Читать книгу Cultural Reflection in Management - Lukasz Sulkowski - Страница 28

Individualism means putting the value of an individual before the interests of a social group. This is related to striving for the freedom of individuals and a ←71 | 72→belief that individual interests are most important. According to this belief, organisations should focus on the motives and competences of individuals, rather than teams. Fulfilling individual interests can lead to organisational success, as this favours rivalries and competitive attitudes, as well as nonconformist behaviour. An organisation is perceived as a group of individuals who have conflicting interests. S. Lukes emphasises the following basic elements of individualism: human dignity, self-determination and the autonomy of individuals, respect for privacy and the possibility to fulfil oneself¹¹⁹. In organisations, individualism is manifested by: (1) treating individual freedom as the priority value, (2) the acceptance of individual attempts at independence, (3) a preference for individual interests, (4) orientation towards rivalries and (5) creating the cult of personality (lone heroes or charismatic leaders). Individualism in an organisation may be determined with the use of the following methodological indicators¹²⁰:

• Individual interests are more important than the interests of the organisation,

• The organisation is a group of individuals who have different interests,

• Rivalry between employees is indispensable,

• The organisation is based on eminent individuals,

• Interests of the organisation and individuals diverge,

• The organisation functions thanks to the freedom of individuals,