Issues & Background - Time

Potential Issues

At the moment the British culture shares most of its values and beliefs with cultures that appreciates the past and present. This means that the potential for problems predominantly exist when the British interact with future oriented cultures.

An example of this could be when foreigners are hired by British managers. Whilst a potential employee in future oriented cultures will focus on how he or she can contribute to the company, a traditional British manager is likely to focus more on the candidate’s credentials and educational background.

Another example could be, that whilst British companies like to be inspired by the faster moving future oriented management cultures, they prefer integrating new management methods in a modest pace that creates less chances for failure (and competitive gain).

Background

To summarise why the British culture developed in this particular direction we can once again find hints in its history.

The class society

One of the groups that traditionally held the British orientation towards the past was the ruling class who like the stability of a society that does not change too fast. The ruling class in the UK traditionally consisted of the Monarchy and the Nobles, and in modern time it was represented by factory and landowners.