Page 141 - Harnessing the Strengths

124 ■ Servant-Leadership in the Intercultural Practice

Resolution
Thus, what does this now mean for Peter Webber? The
dilemma is clear. On the one hand, the diffuse cultures from
Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe want to build
a sustainable and deep relationship with the customers and
patients. On the other hand, the northern European cultures
have a preference for a possibly shorter payment time for the
client in order to satisfy the specifi c shareholders.
He will have to discuss with his team the “moments of
truth” in the pharmaceutical industry. Just like Jan Carlzon
of SAS, he will need to seek out what truly makes the dif-
ference in serving their clients. In the airlines, safety (which
was taken for granted) and quality of food did not make a
large difference. However, legroom, personal attention, and
service when you miss a fl ight were considered very impor-
tant. Market research that would determine what patients
perceive as very important should be able to provide Peter
Webber with the information needed for him to decide in
which direction he should go in order to get the maximum
return with a limited budget. And, just as in the airline busi-
ness, these “moments of truth” will transcend the specifi c
cultures. Always giving in to customers is just as unwise as
neglecting them.

Notes

1 Robert Kaplan and David Norton, “The Balanced Scorecard:
Measures That Drive Performance,” Harvard Business Review
(Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 1992).
2 Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the
Leap . . . and Others Don’t (London: Random House, 2001).
3 Johnson & Johnson website (jnj.com).
4 Jan Carlzon, Moments of Truth: New Strategies for Today’s
Customer-Driven Economy (New York: Harper & Row, 1989).