Terve Poland! - Reflections and learnings about the book and our journey in Poland.

Takeaways and key learnings from the book

“Every human being is born in a country called Culture”

President of Estonia Lennart Meri.

Culture is our roots and backbone that travels with us like an unconscious mind that makes us behave in a certain way.

Survey 2016 with Finnish and Polish managers involved in Finland-Poland business operations

Top three key elements in management

• Poland: Hierarchy, Flexibility, Bureaucracy
• Finland: Honesty, Goal orientation, Planning

Biggest areas of difference in leadership styles

• Are hierarchical and bureaucratic (Finns 2.27 – Poles 4.04)
• Demonstrate honest and ethical behaviour (Finns 4.41 – Poles 3.18)
• Keep schedules (Finns 4.07 – Poles 2.99)
• Encourage people to communicate their different opinions (Finns 3.69 – Poles 2.82)

Background and reasons for the difference – culture and history

As the survey shows there are some significant differences in our cultures. The reasons are coming from the culture and history:

Roman Catholic countries have a larger power distance i.e. more hierarchy. The Roman Catholic church has a big place in people’s hearts and lives in Poland.

Communism and the past is still present in family memories. There is a big difference between generations. Older generation still remembers communism, which for younger people is history.

How the differences show up in everyday business

1. Trust. Finns come from an environment where people usually want to trust each other from the very beginning, while Poles expect trust to be built over time.
2. Emotions. Poles are more sensitive and have more emotional intelligence, while Finns are more pragmatic and factual. Poles take things more emotionally than Finns.
3. Roles/Titles. Finns are very task oriented, whole Poles are more person oriented and are looking for clear responsibilities and roles. Finns look at performance more than relationships. Titles are more important for Poles.
4. Promises. For Finns, keeping the promises is top of the list. For Poles it often seems to be more optional.
5. Planning. Finns are known to be very punctual and love long term planning, while changes are nor in Poland and Poles are flexible in implementation and finding alternative ways to reach the goal. Poles are persistent in unstable circumstances or turmoil.
6. Decisions. Decision making: Finns typically take more time and careful consideration, while the decision making in Poland is more short term and flexible.
7. Social. Finns are known to be more introverted and less talkative. They talk only when they have something to say and they go straight-to-the-point, while Poles have a broader way of expression. Finns do not show emotions and try to stay calm. Poles might feel that there is something hidden between the lines, which they cannot see. In Poland if you don’t show your emotions people might think you are not committed or not authentic.
8. Relationships. Poles value personal relationships and social networking. For many Poles, it is beyond comprehension that many Finns like to spend their holidays at a summer cottage, as far away as possible from any neighbour. “Polish people think about first people then business, in Finland sometimes it is vice versa”.
9. Transparency. Even though Poles are masters in networking and socialising, sharing information within a team doesn’t always come naturally and wholeheartedly.
10. Politeness. Poles are more formal and polite than Finns in business interaction.  

Poland vs. Finland

Despite certain significant differences Poland and Finland get along really well in business. We have a lot of common history. Being surrounded by larger countries has meant that the only way to grow is to work together and hard. Being a Finnish business in Poland is something positive – Finland and Finns are valued, and Finnish companies are seen as being reliable.

Poland has the drive

Something that is fantastic about Poland is that people have such a strong drive. Polish people like challenges and are very entrepreneurial compared to other European countries. They are ambitious and passionate about success. Poles have a fighting spirit.

My reflections and learnings

After my first visit to Szczecin ~15 years ago a lot of things have changed! There has been a significant evolution in Poland during the past 30 years. And the development and transformation just continues with a pace faster than ever before. I believe that ICT is one of the sectors showing the way for the future.

After several meetings with ICT companies and CEOs in Poland I feel that the companies are very international. Yes, the cultural background with the more hierarchical management models is there, but at the same time I see many younger generation CEOs truly challenging these norms and they are already leading their companies in a more modern people centric and transparent way. Companies are also very ambitious and do business with US customers on a daily basis. This is something where we in Finland could learn from the Polish companies.

The survey in the book was done in 2016 and with companies across all industries. After several discussions about the management and ICT company cultures in Poland I would say that the results would not look the same for the ICT industry today. This industry is already less hierarchic and develops fast. After COVID years ICT industry is getting more and more international all the time. There will be less and less differences in company cultures between countries.

I believe the best companies will have similar cultural elements in the future regardless if we look to Poland or Finland.