Case Study Silvio Case

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Overall, Silvio was not the right choice for general manager of Schindler’s India operations for three crucial reasons: 1) he had other priorities in his personal life that limited his capacity to focus on the India operations, 2) Silvio lacked the proper background and relevant experience for this position, and 3) his leadership style, caused by a number of significant cultural differences which overall resulted in a number of managerial and corporate culture issues. However, it is important to note that although Silvio was not the best choice, the Schindler Company was also at fault for not providing Silvio the support he needed during his stay there and in preparing him for the cultural barriers he would be facing.
Firstly, Silvio’s family—a …show more content…

dimensions (Appendix II), India is very high in humane orientation (its cultural cluster, Southern Asia, having the highest score out of all the clusters) and in-group collectivism whereas Italy and Switzerland both have low humane orientation and low in-group collectivism (Cross-Border Transfer of Knowledge). This is also shown in Hofstede’s high collectivism score for India compared to Switzerland and Italy (Appendix I). Notably, humane orientation refers to being altruistic, friendly, generous, and kind to others, and already that difference would create a different leadership style. (Leadership Dimensions: Culture and Leadership) In the case employees mention that M.K. Singh is friendly and easy to get along with as a leadership figure, reinforcing that a sociable and more easygoing approach resonates with employees. The Cross-Border Transfer of Knowledge paper also mentions that cultures with high in-group collectivism are also reluctant to spend time and effort to build close relationships with outsiders. Silvio should have taken the initiative to build close relationships with his work colleagues and partners and build trust rather than rely on his authority to create relationships with his employees as he did in Switzerland. This also indicates that someone with some international experience, HR experience, or even someone with a more flexible leadership style would be better suited for this …show more content…

This would have lead to lack of communication between colleagues and Silvio of any problems or advice they would have otherwise shared. Reiterated by the G.L.O.B.E. dimensions, with high in-group collectivism cultures (i.e. India), members are used to working with their own in-groups and are less concerned with knowledge transfer to those outside their own group. (Leadership Dimensions: Culture and Leadership) Moreover as Indian culture relies on high-context communication (as Silvio mentioned few people voiced concerns and questions about his strategy despite having them), Silvio, coming from a low-context communication background would not have picked up on the subtle cues his colleagues were giving him, even if they did give him feedback or advice. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, Silvio’s previous highly-respected role at Schindler may have stopped him even more than the average manager in listening for these cues as the previous norm he had grown accustomed to was a culture where his colleagues would inform him of

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