Cross- cultural Communication This page intentionally left blank

John Mole
After 15 years with a US bank in the USA, Middle East and Europe, John Mole 
became a consultant on human resource development. His thesis is that 
there are two dominant factors that determine differences from company to 
company and, indeed, from country to country. He looked at the values and 
attitudes related to organization and leadership. His views were first contained 
in Mind Your Manners (originally published in 1990, now in its third edition 
published in 2003), which concentrates on European cultures.
Organization
Mole examines the beliefs about an organization, the role of the individual 
within it and the extent to which it is believed that rational order should be 
imposed on human affairs. He considers organizations from two different 
perspectives, as summarized below:
a) Systematic organizations. Basic elements of an organization are functions, 
which are coordinated by logical relationships. Personal relationships are 
primarily determined by the function they carry out. The needs of an 
organization are more important than the needs of individuals; what you 
do is more important than what you are.
b) Organic organizations. Organizations are like living organisms growing 
out of the needs of members and their environment. Order is based on 
personal relationships and recognized social hierarchy. If there is conflict, 
the individual prevails or there is compromise.
Leadership
The leadership dimension is based on the extent to which it is believed 
that power is given by groups to individuals. Authority can be executed 
only with the consent of those being managed. There are two types of 
leadership:
a) Individual leadership. Power is a right to be exercised by superiors over 
subordinates. Examples of cultures where this exists include the USA and 
France. Emphasis is on individual accountability and responsibility.
b) Group leadership. Although individuals may be unequal in ability and 
performance, all have a right to be heard and to contribute to the 
decisions that affect them. Power tends to be shared and responsibilities 
allocated within the organization.
Mole sees the improvement of cross- cultural management communication 
being achieved by the development of an organizational culture and mode 
of communication acceptable to others.

---

Key Thinkers in Cross- Cultural Communication (2) 55