The challenges of Continuous Improvement from a Power - Distance perspective and a Belbin Team Role perspective.

This article is prompted by the lack of reactions to a typographical error.

In a previous post on the PDCA method written for the Alba postgraduate online MBA blog (based in Athens - Greece), the PDCA acronym appeared as DPCA on the title, yet, no comments appeared on Linkedin or were sent to my email address (which is a private way to communicate).

First, I asked myself why those who viewed the article, did not want to tell me about it, reflecting on various hypothesis, mainly evolving from the Power Distance Dimension of Geert Hofstede.

However, after a while, I also wondered how many amongst those who read the article, were Completer Finishers according to the renowned Belbin Team Role Theory.

Geert Hofstede is rightly known for the 6-D model of national culture which includes the dimensions: Collectivism vs Individualism, Power Distance, Femininity vs Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Short-term orientation vs Long-term orientation, Indulgence - Restraint.

These dimensions were found by Hofstede and his team to be important with regards to how different communities approach the concept of 'organisation' and organise themselves.

Power Distance signals the degree a society places emphasis on social status, wealth and the unever distribution of power.

Power distance, as a dimension impacts the way students express themselves in class (Dai Y, Li H, Xie W, Deng Tand, 2022), and there are many studies on how this dimension impacts workplace communications as well. Varela and Premeaux (2008) researched and concluded for example, that company employees in subordinate roles in High Power Distance cultures are more likely to keep silent and are less likely to provide feedback. If you wonder what managers in High Power cultures do, apart from believing in Inequality at the work place, they tend to avoid discussions with their superiors that include feedback on their behaviours.

Greece, according to a research conducted in 1980, scored 60 out of 94 (the highest score), meaning that the older generations of employees were probably working in environments where feedback was not appreciated (not asked for) and thus concelead in an aim to protect themselves, and possibly others they respected - and did not want to cause them any trouble.

Can individual work skills and behaviours overcome national culture characteristics?

The renowned Belbin methodology informs us of the behavioural qualities and particular ways, individuals in organisations work, collaborate and communicate and since its conception, the Belbin methodology has proved accurate decade after decade. The nine Team Role categories with their strengths, allowable and non-allowable weaknesses, have provided in-depth insights into the various individual patterns of skills and the way they are used within a team and a work role or situation.

Individuals with certain skills and behavioural patterns called 'Completer Finishers' are skillful at spotting errors and mistakes, improving quality standards and worrying proactively for the mistakes that others may make due to 'our' human nature. Consequently, they are less likely to hold back when a mistake presents itself, worrying and painstakely working to avoid mistakes and errors, even 'little' ones.

Continuous Improvement is a Lean management approach according to which, managers and employees learn to identify problems as opportunities to add value and this necessitates - apart from a certain mindset - open communications and no fear to report mistakes and errors. Moreover, it requires the proactive approach of analysing what might go wrong in order for the right counter-measures to be introduced.

Continuous Improvement is important for every organisation regardless its size as it brings in important Innovation ideas that improve quality standards, add value for employees and clients and reduce the operational cost.

So, when mistakes happen:

1. reflect if you do have a lean management system in place that is rigorous, well-communicated and supported by the right organisational culture
2. ask if you showed the end result to a Completer Finisher before releasing it
3. check the possibility that you are lacking a Completer Finisher in the team and
4. whether the team culture allows a Completer Finisher to report!

Next time, a mistake appears, I would love my students to correct me!