british profile

8/3/2019 British Profile

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CULTURAL PROFILE

The British Country Profile



The British Country Profile

© Transnational Management Associates 2011 · www.tmaworld.com · www.countrynavigator.com

COUNTRY NAVIGATOR CULTURAL PROFILE 2

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The British Position

The British tend to be more focused on the task than relationships. It is important to win trust and a long-termrelationship is preferred, but this is not a prerequisite to doing business. Hard targets are more the rule -

people are driven by short term objectives, often tracking quarterly or even monthly results.

The British are competitive. They want to be in the race and seen to participate, but it is certainly not the donething to brag about success - modesty is ingrained in the British character. In a competitive environment a

sporting "team spirit" is encouraged. Typical phrases taught from an early age are "let the best man win" and,in case of failure, "better luck next time". The American way of praising in public and systems such as "theemployee of the month award" may be seen to be brash and boastful. If enforced they may well be humoured

but not taken very seriously.

In the past the "old boy networks" flourished (although restricted to a small elite) and were the best guaranteeof business success. These still exist and may be useful as "door-openers", but today the need to deliver,

based on relevant experience and track record, is more imperative.The British work the longest hours in Europe. In many aspects of business they are closer to their Americancounterparts, particularly in their performance driven, bottom line focus. They prefer to operate in a morestructured way, with plans and processes. The latest management fads, often coming from the USA are widely

embraced (e.g. benchmarking, Six Sigma, Porter's Five Forces).

The British will generally abide by the rules, though these may be unwritten and even unspoken. It isimportant for non-natives to know the "behavioural code" in order to be respected and not offend. The British

do value their independence greatly so would not want to be seen to be pedantic - if they stick to the rules it isbecause they choose to do so.


The British style of communication tends to be quite implicit. Indirect, ambiguous language (and humour) areoften used to mask the speaker's real feelings and intentions. The British prefer to avoid argument and direct

confrontation, as this is often felt to be embarrassing. They frequently tone down anything perceived as toonegative or positive, with expressions such as "we might have a slight problem here" (for major problem) or an

experience was "quite nice really" meaning excellent. This can cause misunderstandings with people with amore direct communication style - the British understatement is not to be accepted at face value!

Politeness is very important to the British, who use a lot of "please" and "thanks-you" in their language and willoften apologize for disturbing someone before asking them a question. Rather than say "no" directly to a

request they may become vague, and suggest the possibility of acceptance, even if they have no intention of doing so (this is done so as not to cause personal insult). In a dialogue, people will wait for their turn to speak

(it is not considered polite to interrupt). Too much silence will feel uncomfortable for most, as will excessiveverbal expression or gesturing. In the business context, too much emotion would be viewed as unprofessional.

Physical contact is usually restricted to a handshake on meeting for the first time. Close female friends may"air kiss" or hug, but there are no hard and fast rules for when to do so and who with.

Humour (especially irony) is an acceptable way of diffusing tension, building rapport and expressing criticism.Insider jokes may be used to build group solidarity.

Written communication tends to be quite formal, though efforts have been made in recent years to publish

official documents and reports in more accessible "everyday" language. Unwritten formalities around languageusage concerning emails may include the proper form of address, a direct personal reference and polite, if brief closure.










In the UK there is a strong leaning towards individualism - most people would rank "I before we". This may bemore noticeable with the younger generations – "bratocracy" is a term which has been used to describe the

power of the elite young. ("brat" is a term in English used to describe an over-indulged and undisciplined child.)

The population is quite migrant and most young people leave the family home as soon as they leave school,often for another town. Since local family support networks are lacking, people are forced to be independent

and manage on their own.

From an early age children are encouraged to develop their own individual talents. The booming "after-school

activities" culture provides the means to do so.

An increasing number of middle-class women choose not to have children at all. Reasons cited for this are toallow women to focus on their career while retaining their accustomed lifestyle. The financial burden of raising

a family is not generally cited as a major deterrent.

The British generally have a strong sense of fairness and equality. In a business environment this means thateach individual counts and his or her opinions should be heard and considered. Loyalty is felt to one or severalsmaller groups (e.g. family, Church, community association). People would not normally rank allegiance to the

company the highest.

Good team players are valued, and teamwork is seen as a way to collaborate and reach consensus. At thesame time individual accountability is considered important so it is more likely to be judged on the achievement

of individual targets, though team targets may be recognised.


The British have a strong sense of tradition. The "glorious" past is respected and revered, and is preservedthrough many age-old customs. People are generally unwilling to give up emblems of "Britishness", and

support British institutions with all their pageantry, rules and rites. Those most celebrated revolve around theMonarchy, parliament and the legal system.

Britain is an island nation and has a strong island mentality. There has been little need for great change forcenturies. The British Empire collapsed but Britain emerged victorious from two world wars, so the British

identity remained intact (although it is unclear today what this "identity" might actually constitute). There isstill a resistance to too much foreign influence, felt by such initial adverse reaction to the construction of the

Channel Tunnel, linking Britain to "the Continent" for the first time ever. Today this feeling is also in evidenceat European elections, where the British frequently have the lowest turnout to vote.

There is a high element of control in British society, which is the most heavily watched society in the world.Extensive use is made of surveillance cameras. At the same time, the British are not averse to trying out new

technology to combat crime and are indeed at the forefront in the development of many advanced crimeprevention systems.

Generally the British are reluctant to risk capital in investing in brand new systems and property, unlessabsolutely imperative. They tend to prefer to "make-do" with what they already have, even if this may be not

ideal. This is seen in the lack of purpose-built schools and factories.

