Thoughts in Management and Cultures- Part 4

Most companies are family owned companies: large numbers of companies here are closely held by family members, either the founder or his family members are in control. Although there is a trend to establish more publicly held companies, the major players are large corporations run by families. Usually in this type of settings, in any company around the world for that matter, the change can only happen if the owner see the need for a change, managers or change advocate may face stiff resistance from top management.

Foreign companies and institutions who don’t know the culture of the region: another block in change management process is the lack of understanding by many foreign companies and teaching institutions of the local culture. The course that I am taking at Carnegie Mellon is being taught as if we were in the US, the organizers failed to address local business climate in the region. The course materials are based on the assumptions that students will face the same problems setting up their new ventures as would their peers in the US, which proof a lack of understanding of the region and its culture.