Job Discussion Forums

[mapache]

Do any of you have some insight and experiences you can share regarding Mexican personnel management style in the schools you work, or have worked for? I would appreciate your help in my data gathering of such anecdotes for a presentation I am preparing for a �prepa� business class comparing such styles between developed and developing nations.

Although Mexican businesses use the name �recursos humanos� my impression is that employees are regarded as a commodity or part of �cost of goods sold� (like raw material instead of valued team members). My experience is that the Mexican model is management by intimidation (blame, guilt, fear) instead of teamwork and mutual success contribution and participation. It seems that one of the detractors of worker productivity is the tendency to �scapegoat� employees (usually on a rotating basis) for the short sightedness of the employer or owner. This is combined with a �good guy/bad guy� strategy with a sympathetic coordinator playing the role of the �poor me� good guy trying to do his or her best under the thumb of an oppressive owner.

Here are my anecdotes to support my theory:

One school owner had been using the same tape players for ten years. Combined with being continually clogged with chalk dust (she wouldn�t upgrade to white boards) these players were simply worn out and had to be repaired often. Instead of buying new ones or upgrading to CDs, she blamed the teachers for deliberately breaking them, berating them for periods of up to 30 minutes in her office or in front of the students, other teachers or parents.

The same owner had a huge turnover of foreign teachers (8 in an 11 month period). When one of the foreign teachers suggested she encourage the foreigners when they did well instead of constant criticism, she replied she didn�t want any suggestions from foreigners, that Mexican teachers appreciated their jobs there and that if she offered compliments, teacher performance and discipline would drop.

At a �fresa� (rich kid) school, discipline was such a severe problem that teachers could not teach for the interruptions. The students used their rich parents as levers against the principals and teachers. The administration, fearing drop outs, always sided with the students and blamed the teachers for the situation.

At another school, the owner blamed the teachers for a high drop out rate. The students, in their surveys, complained mostly about broken air conditioners (he advertised air conditioned classrooms), dirty classrooms and toilets, no water, and no toilet paper.

Could one of the differences between developing and developed countries be how employers treat their employees? The owners above all rebutted that the Mexican teachers never complained about the aforementioned situations and were just happy to have jobs � what was wrong with the foreigners? I would appreciate your opinions, experiences and feedback. Thank you.

[Guy Courchesne]

Do you have examples that are outside private education? Are you talking about management styles between developed and developing nations as a whole, or just a few Mexican examples related to a few language schools?

[mapache]

Guy,
My only experience (and I guess the only experience of most of the readers of this forum) in working in a developing country is with private school employers. I would like to expand this study to other fields and other countries but need to start somewhere so I chose this forum to solicit comments. I don't plan to quote the responses directly but to summarise / tabulate the responses for the presentation. Thanks for your reply

[Ben Round de Bloc]

Mapache, based on personal experiences and observations, I can't disagree with much of anything in your original post.

I believe that many Mexicans in management positions are extremely insecure. Since so many get their positions via connections rather than qualificaitons and ability, it's probably a justified insecurity.

Additionally, Mexicans in power positions of any kind seem to have a need to remind everyone below them that they do have that power. Many of their decisions are made simply to show that they have the power to make those decisions, not because those decisions are of benefit to anyone.

Another point, it seems to me that many Mexicans see showing respect to the boss to be something automatic and constant, not something that the boss needs to earn and maintain. Blatantly sucking up to the boss is seen as an acceptable thing here.

Still another point, people want to climb the ladder to more powerful positions because in those positions they have less work and less responsibility than people working in lower positions. If something goes right, they readily take credit for it. If something goes wrong, they have people below them to blame. (I realize this take-credit/blame-someone-else thing may be somewhat universal, but it seems extremely common here.)

In the university department of foreign languages where I work, the person in the top position has the title of department co-ordinator. During the 10+ years that I have worked there, there have been four different co-ordinators, all of them Mexican. Not one of them has been what I would call a co-ordinator. A more appropriate title would be something like dictator, someone whose decisions and policies are not to be questioned or challenged.

[Guy Courchesne]

It will be interesting to hear what you come up with. What would you think about posing the question in the General Discussion forum? That might bring out responses from teachers to compare other developing countries with other developed countries. While I have very little experience in this field, at least in the very broad sense of 'management style' in developing or developed countries, I think it hard to pigeonhole Mexico into either developed or developing as a category in this respect.

I would think that Mexican managerial style must be closer to that of the US, than to that of say, Syrian style, given the close connection within NAFTA and the dominance of US industry here. I would also think that Mexican managerial style extends from a blend of both Spanish historical influence and even indigenous styles, though all of that must vary around Mexico.

There are several archetypes at play in Mexico, historically. I think the most important is the caudillo, or Arabic/Iberian father-like figure as the center of the family, the political party, and I would think, the company or business....a figure also represented in Aztec society (though not necessarily in other areas of Mexico). The particular blend of characters unique to Mexico may not help to show this country in the catchall of 'developing' nations.

Of course, that's probably far too deep a look than what you plan to do with the prepa kids. My guess is that you'd rather hold up a developed nation model (which one, by the way? US? French?) and pick out some examples in developing nations that stand in contrast to it.

Please don't take my post as criticism. I think it an interesting topic and wonder how far you could take it.

Someone PMed me awhile ago asking about the 'normalcy' in Mexico of a relationship issue this teacher was experiencing in a small language school run by a Mexican woman. The experiences she related seemed to me to be that of a family, rather than that of a business, and hit upon the caudillo character (despite this being a matriarchal thing). I found it to be an interesting insight into the topic you are discussing as well as for being a comparison of cultural expectations between two people of different nationalities.

[Polly0607]

I have to agree with Ben on this one. Mexican administrators often do not have the qualifications for their jobs. At my school, one of our department heads never even finished his undergrad, when he is surrounded with teachers with Masters degrees. They are so scared of losing the position they have, they will find ways to underhandedly hurt the up and comers.

Most people in Mexico get their jobs (the good jobs usually) through "palancas" or "pulling strings". I make my work decisions according to what I consider universal ethics and not just to suck up to my superiors. That has caused me a lot of trouble. I am told by many that this is similar in all schools and jobs in general in Mexico. I guess I will have to go into business for myself!

By the way, my school is in that category of those so worried about keeping students, we can't punish them. The situation is getting out of control.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[MELEE]

[gordogringo]

A big problem I see in Mexican management philosophy is they cannot begin to grasp the concept of spending money to make money.Thier inherent desire to be cheap inhibits thier ability to keep classrooms and facilities up to date.I meet with local business leaders of all types for lunch once a week to practice my Spanish and keep up on local affairs.When discussing employee management techniques and retention tools I was scolded for saying at the end of the year I divide 20% of my profits amongst all staff equally.They say I am spoiling them.Wasting money.They go through employees like water thru the tap.I did'nt have to hire anyone new this year and only lost two students.Who is doing better?

Another odd behavior to me is they like employees to be seen but not heard.Background fixtures.I encourage teachers to be stars.Be a draw.I want new students to request a particular teacher as thier friends say that teacher is best.Cuts my ad costs to almost nothing.I view staff as talent.Like actors in a movie.People come to utilize thier talents and enjoy thier services.Not to be wooed by a salesman.

Sexism is also an issue.Thier appears to be little or no sexual harassment laws as office staff that came from other schools have told me of rude remarks and behavior by Mexican male teachers and bosses.When I tell them of my all gringo teaching staff they appear extremely relieved.Have never been able to discuss this topic with my lunch friends as I am afraid the guys would be offended.

Good luck in your research.I like to think the US alternative management structure is better but that is just my humble opinion.It should be interesting research.