International Trade
Issue No. 60 - August/ /
Australian Managers: the ‘Chamelions of Business’
by Nathan Gray
Over the past 30 years much research has shown Australia sits alongside the US as the most individualistic culture in the world, but is this actually the case?
I have recently undertaken a study of the behaviours of Australian managers during international business negotiations and the findings were surprising. Australian managers are not what they seem.
Australians are indeed individualistic in the way we operate in a local setting, but when Australian managers are involved in international business the opposite is often the case. Australian managers are adaptive and flexible and often prefer to work in teams. This flexibility makes Australian managers highly successful overseas, particularly in Asian markets, which may be the number one reason why these behaviours have been emerging.
Australian managers approach negotiations in a consultative way. The findings show individuals are assigned specific tasks but are then given the autonomy to carry out that task as long as they continue to operate as part of a team. This autonomy is limited and managers are expected to work within the limitation set by the organisation.
Managers are consulted in the process to help ascertain the level of concessions...
