Russians in the motor industry

[bosscerbera]

This month's BusinessF1 Magazine said:

There is deep frustration at the Midland Jordan team now that the season has ended. The brain-drain of talent continues out of the factory. Alex Shnaider is increasingly hands-on in the team and people who work there are seeing that he has zero aptitude for running a Formula One team. One insider said: “When it comes to modern business and marketing he has no feel at all.” An external person, but someone close to the team, agrees: “The east Europeans do not understand professional marketing. Whenever it is not a dull business-to-business subject that he has cut his teeth on, he is no good at it, and does not listen because he doesn’t understand what is being said.” People at the team are continually frustrated by the close bond between Colin Kolles and Shnaider. Whilst Shnaider refuses to do anything about the obvious problems with the management he has appointed, it is all going to end in tears sooner or later. Senior personnel, what’s left of them, at the Jordan factory in Silverstone have invented a new style of management which they say aptly describes their current fate: “Management by rhinoceros.” When questioned as to what management by rhinoceros is, their unofficial spokesman replied: “Head under water waiting until the storm has passed.” The storm apparently is the management reign of Colin Kolles. The staff believe that Alex Shnaider has to make a change, as a current staffer says: “The instinctive loyalty that Alex gives to a guy who is extremely loyal to him means I am pessimistic about performance on the track and performance commercially. I wonder why Alex doesn’t wake up. Alex only listens to people with lots of noughts on the end of their bank accounts.” Be he added quickly: “Look, Alex is not a bad guy, he just doesn’t have the know-how. It is not evident what his skill is.”

>> Edited by bosscerbera on Monday 7th November 22:32

[speed8]

Not just Russians and motors.
Eastern Europeans and football.

bbc said:

Hearts in turmoil as duo depart Hearts are facing yet more upheaval after chairman George Foulkes and chief executive Phil Anderton both dramatically left the club on Monday. Foulkes resigned from his position and did so, he has revealed, in direct protest at the Tynecastle club's decision to sack Anderton. Their departures come less than two weeks after manager George Burley left. A statement confirmed Roman Romanov, son of majority shareholder Vladimir, will replace Foulkes as chairman. He will also assume the title of chief executive "on a temporary basis... pending a further appointment". According to the statement, which was issued to the Stock Exchange, Anderton has "ceased to be" a director and the chief executive, while Foulkes has resigned. Foulkes said he had become "totally disillusioned" with Lithuanian Vladimir Romanov and the way decisions were being made at the club. "I'm devastated at the way in which some of my colleagues on the board took a decision against my advice to sack Phil Anderton as chief executive," he said. "I was unhappy last week about the sacking of George Burley but we got bounced into it and we had to go along with it. "And this weekend we get another situation where all weekend we've had the Lithuanians trying to twist my arm into going along with the sacking of Phil Anderton. "I just don't want to be part of that. I just find the ruthlessness unacceptable." The departure of the club's two senior officials is the latest twist in a turbulent 10 days for the club since manager George Burley left citing "irreconcilable differences" with the Tynecastle board. Indeed, the pair had been heading up the search for Burley's replacement. Burley was reportedly upset with the interference from Romanov, who launched a bid to take full control of the club the day before Burley's departure.

Top of the league, unbeaten, manager get fired and the chairman and chief executive follow shortly after.

Not my team but a strange set of affairs.

[t1grm]

I assume this is because the managers are used to a much more authoritarian kind of management where people do as they are told and don't question management decisions in Russia and Eastern Europe. I guess many workers are working for the same companies and immediate managers as they were under the communist era and so the same management culture still prevails. Transplanting that management style to a company built up in a western capitalist democracy is always going to end in tears.