Culture is usually defined as ‘the beliefs, customs, arts, etc. of a particular society, group, place, or time’. For example, physical contact, be it a handshake or a hug, or a pat on the back has different interpretations in different parts of the world. In Asia, you can commonly witness female friends holding hands and walking along the street and men casually embracing each other, this kind of behavior is considered completely normal. But in countries such as the US, such public displays of friendship can make people uncomfortable.
Cultural differences come to the fore at the workplace too. For example, during mergers and acquisitions, the Japanese take a long time to get to know their counterparts and establish trust, and only when they are completely comfortable with their counterparts will they even sit across the table and talk business. However, other Asians, Americans, and Europeans tend to set aside personal comfort to transact business quicker with organizations from other cultures.
Hence, culture plays a significant role in business, making high-impact changes difficult to implement.
Cultural Dynamics in ITIL Implementation
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is not a prescriptive solution, but rather a framework that needs to be customized to specific organization requirements. Its implementation will bring large-scale changes in the structure and processes of IT service management. Long-standing employees of an organization, accustomed to doing things in a certain way, are bound to resist these changes, especially when they have been successful with their old ways. Understanding the key values of the culture in an organization will help to manage and control the outcome of the implementation.
The Hofstede model of culture classification, developed by Professor Geert Hofstede, differentiates cultures with regard to Long Power Distance vs. Short Power Distance and Individualism vs. Collectivism.
In an ITIL context, especially when it comes to SLA (Service Level Agreement) and OLA (Operation Level Agreement) agreements, power distance and individualism play a key role in the cultural dynamics of implementation.
Power Distance
According to the Hofstede model, Power Distance Index measures the extent to which the less powerful members of a society accept that power is distributed unequally, i.e. one or a few people have all the power and the rest are bound by them. Germany scores a 35 on the cultural scale of Hofstede’s analysis (scale of 100) compared to Middle East countries where the power distance is very high (80) and Austria where it is very low (11). Germany does not have a large gap between the wealthy and the poor but has a strong belief in equality for each citizen.
Applying power distance theory to an organization gives one the measure of the extent to which the team members think that the Team Leader or the Project Manager has the power and they should listen to them and obey their orders. In countries like India and China, there is a lot of respect for authority (the power distance scale is high), and people usually don’t challenge or question authority. Whereas, in some of the Western European and American countries, the culture is such that individuals do have the liberty to question their higher authorities (the power distance scale is lower).
Let us consider a scenario of a project meeting, the project manager talks to his team members about the deliverables for the next 2 weeks. He has given them a list of action items to be completed. Now he is asking the question, “Do you all understand?”
In India, the answer “Yes” from the team members would mean “Yes, we will get these done in 2 weeks”. The culture is such that, even if some team members disagreed with the project manager’s plan or had any questions, they are most likely to not put them forward because of the inherent fear of authority. There are always exceptions but since we are talking about culture, we are talking about the majority here.
Whereas in Austria, the answer “Yes” would only mean “Yes, we understood what you want from us”. It does not mean that they agree to the project manager’s demands and get them done no matter what. They will go on to ask questions or give suggestions to the project manager if they have any, and then agree with the action item list.
Individualism
Countries such as the US and some Western European countries are individualistic. Individuals get motivated when their contributions are recognized. They receive awards from their organizations and this keeps them loyal and hard-working. However, in Asian countries such as India and China, it is collectivism that works. Individuals who look to gain attention are often considered harmful to the team. It is the team that comes first, and any recognition or criticism goes to the entire team and not an individual.
Therefore, from an organizational perspective, you need to enforce the following three practices to help you overcome cultural resistance and implement ITIL.
1. Ensure Top-Down Commitment
Support from the top management is essential to sustain the implementation. Ensure that the top management buys into the idea of ITIL and that its support is vocal and recognized across the organization. Old-school employees, who would have spent too much time doing things their own way, would typically be an impediment to change. When the top management is convinced and voices its support, convincing the people down the chain is a lot easier.
2. Prepare and Execute a Comprehensive Communication Plan
The objectives of ITIL, how it will be implemented, and how the implementation will change job roles need to be clearly communicated across the organization. Employees feel more comfortable when they have a clear idea of the nature of change and how it will impact them.
If necessary, you can bring in an external consultant to talk about the positive effects of ITIL so that it comes across as an unbiased opinion from someone outside the organization. Make sure that you acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of employees, both big and small. Rather than monetary benefits, focus on their personal growth in the organization. This will help keep them motivated throughout the implementation journey.
3. Train the Team on ITIL
Training the staff on ITIL goes a long way in helping them appreciate its benefits. You need to clearly convey that ITIL is a journey with long-term benefits and not a project, which is ‘temporary’ in nature. ITIL will take some adapting, and getting the employees trained in ITIL V4 Foundation Training is the first step in the right direction toward ITIL implementation in your organization.
It is easy to ignore cultural differences and assume that professional employees will think, act, and behave in a certain way. But it is essential to acknowledge cultural differences, however small because they will have a great impact in the longer run. Adopting the above-mentioned precautions with regard to cultural dynamics in an organization will help you successfully implement ITIL in your organization.
