Beyond ITIL: How Cultural Differences Impact ITSM

Cultural Classifications

Professor Geert Hofstede from the Netherlands’ University of Maastricht developed a popular- cultural classification scheme that differentiates cultures along five axes:

In the context of ITIL and SLAs, power-distance and individualism are the most relevant. In cultures where there is a high power-distance, you (as a person in authority) are less likely to be challenged or questioned. If you are an authority figure from a low power-distance culture, like the U.S., soliciting input in a culture with a high power-distance index, like India, what you hear may not mean what you think it does.

For example, suppose you ask people if they understand the requirements you’ve just laid out, and they say, “Yes.” That response may simply mean “Yes, I understand them” rather than “Yes, I agree to abide by them.”

Same words but very different meanings.

Or you may not receive any input at all. If you ask for candid input, you may only get feedback that does not embarrass the person in charge. Watch for this kind of behavior, particularly if you rely on surveys to gauge how effective your service is. You may have to interpret the results differently, or phrase the questions differently.

Conversely, if your boss in a high power-distance culture like China asks for your candid input in private, and you provide it, you're likely to find it's not well received. Why did he react so poorly, when you simply gave him what he asked for? Once again, different cultural lenses are at work.

Now consider how individualism can play into service level management: user forums and self-help-based support tools are becoming popular in Western countries. Customers can help other customers, answer questions and provide guidance. Typically, these individuals are eventually recognized for their contributions to the company-sponsored information resource.

This highly desirable situation can be a win-win for all involved. Individuals love to contribute, but only if their contribution is recognized and valued. And companies can certainly use the extra help. Rather than depending solely on their often-overworked front line support team, companies can encourage expert volunteers from the ranks of their customers to provide additional support to other customers, with the understanding that this is not official support, but an alternative.

The volunteers are then rewarded with “MVP – Most Valuable Professional” status, meetings with senior company executives, access to inside technical information, premium-level support and more.

This model works very well—in certain circumstances. However, once these forums start expanding to countries in Asia or Africa, using individual recognition to motivate volunteers may be less effective.

These cultures are typically more collective, rather than individualistic. Recognition goes to the group, not to an individual. In some cultures, an individual who stands out can even be perceived as a nail sticking out—one in need of hammering. Over time, tools that celebrate individuals and their contributions will need to adapt to more collectivist cultures.

Even a basic understanding of cultural frameworks dramatically increases your chances of a successful global ITIL implementation. The key to success is flexibility. Remember different cultures have different cultural lenses that can interpret the same behaviors completely differently.

Be sure that you, your teams, your processes and technology are all flexible enough to accommodate a variety of cultural and societal differences, as you continue your quest to deliver outstanding service around the world.

Phil Verghis is an internationally respected expert on global service delivery. His firm, The Verghis Group helps organizations get and keep life-long customers.