In the business environment most would seek best practice sharing rather than try something completely new.Innovation is promoted but learning from best practice is preferred, to avoid risk where possible. The more

risk-averse stance may be explained by the fear of failure, since the British are rather unforgiving and failurecan linger a long time.

The British understand the need to be competitive, to embrace the new, and keep abreast of latestdevelopments, but may be described more as reluctant modernisers.










The British are reasonably punctual in their time-keeping, or at least aim to be so. They respect deadlines butare not obsessed by them. Once committed to, most professions would view a deadline as a promise to

deliver, and feel morally obliged to do so. The vast majority of Britons today claim to suffer from some form of stress - a sign of being driven by tight time schedules. "Busyness" is regarded as a virtue and can enhance a

person's importance and regard in the community.

In the retail trade, availability has become a competitive factor - many food retailers and even generalmerchandisers have long opening hours, frequently offering 24 hour shopping.

The pace of business is usually fast with a shorter term view and the need to deliver to hard targets. Email iswidely used as a rapid and efficient means of communication. The vast majority of companies have their own

web site and access to email. Even small businesses are generally listed in local online directories at the veryleast.

Arriving on time for meetings will often depend on the attendees expected. If higher ranking management arepresent, then time-keeping will be stricter. Project meetings without management presence may start 10 -20minutes late (depending on the company culture). It is acceptable to use this time for refreshments and socialchit-chat, until most people have turned up.


The British have a traditional respect for hierarchy and birthright, most noticeably represented in the monarchy

and the "Great and the Good" (a traditional professional elite). Britain is well-known for its class society, anotion which is less accepted today but still in evidence. Britons will intuitively allocate a person to a social

class dependent on their accent, appearance, possessions etc. The traditional power groups have been losingtheir influence over the last decades e.g. the House of Lords reform, the Queen paying taxes. The strict social

hierarchy has been breaking up - more women are now in senior positions in business, and there is a wideracceptance of regional accents in nationwide TV. Increased affluence has made the working classes moresocially mobile. The divisions between classes are much less distinct.

The pyramid has flattened too in the business world. Many more organisations have fewer levels from the top

to bottom, and in certain areas of business, matrix or task-oriented structures are common.

Recruitment is no longer based on "who you know". Connections to powerful elites are no longer sufficient -professional qualifications may be of value, but what counts most is the right kind of experience.

Managers are respected for the rank they have achieved, but are not expected to know the answers to most

questions their subordinates might ask. There is generally a high level of delegation and empowerment.Individuals would expect to make their own judgments, referring back to their superiors where necessary.

The British have a strong sense of fairness and justice, and respect for the individual regardless of ethnicbackground. As a multicultural nation, much legislation focuses on equal opportunity policies.










The British are process driven with a strong preference towards step-by-step planning and action. Performancemeasurement is in evidence in every aspect of organisational life. Performance as a discipline is anchored far

more strongly in the British management ethos than anywhere else in Europe (only in the US is it evenstronger). There is an abundance of different systems in use e.g. the balanced scorecard which tracks

performance across the organisation (finance, personnel, customer, internal processes). Performancemeasurement is also seen in the civil service, in crime management and in education. Educational reports areconducted and league tables published for all primary and secondary schools. Public and private sector

partnerships flourish, with the aim of making the public sector become more efficient and results-driven.

The linear approach is also seen in the way that meetings are run. Most people would expect an agenda inadvance of the meeting and to follow the items on it while the meeting is in progress. Any other issues arising

would generally be saved for the "any other business" slot at the end of the agenda, depending on the abilityof the chairperson to control the flow. People have a low tolerance for interruptions considered irrelevant to the

matter under discussion. Most would prefer a quick decision and solution to a problem with defined follow-upaction. Too much talk around a topic is often classed as unnecessary "waffle" and an inefficient use of time.


The British are known for being pragmatic and sensible. Working out the best way to do things in a practicalway, sometimes by trial and error, is viewed in a positive light. Where Germanic cultures would spend time on

the detail, the British would usually prefer to just get on and do it, aiming less for perfection than completion.

They are often willing to undertake a task with very little preparation (called "winging it"). This ability isregarded in a positive manner.

The British tend to distrust too much theorising and intellectual argument. This is often put down as "tooacademic" and therefore of less practical value. Experience is what really counts. It is unusual to find directorsof British companies with doctorate titles, something fairly common in Germany, for example. "Self-made"

men are much praised. Academic qualifications are likely to be played down.

In the business environment, the British preference for Powerpoint slides reflects the desire for brevity,simplicity and clarity. These are used at every opportunity from customer presentations to internal meetings.

In decision-making attention will be paid to data and hard facts. Performance measurement is taken very

seriously in all areas of business.

Most Britons would choose simple solution rather than a complex one "Why make something more

complicated?" generally meets with approval.










The British style of explanation tends to be quite complex. This may be due to a combination of conflictingfactors. There is a general desire to achieve brevity, reduce undue complexity and get on with the job. At the

same time, the British want to be fair, and give due consideration to the opinions of all concerned. They wantto be seen as polite and considerate and avoid being pushy (considered "rude"). They prefer consensus, being

of a more risk-averse nature. In addition to this, the British style of communication is quite implicit, somessages may be delivered in an indirect way. The British are generally uncomfortable with conflict and maytry to avoid the issue rather than address it directly. This again may be considered rude or distasteful.

While communicating in "bullet-form format" is acceptable for Powerpoint presentations, to use this style when

speaking to people would be considered too impolite.







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