ALP

1. ALP CCC

2. Rules of the team • Open discussions, let people speak • Say what you think – is it culture or personal? • Be open to different ideas • Fulfil your tasks • In case of argue – have a break • Stick to the prepared plan

3. Research sources • Hofstede • classification of the culture of both nations • we don´t use the F/M dimension – after discussion we decided that for our ALP this has no big influence • Trompenaars • only some specific parts of his model to be used in the ALP • Companies visited • For specific information on the ALP assignment • People in the team and their experience

4. Research • Power distance • Czech: • High at the moment, younger generation low: • Formal • Netherlands: • Low • Informal • Open door culture

5. Research • Uncertainty avoidance • Czech: • Avoid risks • People hard to change • Less flexibility • High adaptive • Netherlands: • Calculate risks • Flexibility • Not adaptive for changes

6. Research • Individual vs Collectivism • Czech • Collectivism - Horizontal meaning • A lot of communication - informally • Less teamwork – need for leader • Netherlands: • Individualism – (hidden agenda?) • Rights and benefits, bonuses – fighting for it

7. Research • Inner vs outer-directed • Czech • Less structure • No strategy • Netherlands • Structure • Many procedures

8. Research • Specific vs diffuse • Czech • Relationship is very important • Commitment loyallity is important but takes time • Can work with plans but like improvise • Netherlands • Task orientated • Planning

9. Company • Building company • Delivers a good quality with a fair price • Suplier you can rely on. • Company values: • Flexibility and innovation • Openness/ openminded • Relationship in teams • Delivering the result

10. Goal and mission Two make it better. • Goal: Be profitable company and throught motivated and skilled people deliver quality in time. • Turnover: • First year euro 5,0 million • Second year euro 10,0 million • Five year euro 20,0 million • Quality: • Flexibility • ISO certification in two years completed • Safety- number of injuries with absence at work – O (small injuries- 10 /year) • Cost of faillure (normal 10%) first year 15 % reduce to 8 % in 5 years • Employees: • Relationship and team spirit • Sick rate at 4% • Fluctuation of staff 6%

11. Alternatives • CZ option • All employees are CZ • Company stays in CZ and operates in CZ market, have CZ sales • It is a new company • Partly young people but also older and experienced people. • Owned by CZ/NL • NL option • All employees are NL • Company stays in NL and operates in NL market, have NL sales • It is a new company • Partly young people but also older and experienced people. • Owned by CZ/NL

12. Alternatives • Czechs in Holland • Workers, foremen, site managers, and management are CZ people • Company is seated in CZ but operates in NL market • It is a new company • Partly young people but also older, mostly skilled and experienced people. • Sales people are NL people. • Mixture 1 • Workers and foremen are CZ, site managers are NL. Management is CZ+NL • Company is seated in CZ and operates in NL market (middle east of NL), have NL sales • It is a new company • 80% skilled + 20% unskilled people. Young and older people.

13. Alternatives • Mixture 2 • Workers and site managers are CZ, foremen are NL. Management is CZ+NL • Company is seated in CZ and operates in NL market (middle east of NL), have NL sales • It is a bought company. • 20% skilled + 80% unskilled people. Young and older people.

14. Selection of alternative Higher score = better alternative

15. Winner • Mixture 1 • best because of culture fit. • See the flip chart

16. Action plan • Set up the organisation „on paper“ by 25th June • Culture (GM), functionality, marketing plan, financial plan, financing the machinery etc. • Prepare the plan for implementation of people to different culture by 1st July • Establish the sales office in NL (salesmen) by 1st August. • Establish the CZ office (management, purchasing, services, recruitment, planning, architects etc.) by 1st July • Establish the backoffice in NL (facilities, machinery to store, warehouse, etc) by 1st October • Recruit staff for NL and CZ by 1st August /October • Start working with people (tasks, culture, projects etc.) from August • Aquire contracts – projects to be built by end August • Prepare the first project by 1st February • Start and manage the first project from 5th February • Messuare and supervise the progress

17. Risk analysis • No projects – starting with sales beforehand. • Culture problems – good implementation plan, continues focus • Language problem - foreman is czech, he gets language training, other people will be offered the training too. • Recruitment problems in CZ – start early, might use a help of agenture

18. Reflection • Process • Timing – no timekeeper but no problem, people were aware of timing. Slipping behind the schedule was due to not good distribution of tasks – (smaller teams working on different tasks could help) • Listening at the beginning helped us to come to conclusion very fast at the end. • No formal leader was established but it caused no trouble. Open atmosphere and cooperation • Learning points • Criteria – not everything what seems important criterion is real criterion. • Theory came alive – especially when we were looking for advantages and disadvantages of both cultures • Bicycle – we really had to adjust strategy to culture and other way round! • 1 + 1 = 3 - small things make the difference