others, goes against the grain for people who place such a high value on being independent.

It is telling in this context that whereas behaving as a team is the default workplace mode in many cultures ” the instinctive, natural manner of interacting with colleagues ” Americans typically only turn to teams as a last resort, when their default mode, individuals working more or less on their own, isn t up to the task. It cannot be coincidental that Edward Deming, the father of total quality management ” a highly team-based approach to quality ” got nowhere with his ideas when he tried them out with General Motors but was very successful when he took them to Japan.

This may explain why Americans are obsessed with teamwork and team building, why it s a regular offering of the training division and gets so much attention in management and organizational development circles; teamwork has to be actively stressed, encouraged, and supported ” has to be trained into people ” precisely because it does not come naturally to most American workers. One suspects that if the need to develop better teams was not consistently kept at such a high profile, it would have no profile at all.

Even when they do turn to teams (after all else has failed), the American idea of a team is quite different from that of truly team-oriented cultures, such as those in the Asia-Pacific region. Indeed, the kind of teamwork that occurs in Asian teams is so subtle, unconscious, and effortless that it is rarely even noticed by Americans and other Westerners, much less practiced. In many of these more collectivist, group-oriented societies , individualism is an alien concept; in one Chinese dialect , in fact, which has no word for individualism, the closest synonym is selfishness. For workers from such cultures to see themselves and to perform as part of a team is instinctive and automatic; no special effort is required, for example, to suppress personal ambition for the good of the group, to keep personal opinions to oneself for the sake of group harmony, or to sacrifice individual well-being or personal comfort in a spirit of cooperation. Only if they had to work more independently would these workers then struggle and perhaps even need individual building training.

Another reason Americans may not be good at teamwork is their strong desire for individual recognition. They like to be singled out personally and given credit for their achievements ” many companies and businesses select an employee of the month or an employee of the year ” but this is not easy when those achievements are the handiwork of a team.

Charles Hampden-Turner and Fons Trompenaars asked respondents in twelve countries which type of job they preferred:

1. Jobs in which no one is singled out for personal honor but in which everyone works together.

2. Jobs in which personal initiatives are encouraged and individual initiatives are achieved.

Ninety-seven percent of Americans picked B, compared, for example, with the Japanese or the Singaporeans, of whom only 49 percent and 39 percent, respectively, chose B . In McDonald s restaurants in Asia, management selects the crew of the month, an approach that is unlikely to catch on any time soon in the United States (1993, 57).

Live and Let Live

Another consequence of valuing individualism is the tendency it has to make Americans a very tolerant lot. If everyone is going to be so strongly encouraged to be himself or herself, to become his or her own person, as Americans like to say, then other people can t very well object to the person one decides to become. In the workplace this means Americans tend to tolerate a wide range of work habits ” also known, tellingly, as personal styles ” many of which would be considered disruptive or unprofessional in some countries, all in the name of individual rights and self-expression.

Thus you will find Americans bending over backward to indulge all manner of idiosyncrasies, quirks , peccadilloes, and oddball behavior among their colleagues. That s just so-and-so s style, they ll say, or He s just doing his thing. In recent years there have been numerous lawsuits when companies have tried to regulate such things as dress or personal appearance. For this reason American managers may come across to some non-Americans as overly indulgent and permissive, and American workers as spoiled and unprofessional.

It naturally follows that Americans are extremely reluctant to judge other people. If everyone is authentic , just being who she or he has to be, then there s no basis for judging another person. Who is one person, after all, to say that another person is not being himself or herself? Even more important ” non-Americans, take note ” Americans do not like to be judged (except, of course, on their performance, which is always fair game). This may be one reason Americans find it so difficult to fire workers and why they would much rather just lay them off; that way, there s no judgment involved.

Individualism also explains in part the American attitude toward rules and regulations. The point of most regulations, after all, is to restrict or otherwise control behavior, and Americans instinctively chafe at anything that appears to limit their individual freedom. They prefer, therefore, to err on the side of fewer regulations, even if that creates un- certainty and ambiguity (some would say chaos) in the workplace.

Loyalty

The independent streak in Americans also affects another workplace issue: the question of employee loyalty. For the most part, Americans do not feel a strong allegiance to their employer, and the feeling is mutual. Employees and employers have a largely opportunistic relationship, each looking out primarily for his or her own best interests. Just as workers feel no obligation to stay on with a company when it no longer serves their interests, neither do companies feel obliged to retain employees when it no longer serves the company s interests. While there may be more mutual loyalty in smaller companies, in general the employee- employer bond is not strong in the United States.

Organisations exist independently of their members , John Mole has written of American business.

The needs of individuals are seen as subsidiary to the needs of the organ- isation. Each member has a well-defined function to carry out and if that particular function no longer has any part to play, then neither does the person doing it. The readiness of companies to fire surplus or under- performing employees and the corresponding readiness of employees to change companies in order to further a career are part of an arm s length relationship between individuals and an organisation. . . . [This] is accepted as the way things work. (2003, 262)

Employees are expected to be dedicated and committed to their companies while they still work there, however.

How Americans See Others

In general, individualistic Americans regard people from more collectivist cultures as timid, conformist, not willing to stand up for themselves, and overly concerned about what other people think. They re too deferential, not aggressive enough, don t insist on their rights, and spend too much time worrying about and trying to get a consensus before acting. They seem to lack confidence and not to care enough about whether they get credit for their achievements.

Non-American bosses who don t give their American subordinates the considerable independence they expect will come across as micro- managers who meddle and interfere and don t trust the people who work for them. To Americans this kind of boss stifles creativity and ingenuity, is overbearing and insecure , and in general needs to let go, meaning have a bit more faith in his or her employees.

For their part, hands-off American bosses may feel that non-American subordinates need too much direction and guidance, aren t independent enough, and are afraid to take any responsibility. Such people are considered high maintenance, meaning they need a lot of attention and support, and may also be seen as lacking in self-confidence and initiative.

Americans who shy away from making personal judgments and are used to a wider range of work styles being accommodated on the job may find managers from other cultures strict, rigid, or intolerant. They get involved in things that aren t their business, such as what employees wear or how neat they keep their offices or cubicles, and they suppress individual expression and originality.

Quick Tips: Advice for Working with Americans

• As a boss, sketch out the big picture and then let subordinates do their own thing ; give instructions and guidance ” and then disappear.

• Americans prefer individual recognition and like to stand out.

• Try to keep rules, regulations, and detailed procedures to a minimum; it makes Americans feel penned in.

• If you want Americans to work on teams, give them plenty of coaching and plenty of time to get used to it; their instinct is to compete , not collaborate.

• Don t expect corporate loyalty from American workers.

• Don t interpret being challenged as a sign of disrespect.