I’ll start by saying that this result surprised me big time! I could have bet that Romanians scored high on short-term orientation. I was assuming this is based on the learnings from my previous article stating that we are not that great at managing uncertainty, as a nation. We like things to be certain, while the future – and mostly the long-term future – is probably one of the most uncertain things in life.   But life … Continued

“It ain’t over till it’s over“. Depending on your interests and geography, you might associate this quote either with Lenny Kravits, the famous singer and composer, or Yogi Bera, the famous baseball player and coach. In July 1969, Berra’s Mets trailed the Chicago Cubs by 9½ games in the National League East. The Mets got their act together and won the division title on the final day … Continued

Managing uncertainty is describing how we avoid or, on the contrary, we embrace the uncertainty the future brings.  In a culture that embraces uncertainty, people are pragmatic. They don’t need much regulation and they can easily accept changes or new unstructured situations. On the other hand, in a culture where people avoid uncertainty, they are more emotional and they try to reduce the anxiety generated by uncertainty through planning and … Continued

On a scale of 1 to 100 where 100 is the highest concentration of power, Romania scores 90! For reference US has a score of 40.  So, what story does this score reveal about us?  First, let’s take a look at the two culture types: the one with a high concentration of power accepts the hierarchies easily, without questioning them, or challenging the fact that the power is concentrated in the hands of few individuals. The culture that has a … Continued

A masculine culture promotes values like assertiveness, heroism, social recognition, success and material rewards. Conversely, in a feminine culture, most appreciated values are consensus, cooperation, modesty, life quality and care for the weak “Masculine” cultures are USA, the German-speaking world, Ireland, United Kingdom, Mexico and Italy. “Feminine” cultures are the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Korea, Portugal, … Continued

Each time I ask the question of who’s owning the strategy, I get various answers like: the shareholders, the CEO, the Board of Directors, but rarely do I hear this answer: I am.  Yes, this answer: I am also responsible, I feel I share the ownership. Want to hear this answer more often?  First, let’s start … Continued

In an individualistic culture the individual feels comfortable and entitled to express his own wishes and the other people respect that along with his rights and accomplishments. On contrast, in a collectivistic culture, the individual expresses his desires and objectives only by complying to what is agreed by the community. His aspirations are also limited by the place he holds in the community, be it his family or … Continued

Have you ever wondered why Romanians perform better when working abroad? Or maybe you’ve asked yourself why a person considered a performer in a Western country is far from this status in our own country?   Reading the book “The Psychology of the Romanian People” by Prof. Daniel David, I’ve often discovered enlightening ideas or answers for better understanding our own … Continued