Background.
The Netherlands has long been one of the world's great trading nations and at the beginning of the 21st century this position shows no sign of being eroded - in fact about 50% of all trucks in Europe are Dutch and Rotterdam remains Germany's main port of entry. This historical internationalism, epitomised by the early predominance of the Dutch East India Company, accounts in no small measure for the large number of MNCs (Unilever, Shell, Philips etc.) to be found in a country with such a relatively small population of 15.7million.
Therefore, The Netherlands with few natural resources (other than natural gas and some coal) is a value-add economy, which takes in goods and re-exports them at a profit. It could be said that the Dutch have been making something from nothing for many centuries and nowhere can this ingenuity be better seen than in the approach to flood defence and land reclamation.
These historical factors have greatly influenced Dutch mentality and produced a society that is on the one hand progressive and modern and on the other hand staunchly conservative in thinking. Change will be implemented when it is necessary and when it has been proved to be necessary - however unless the case is well made, extensively discussed and openly agreed upon, any change could have a disastrous result. (Act in haste and your feet might get wet!)
Management Style.
It has been said that the Netherlands is the only country in which the manager is not the boss and this apparent egalitarian approach fits very well with Dutch company structures which have traditionally been amongst the flattest in Europe. Therefore, the manager in the Netherlands will rarely take an authoritarian approach to the team, preferring to be seen as the colleague who has most influence rather than as the ultimate arbiter on all decisions. This does not mean that the boss is powerless or that the bosses thoughts hold no sway. It is more that the influence and control are subtler than in some other countries.
Communication is expected to be fairly open and transparent. Any unwillingness to share with colleagues could be seen as devious and underhand - charges to be avoided at all cost in the Netherlands. A boss expects input from all team members and must show equal respect for all ideas.
Meetings. Meetings in the Netherlands are forums for debating issues in a full and frank manner where everybody is expected to contribute and everybody expects to be listened to. The purpose of the meeting is to move towards a commonly agreed approach which can then be implemented.
Team work.
Business relationships in the Netherlands are informal with first name terms being generally used. Everybody in the team has seemingly similar status and to pretend to be somebody special will result in problems with other members of the team. When success is achieved, it is important that the success is attributed to the team rather than assumed by any of the individuals within the team.
It is important to be seen by others in the team as professional and diligent - and an important element of this is to be thought of as someone who will honour commitments of whatever nature or size.
Communication style.
Respect is shown through speaking one's mind and being direct. Little respect is given to those who appear devious or underhand in what they are saying. This directness of approach can sometimes be misconstrued as aggression or even rudeness - but is, rather, a useful tool for enabling the meeting to reach an agreed solution.
It is important to appear unpretentious. Whatever you are, do not think of yourself as something special. Therefore self-promotion of the type that might be found in the USA is seen as being distasteful and will probably be thought of as arrogant.
Dress code.
Dress is somewhat informal in comparison with countries such as the UK or Japan. To some extent, dress code is determined by industrial sector. The more conservative areas such as banking tend to veer towards suit and tie whilst the newer industries take a more casual approach. Even the sectors with a more casual approach, such as the agricultural sector would, however, remain fairly smart. As the Netherlands suffers from a fairly heavy average rainfall figure, umbrellas and raincoats are often necessary.
Entertaining and Etiquette.
Who pays? This can be somewhat complicated but basically, the Dutch will make it clear that you are their guest if they intend to pay the bill - otherwise expect to "go Dutch" and pay your fair share. People tend not to be embarrassed at splitting a bill.
Punctuality is important in the Netherlands so try to arrive on time. It is acceptable to discuss business matters during mealtimes and as at all other times to be open and frank about your own views - this approach gains you respect.
Dutch table etiquette is relatively formal. Everything seems to be eaten with a knife and fork and the eating utensils are used in the European fashion rather than in the North American way. This means that both knife and fork are used throughout the meal.
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Source: www.worldbusinessculture.com
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