Understanding a country’s business culture makes all the difference between running a successful company and failing in business. If you learn the management style your business can prosper.
Of course, don’t forget about the financial side. You’ll need to do business banking. Set up a business bank account so you can seek advice and support regarding your business finances while you manage your team.
If you’re starting a small business, once you’ve made your banking arrangements,consider your location, as it affects how you should interact with your employees. The UK, US, and UAE all have different styles.
Let’s see how.
Making friends and influencing people
In some countries, you need qualifications to go into management. This is less so in the UK, where there’s also a lot of emphasis on experience and interpersonal skills. Gelling with employeesis important to run the business effectively.
This is similar to management in the UAE, where the boss also bonds with employees. Ultimately, though, you’re the boss and must still make tough decisions from time to time.
Communication stylesare different, however. British bosses prefer to ask rather than issue direct orders, whereas if you’re running a small business in the UAE you must give clear instructions.
Going solo
Compared to the UK and the UAE, running a business is a whole new ball game in the US, one in which the bossis something of a lone wolf. They listen to their team and discuss tasks with them,butif it all goes wrong the boss takes the responsibility. When running a small business, youmake the decisions that you feel are right, even if your subordinates might feel otherwise.
One thing that the UAE and the US have in common, however, is their notion of authority. Management equals power. In the US, this power is determined by one or more factors, such as the person in charge’s strategic importance, the number of people they manageor other factors.
In the UAE, this is in the form of respect. The boss is a patriarch-type figure and the employees are subordinates are like children who must respect them. If you’re running a small business in the UAE, your employees will carry out your orders to letter. Anything more or less than that would be disrespectful to you.
Welcome to the family
Like in the UK, the relationship between management and employees in the UAE has informal undertones. A UAE business is like a family, with the boss as the head, and everyone looks out for each other.However, the communication style is different. If you want your employees to carry out your orders, don’t hint or suggest. Issue the order as a command to ensure things get done.
Communication is an important part of running a small business. In the UK and UAE, the relationship between management and employees is slightly more informal. Bonding with employees is part of running a successful business, whereas in the US, the boss runs a successful business by focusing on making professional business decisions. As the saying goes, it’s not personal, it’s just business, but depending on where you run your business, maybe sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t.