Working Culture: Israel vs The Netherlands

Work culture is a concept that studies the beliefs, thought processes, attitude of employees, ideologies and principles of an organisation. The way employees interact with each other and the way the organisation functions like a clockwork relies on the work culture. Think of the ambience and the mentality of the employees and the workspace. A healthy work culture leads to satisfied employees and an increased productivity. Some of the characteristics of a healthy work culture are employees must be cordial with each other, each employee should be treated as one, appreciating the top performers is important, encouraging discussions at the workplace, organisation must have employee friendly policies and practical  guidelines, promote team building activities to bind the employees together (Work Culture - Meaning, Importance & Characterics of a Healthy Culture, n.d.).

Growing up in Israel, moving to the Netherlands at age 15 and working in both countries continuously, showed me the importance of culture in business. Experiencing both cultures from a native point of view caused my curiosity to grow quickly. How do these two cultures defer? The model of culture will analyse a few aspects of the cultures.

Israel work culture

Time focus: Israeli culture is a polychronic culture. The culture is very relationship-oriented. In Israel, open feelings and warm, honest emotions are primary. On the other side, efficiency, planning and objectives are secondary (Maavarim Transitions and Resources Ltd., n.d.).

Power: Israeli culture is a mix of hierarchy and equality. The atmosphere is formal, yet pleasant and friendly at a n interpersonal level. There is a hierarchal management structure but it isn't followed strictly. Decisions are made during staff or work team meetings depending on importance and everyone has the right to express or question as meetings usually take the form of open discussions. Employees can even suggest ideas or even complain. Unofficial communication is also widely encouraged (Patel, 2022).

Structure: Israeli society is a blend of individualistic and collectivist cultures. Both values coexist without stepping on each other's toes. Thanks to this balance, the expression of differentiation and group belonging can take place simultaneously (Arieli, 2017).

Communication: In the Israeli culture communication is high context, interaction among colleagues is very open, direct and spontaneous. Israelis aren't used to formalities, using understatements or speaking about issues indirectly (Patel, 2022). 

The Netherlands work culture

Time focus: The Netherlands is a monochronic culture. The Dutch put a true value in appointments. One shall never be late, but preferably early. Events have a start and end time. For the Dutch, a polychronic approach is frustrating because it very ineffective (Bilal-Caljouw, 2020).

Power: The Netherlands culture is an equality culture. The openness and equality of Dutch society is reflected in the corporate culture. The hierarchy is often horizontal, meaning that individual employees and executives are considered part of the team. It is normal to address all your colleagues by their first names without being considered disrespectful (Holland, 2021).

Structure: The Dutch culture is a very individualistic society. In the workplace, the employer/ employee relationship is based on contract and mutual benefit. Managers manage individuals and promotions and hiring should be merit-based (Business Culture Netherlands| Doing Business Netherlands, n.d.).

Communication: The Netherlands is a (very) low-context culture. Information is shared explicitly, with much less importance placed upon non verbal elements. communication is seen as a way of exchanging ideas, information and opinions. So, the choice of words, conciseness and clarity is of utmost importance to do that effectively (Bogué, 2021).

Personal reflection 

Working in both cultures I learned to like and dislike some aspects of the working culture. As I originally come from Israel, the Israeli culture is of course rooted in me so I am very influenced by it. But, seeing how the Dutch work opened my eyes to some aspects the Israelis do, in my opinion, wrong. Looking at the big picture, the workspace, the communication between colleagues and the systems used, Israel is very 'messy'. There is no structure, a lot of tasks are being improvised and your colleagues are like your best friends which can create problems sometimes. Everything is very informal. The Dutch on the other hand are very organised and structured. Everything takes more time of course but all information is traceable and efficient. 

I have thought about this a lot and couldn't grasp the why. But then it hit me. That is what makes the difference in those cultures. What makes the Israeli culture is the chaos and freedom. What makes the Dutch is the structure and individualism. The inability to be structured and organised like the Dutch comes from the openness and warmness of the Israelis and other way around. The fact that the Dutch are cold and individualistic results in the fact that work comes before relationships means its important to have structure and organisation rather than invest in the interpersonal relations of the workspace environment. For example, in The Netherlands, being late is a big deal. Companies send briefing to all employees about time management and the consequences of those who disobey. In Israel, managers are late themselves. Israelis just have less importance in time compared to the Dutch. Dutch would schedule meetings from 12:15 to 12:45 and in Israel my boss will invite me to a meeting with a starting time and an open end.

References

Bilal-Caljouw, V. A. P. B. E. (2020, August 24). The Netherlands, a hard nut to crack. Dialogue With the Dutch. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://dialoguewiththedutch.com/2020/08/20/the-netherlands-a-hard-nut-to-crack/

Bogué, J. (2021, May 21). Communication breakdown: understanding the Dutch approach to conversation. DutchReview. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://dutchreview.com/culture/communication-breakdown-understanding-the-dutch-approach-to-conversation/

Business Culture Netherlands| Doing Business Netherlands. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://platform.globig.co/knowledgebase/NL/doing-business-in-the-netherlands/netherlands-business-culture

Holland, T. I. (2021, December 2). Understanding the Dutch corporate culture - TOSS in Holland. TOSS. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://tossinholland.com/understanding-the-dutch-corporate-culture/

Arieli, I. (2017). In Israel, individualism and collectivism happily coexist. (2017, July 12). ISRAEL21c. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.israel21c.org/in-israel-individualism-and-collectivism-happily-coexist/

Maavarim Transitions and Resources Ltd. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.maavarim.biz/workculture.html

Patel, D. (2022, June 27). Here’s What Makes Israeli Work Culture Different From The Rest. ThinkRight.me. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.thinkrightme.com/heres-what-makes-israeli-work-culture-different-from-the-rest/

Work Culture - Meaning, Importance & Characterics of a Healthy Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.managementstudyguide.com/work-culture.htm