benefit from Four Seasons' approach to global management
when entering countries with distinct, intense
national cultures. To do so they must understand their
own organizational culture: What are their (1) underlying
assumptions, (2) values, (3) employee perceptions of
management practices (policies and behaviors), and (4)
cultural artifacts? Managers must then ask what elements
of their culture are essential to competitive advantage
in existing environments, and how the new
envirormient will change that linkage. When there is a
change, does the element of culture itself need to
change (coffee pot no longer left on the table), or does
the way the element is implemented, the way a value
is enacted, need to change, such as the implementation
"on tip toes" of cm employee-of-the-month recognition
program. In general, vaJues core to (he organization's "value proposition" (what customers receive from the discovered after opening Euro Disney in France. The
firm relative to what they pay for it) will not change, but Four Seasons case study is a single case, based on a
elements of how they are enacted may.