Page 77 - Harnessing the Strengths

60 ■ Servant-Leadership in the Intercultural Practice

The Dilemma

Every leader has to deal with rules, laws, commitments and
generalizations, uniformity and conformity. At the same
time, every leader knows the importance of relationships,
differences, uniqueness, exceptions, and differentiating
elements.
While some cultures strive for rules that apply to every-
one, other cultures are more concerned with exceptions and
specifi c cases. Many American companies are interested
in globalizing but want to maintain standards from head-
quarters. They ask themselves, how can we get everyone to
stay? On the other side there are cultures that start with the
reverse and specifi cally value the exceptional and unique
product, such as food for the French and Japanese, fashion
for the Italian, and invention for the researcher.
In the tension that exists between different cultures it
is important for the leader to use exceptions in order to
ensure better rules, and to have rules that can be used in
exceptional situations. It is by combining the extremes that
a leader serves.
There are cultures that believe that general rules, codes,
values, and standards should take priority over individual
needs and claims from friends and relatives. In societies that
are based on this principle, the same rules apply for every-
one. Exceptions weaken the rule. In these cultures it is obvi-
ous that you should tell the truth, even if it harms yourself,
your boss, a friend, or anyone else, and you should be honest
with insurance companies and tax offi ces rather than being
“creative” with the truth. The idea that people in the same
situations should be handled the same way according to the
law is a value deeply rooted in many Western countries. That
is not to say that individual circumstances have no effect on