Should guidelines in business be the same everywhere?
’Best practices are a set of guidelines, ethics or ideas that represent the most efficient or prudent course of action.’
I don’t think anyone wants to reinvent the wheel in today’s dynamic business world; it is very human to want to learn shortcuts to success. Unfortunately what works in one place and context, doesn’t necessarily work in others.
Best practices are an American invention
I read a lot of business blogs, and every autumn I go to the Nordic Business Forum in Helsinki (like thousands of other business people from Finland, its neighbouring countries and increasingly form other parts of the world) to hear insights, successful methods, formulas, and best practices from world-famous business thinkers and speakers.
It is indeed inspirational to hear the great speakers, but the more I learn about cultures, the more critical I have become when listening or reading them.
Have you ever noticed that most famous speakers and business thinkers in the world come from the US? In fact, the whole “best practices” concept is an American invention.
Inductive versus deductive styles
Best practices thinking is a result of the inductive thinking style prevailing in the US. Inductive thinking means making broad generalizations from specific observations; go from specific to the general. For example, Company A managed to succeed with a certain method, so all companies will succeed with it.
In the opposite thinking and reasoning style, deductive thinking, we go from theory to the specific, the observations. For example, all companies manage to do this, so Company A will manage to do this, too. You see the difference in thinking logic here?
Critics say that most best practices can thus be best for a certain company, a certain business sector, and a certain time. To that list I would like to add the cultural factor, which is often overlooked.
That is why you should not be fooled by over-simplistic models and truths or great, entertaining speakers and blogs giving you best practices. It is better to use your common sense and be critical.
Example of “Best practices”
I just Googled the first thing that came to my mind: ”Best HR practices”. Here are the results.
Here are the Top Ten HR Practices that can help you achieve your organizational goals every year. Top 10 HR Best Practices – Empxtrack
- Safe, healthy and happy workplace. …
- Open book management style. …
- Performance linked bonuses. …
- 360 Degree performance management feedback system. …
- Fair evaluation system. …
- Knowledge sharing. …
- Highlight performers.
Let’s take one example from the list and assess it from the cultural perspective:
7. Highlight Performers
Create profiles of top performers and make these visible though company intranet, display boards, etc. It will encourage others to put in their best, thereby creating a competitive environment within the company.
Best practices in different cultures
The above advice is clearly a product of the competitive (masculine) and highly individualistic US. If you try to implement such a system in countries in which people value cooperation with peers more than competition between them (feminine cultures) or in countries where individuals don’t want to stand out from others very much (collective cultures), it does not look like a best practice anymore.
So, don’t be fooled into adapting ’best practices’ without first considering:
- Are they universal?
- Are they applicable in my company?
- Are they applicable in my business/industry?
- How situational is the advice in the changing business world?
I probably won’t be able to stop reading ‘best practices’, but I certainly am critical of if they can be implemented in other cultures than the author’s. The outcome of trying to implement ‘best practices’ that are against the basic values in your own culture is never good in the long run, so it is better to translate and adapt the practices to suit the local cultural value systems.
However, this is easier said than done. If you need help, contact us.
Resources:
Deductive Reasoning vs. Inductive Reasoning https://www.livescience.com/21569-deduction-vs-induction.html
Top 10 HR Best Practices – Empxtrack
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash (Best practices)