Page 108 - Cultures and Organizations

90 DIMENSIONS OF NATIONAL CULTURES

cussions often dwelt on issues having little to do with the business—for
instance, Shakespeare, of whom both brothers were fans.
Just when Johannesson’s superiors started to seriously doubt the wis-
dom of the corporation’s investment in these expensive trips, a fax arrived
from Riyadh inviting Johannesson for an urgent visit. A contract worth sev-
eral million dollars was ready to be signed. Back he went. From one day to
the next, the Saudis’ attitude had changed: the businessman-intermediary's

presence was no longer necessary, and Johannesson for the first time saw
the Saudis smile and even make jokes.
So far, so good—but the story goes on. Acquiring the remarkable order
contributed to Johannesson’s being promoted to a management position in
a different division. Thus, he was no longer in charge of the Saudi account.
A successor was nominated, another engineer with considerable interna-
tional experience, whom Johannesson personally introduced to the Saudi
brothers. A few weeks later another fax arrived from Riyadh; in this one
the Saudis threatened to cancel the contract over a detail in the delivery
conditions. Johannesson’s help was requested. When he arrived in Riyadh,

it appeared that the conflict was over a minor issue and could easily be
resolved—but only, the Saudis felt, with Johannesson as the corporation’s
representative. So, the corporation twisted its structure to allow Johannes-
son to handle the Saudi account even though his main responsibilities were
now in a completely different fi eld.

The Individual and the Collective in Society

The Swedes and the Saudis in this true story have different concepts of
the role of personal relationships in business. For the Swedes, business
is done with a company; for the Saudis, it’s done with a person whom

one has learned to know and trust. When one does not know another
person well enough, it is best that contacts take place in the presence
of an intermediary or go-between, someone who knows and is trusted
by both parties. At the root of the difference between these cultures is a
fundamental issue in human societies: the role of the individual versus
the role of the group.
The vast majority of people in our world live in societies in which
the interest of the group prevails over the interest of the individual. We