Jonathan Needs to Focus on Are Communication

¶ … Jonathan needs to focus on are communication and collaboration. As the fourth respondent points out, Jonathan has two main objectives: to fulfill his obligation to safety and also to understand the role of the executives. His position at a large bank as lead coordinator for the Global Wealth Management Business Continuity program places him in a unique position within which principles of cooperation and communication can be exhibited.

In situations like these, "compromise is not enough," (p. 4). A compromise is not a win-win situation but rather, a situation in which neither party comes out satisfied. Compromise is not successful in the long run and does not take into account the cultural differences that color communications in the organization. In the case of Jonathan's role, culture refers not as much to ethnicity as it does to role and organizational culture. As the fourth respondent puts it, Jonathan needs to get "distracted executives and busy business owners to cooperate" with plans that they have no interest in. What the fourth responder suggests might be the best possible scenario: to have the executives appoint a delegate or representative that can speak and act on their behalf. This frees up the executives to worry about their concerns related to the day-to-day operations, and also fulfills their obligation to stakeholders to plan for the future and have contingency plans for potential disasters.

The executives know that Jonathan's role is an important one; they simply do not see why they should take time away from their busy schedule to help Jonathan develop his program. Therefore, it is crucial for Jonathan to understand that the executives are better off appointing someone with the clear role of liaison and consultant. When Jonathan works with this individual, he is working with a proxy that represents the executives as a collective entity. Therefore, Jonathan and the executives have a win-win scenario instead of a compromise that benefits neither party.

Principles at stake in this situation include the difference between individualism and collectivism within the organization. Jonathan comes from the perspective of collectivism: the safety and security of the organization is his express responsibility. He is not thinking of individualistic organizational culture, but a collective one in which each member of the company participates in a collective whole. The executives come from an organizational cultural perspective in which Jonathan's work is distinct and different from their own.

Another principle at stake is short vs. long-term thinking. The executives focus squarely on the short-term needs of their job. Their work depends on short-term strategies that can earn shareholders and stakeholders as much profit as possible in a short period of time. Jonathan, on the other hand, has a long-term focus. The organization therefore has different cultures within it; and it can be helpful to apply intercultural communications to the scenario. When different cultures reach an impasse in communications, reconciliation is usually the best approach.