❇️ MEXICO'S BUSINESS CULTURE NEEDS TO CHANGE IF THE COUNTRY IS TO BE COMPETITIVE IN TODAY'S GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY ❇️

❇️ MEXICO'S BUSINESS CULTURE NEEDS TO CHANGE IF THE COUNTRY IS TO BE COMPETITIVE IN TODAY'S GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY ❇️

There are truly few things that are so annoying and very demotivating than the failure to communicate clearly and consistently. 

The next thing that is most vexing is the lack of follow through. Not only does that leave people in limbo, but is actually quite rude. 

In emerging markets like Mexico, a lot has been said since President Peña Nieto initiated his administration, of the need to enhance productivity, and to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

That is a great vision. However it requires a profound transformation of the business culture of the country. Soft skills in particular need to be greatly honed.

People are too used to promising things and then never following through. Communications tend to be done very fly-by-night, and are rarely clear. Moreover, the message such as it is, in the next iterations, is constantly changed such that one never knows where one stands. Nothing more effectively causes employees to disengage than not knowing where they stand with their performance and their work - especially when they have given their soul and gone the extra mile to produce excellent value-added work. Unless the art of communicating becomes more professional, so much for improving productivity.

When being recruited and courted to join a company/organization, there is a tendency to promise the moon and the stars. However if one actually shoots for the moon and the stars and starts to successfully generate traction and/or - heaven forbid - actual great results, that's totally unacceptable. Somehow it threatens the existing efforting ecosystem. Given the general propensity for micro-management, it is especially unacceptable for one to be a self-starter with personal initiative or for one to present innovative and creative ideas: unfortunately for the country's competitiveness, those are the very bed-rock traits of intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship.

At one organization an employee was asked to organize a very complicated forum in 2 weeks. She pulled it off fabulously - so much so that some of the speakers were propelled to stardom. Yet when a top manager went to her office, he found her crying. Why? Because the forum was too successful and she fully expected to be fired in days! Regrettably a frequent occurrence at any number of companies/organizations.

In developed countries like the United States, people are taught that to succeed and to stand out in a company, one should be proactive in presenting ideas and proposals that could give a  company its competitive edge. That is a huge NO-NO in Mexico. If one dares to present any kind of plan or suggestions, it's interpreted as an unwanted intrusion upon management's prerogatives to micro-manage as their wont - and one is instantly marginalized.

One can join an organization wildly enthusiastic about working there, looking forward to being an active contributor, only to have that enthusiasm dampened in 5 seconds or less. New arrivals are rarely - if ever - given the appropriate tools or personnel to do the job until one has "proved him or herself." At a mayor telecom company, one new hire - whose job depended greatly on research using the internet - was not even provided a phone, let alone a computer for a whole month! The employee had to spend 8 hours at the office without being able to do his job, and then had to go home to work on his computer for another 8 hours.

There are, of course, some very noteworthy, very competitive companies and organizations which are exceptions to all of the above. However, as for the rest, unless micro-management - which begins at school - gives way to encouraging personal initiative, hard work and success, and employees are given the tools and empowerment to succeed at their job, increased productivity, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship will remain just a great speech.

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