Expat managers upgrade perception of local management culture

Romania was ranked second out of six countries in a pan-regional survey conducted for Target Executive Search by GfK and CEU Business School that measured the perception of expat managers on issues such as general business environment, managers and management style, transparency and cross-cultural issues.

Simona Bazavan

Humor is important for working relations in Romania, Bulgarian female managers tend to be more effective than men, Poles are customer service oriented but also individualistic and the Czechs work in a planned way but are less good at dealing with overseas customers and colleagues. These are just some findings of the Target Executive Search study. Some 1,100 senior expat managers in the region were surveyed on four key areas: general business environment, management style, managers and the market, transparency and cross-cultural issues.

Despite each country’s specific strong suits and weaknesses, a constant throughout the region is that bureaucracy, corruption, poor customer service and reluctance to take managerial responsibility remain the biggest obstacles to improving economic competitiveness, say Target Executive Search representatives.

Compared to a similar study put together in 2009, the overall satisfaction scores in the 2015 version are lower in all of the countries. Poland reported the highest overall marks followed by Romania, which saw an improvement on the 2009 ranking when it landed second from last.

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Source: Target Executive Search

The full half of the glass…

Back in 2009, the worst ranked categories for Romania were related to organization, responsibility and leadership, but since then the country has reported progress in almost all the analyzed areas, Felicia Beldean, managing partner for Romania and Bulgaria with Target Executive Search CEE, told BR.

What sticks out is a significant improvement in the perception of agreeability level of Romania as a working and living destination, a slight decrease in bureaucracy – perceived as an improvement in the general social and business environment and a greater customer focus, she added.

Top 5 statements about Romania marking a positive change

Source: Target Executive Search

Overall, Romanian managers are now seen as working in a more planned way than in the past. “Deadlines and timetables are taken seriously and respected in most cases. In short, business itself is more organized and efficient,” she said. Another area where there has been improvement is the level of responsibility assumed by local management, alongside showing more proactivity and creativity in solving problems. “We should be especially proud of the fact that, increasingly, women in managerial roles are perceived as being more efficient, more organized and more committed than their male counterparts,” added Beldean. This is on a positive trend in Romania while in all the other countries this factor is decreasing or stagnating, shows the report.

What sets Romania apart in the region? “I would mention here the importance for us of building strong relationships at the workplace – with our colleagues, bosses, subordinates, as well as with our clients. And these close relationships are crucial for working well within a certain team or company, as is having a good partnership with our clients,” she commented.

Romanians are also appreciated for their flexibility and adaptability, creativity and ability when dealing with unexpected situations, having come top in the region for these characteristics.

… and the empty half

At the other end of the spectrum, bureaucracy remains a major issue for the local business environment despite a slight improvement compared to the 2009 findings, found the study. In fact, Romania came last in the region (out of six) while Poland was perceived as being the least bureaucratic.

“Another major drawback for Romania that has remained and deepened during this period is the corruption. It is perceived as the main factor blocking progress here. While bureaucracy is improving, unfortunately, corruption has worsened,” said Beldean.

Romania also fared poorly against its peers for “presenteeism”, meaning working hours just for show and a rather “show-off style”, the efficacy and planning of activity and the business itself, strategic thinking and the implementation of agreed decisions. “Almost all of these factors are on an ascending ‘slope’ of improvement – but still need some more development steps,” added the Target Executive Search representative.

Top 3 statements about Romania marking a negative change

Source: Target Executive Search

A common finding in the region and in Romania as well is a certain lack of customer orientation. However, some progress has been made in this direction. “Romania was ranked second regarding customer service orientation and understanding of market competitiveness, after Poland, of course. Nevertheless, since 2009, Romania has made significant progress in this respect, recording improvements in the area. Moreover, we’ve also evolved positively in understanding our market and our competitive advantages, compared with the previous findings of 2009,” noted Beldean.

Some 1,100 senior expat managers were surveyed for the study. Respondents were asked to express their level of agreement with statements describing local management culture in the six analyzed countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) and answer a series of socio-demographic questions.

The study, by Target Executive Search and CEU Business School, is a somewhat extended follow-up of one conducted in 2009 by Target and Henley Business School.