New Zealand – Egalitarian

New Zealand – Egalitarian

New Zealand is approximately 1,500 kms east of Australia and comprises two islands – North Island and South Island. It has a population of around 4.5 million with around 75% being of European descent and 15% of Maori heritage. It was one of the last lands to be settled by humans and during the long period of isolation it developed a distinctive biodiversity of animal, fungal and plant life.

The business set up in New Zealand is egalitarian and to ensure successful cross cultural management it is important to remember to treat each and every person with equal respect and deference. There is a sense that all people in the organisation have an important role to play and all are valued for their input. Therefore in this culture, managers will lose no respect in consulting employees. Indeed, employees expect to be consulted on decisions that affect them and the greater good of the organisation.

Managers tend to be task-oriented, but do not generally micro-manage their staff. Emphasis is placed on achieving a goal, productivity and profits.

New Zealand’s intercultural competence and readiness for change is high. Businesses in New Zealand have a high tolerance for risk and the underlying mindset is that change, while difficult, usually brings improvements and that hard work and innovation will bring a better tomorrow.

The egalitarian belief of New Zealanders supports a collaborative and participative management style. New Zealanders are often quite comfortable working in teams and do not expect to be singled out for their contribution.
Successful entrepreneurs who have achieved enormous wealth are admired as heroes and icons as evidence of New Zealand’s land-of-opportunity mythology.

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Sources: Kwintessential, Wikipedia