Our sense of identity is largely forged in either the collectivist or individualist cultural dynamic. A person coming from a collectivist culture associates their identity with social groups like family, school, church and work. He or she is focused on cooperation and unity.  Someone coming from an individualist culture is more self-reliant, self-assertive and independent. They see themselves as unique.

Cultures high on the individualism scale such as the French, Swedish, and American have differences in their individualism.

Individualism through the American filters view people first and above all as unique individuals rather than as members of a group. US culture emphasizes the importance of individual rights, independent thinking and taking initiative.

The pioneer spirit is responsible for this defining characteristic of the American people. Many people throughout American history have embodied the spirit of individualism. These people rose above the masses by going where others had not gone, doing things that had never been done, even when it required unimageable amounts of courage, risk taking, and creativity. Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, Ford, Edison, Gates, Jobs… are only a few examples of exceptional American individualism.

Craig Sorti in his book Americans at Work says very aptly “Americans do not like to depend on other people. They do not like to owe them, need them or be beholden to them… In, a word they want to be free. Freedom means having to answer to only yourself.”

I do not wish to paint Americans as completely self-centered or self-absorbed. It is indeed, often, the contrary!  For charities and NGOs funding, Americans are biggest donors in the world. Charity above all, is an act of Individualism.  I have witnessed many acts of human kindness and care between strangers that I have never seen in the other countries that I have lived in. Generosity and goodwill are both abundant in the US. It is just up to the discretion of each American how and when she/he will use it.

Most Americans are also very friendly and easy to approach. As a rule, the more individualistic a society is the easier the contact is among individuals that do not know each other. The higher a society or nation is on the collectivist scale the more the stranger is seen as a potential “Danger” outside his or her social or family circles or professional networks. Initial contacts are more difficult. Trust has to be developed.

We tend to think of “micromanagement” as always being detrimental and demotivating. In my opinion good managers know when to micromanage and when to let go. A lot depends on the context, the stakes in a situation or project, and the level of autonomy a team or a team member has reached. However, there are certain cultures where Managers are in the “control and command” mode a lot of the working day. This is accepted even expected of members of certain Asian cultures.

In the western Europe and North America, I do not know anyone who likes or expects a manager to constantly supervise their work and give detailed instructions on how to do their job. In the office or on the shop floor, Americans dislike being micromanaged. Once an employee knows how to do her/his job proficiently, then he or she needs their manager’s trust and space and autonomy to get on with their work. In the manager-subordinate relationship in the US, the manager is in charge of making sure everyone in his or her department is adequately trained, coordinating activities, facilitating communication among members, and making decisions. Then the manager tends to disappears into the background. The manager reappears when the team needs his/her support and encouragement. This may be little over simplified but in general it is how it looks and feels in the US.

This does not mean that employees refuse to follow orders or instructions. Everyone knows that giving orders is a part every manager’s responsibility. American employees do not object to be told what to do. However, they dislike being told how to do it.

So if you are managing Americans it is important that team members have guidelines, processes, SOPs, instructions etc. Once you feel they are proficient, then give them plenty of room and autonomy in their job.

If you ask Americans if they are good at working in teams, they will probably tell you they are. The reality is very different.

There are high performing teams everywhere in the US. However, Americans just do not seem to have the hardwired reflexes or natural propensity for team work when compared to Austrians, Germans, the Scandinavians, Japanese and Taiwanese.

American Individualism is one of the most difficult obstacles when creating a team in the United States. Cooperation and collaboration are not natural for Americans and it takes time and energy for developing relationships. It also means depending on others and giving up autonomy, 2 things that most Americans dislike most. Therefore, team work is sort of a “last resort” solution for Americans.

It is then no wonder that the concept of team building comes from the US. There is a sort of obsession by Executives in the C-suite for their managers to create high performing teams for their companies. A large part of a Manager’s performance is assessed on his/her leadership and team management skills. Human resources departments readily provide training for managers in team building, team management, leadership…

My role and responsibilities:

Most individualistic cultures are also tasks oriented. In these cultures, a task/mission/responsibility will define the relationship you will have with others in your team, department, or company. Americans like to have clearly defined scope in their work with clear roles, responsibilities, and boundaries in their work. Americans work better on a “need-to-know” basis that allow them to focus on their own specific objectives, goals, and quick-wins within the team.

Loyalty:

Many Americans are very opportunists in the business world. If they find an opportunity to work elsewhere for a higher salary and the same benefits well… there is not a lot that holds them back from changing. Personally, I understand this mindset very well. Over the last 30 years many Americans have lost their jobs due to waves of corporate reorganization and down-sizing. Many of these situations were driven by profit optimization for the sake of the share-holders. It is therefore not surprising that company loyalty is so low

Power:

In the US, using power to make someone do something is in direct opposition to the value of individualism in the US. Being subordinate to another person is often uncomfortable for freedom loving, self-reliant Americans. For this reason, we often sugar coat the term “subordinate” with the term “Direct report” which is more palatable in the US egalitarian society. However realistically, there is always a boss and employee relationship lurking in the background. It is the cornerstone of company operations, and usually benefits the manager, employee, and team. As a manager how you give an order is often as important as the order itself.

• If in a management position be careful of what might be considered micro-management. It can be demotivating when done improperly.

• Teams take longer to build and more vigilance is required at the beginning. Feedback and individual recognition are important in teams.

• Americans need clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and boundaries within their teams.

• Do not expect the same company Loyalty in the US as you have in other parts of the world. “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know” doesn’t work for a majority of Americans!

• Power is a “dirty” word in the individualistic world of most Americans. Using power works best when the team trust their manager, and it is applied with discernment and a dash of humility.

To learn more about American individualism at work, sign up for one of our “Working with Americans” cross-cultural training courses.