Doing Business in Mexico In the early part of the 20th Century, American industrial engineer Fredrick Taylor revolutionized management practices through his famous concept of Scientific Management. His basic premise was that for each task there is one best way of doing things, and workers must be taught to do it that way. At the […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico There is no doubt that being a manager today is a different and more demanding challenge than it has been in the past. The much-talked-about globalization of business operations has forced managers to expand their mental horizons beyond the old borders. This is not an easy task, since most managers still […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico Perhaps the single largest cultural gap between Latin Americans and North Americans in the realm of business practices is the “personal” dimension. As I have explained in earlier articles, Latin Americans tend to view the personal and professional aspects of a person as two parts of a whole, whereas most North […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico When I ask managers what they hate most about their jobs, writing and reading reports is usually on the top of their lists. Managers who have to write reports are often inadequately prepared: They were hired for expertise in specific business areas, such as marketing or finance, and have received little, […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico Over the last two years, working with different companies in both the United States and Mexico, I have heard time and again about a relatively new nagging problem for managers: handling their email. According to a poll conducted by USA Today, roughly 25 percent of Americans feel overwhelmed by their email, […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico Most of my activities in the area of consulting involve training managers from the United States and Mexico. The people I generally work with to organize and prepare these kinds of activities are Human Resource managers. The Human Resource (HR) division has traditionally been a very weak unit in most companies, […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico When it comes to professional training, Mexican managers and companies seem fascinated with anything that comes from more developed countries, especially the United States. From leadership courses (so many that one wonders who is left to be led) to negotiation techniques, the Mexican market is flooded with pitches from U.S. companies […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico There is an old movie starring Jack Lemmon in which a father (Lemmon) is frustrated that his less-than-motivated son has quit his job after one day. When he asks his son why, his son simply replies, “My boss is a jerk!” to which his father replies, “All bosses are jerks … […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico One of the oldest clichés in business is “the customer is always right.” And while this catchphrase might be repeated in every company training program, the reality is that most businesses fall short when it comes to customer satisfaction. In fact, most companies know very little about the experience their customers […]
Continue ReadingDoing Business in Mexico In previous columns, I have argued that cultural diversity in organizations should be welcomed, rather than viewed as a problem to be avoided. Multinational companies in Mexico often have teams made up of Mexicans and Americans and /or Canadians who must work in close contact with one another. Many of my […]
Continue Reading