Management Styles in the Benelux Countries - Relationship between 16PF®5 Primary Factors, Managerial Level and Income
A population of 500 working people across the Netherlands and Belgium participated in the development of the Dutch 16PF®5 Questionnaire. Information was collected from each of these participants relating to their managerial level, annual salary (for those living in the Netherlands) and household income (for those living in Belgium).
The information gathered has allowed OPP to investigate the relationship between each 16PF factor and the following:
Managerial level for Dutch participants (sample size=300)
Managerial level for Belgian participants (sample size=200)
Household income for Belgian participants (sample size=200)
Annual salary for Dutch participants (sample size=300)
The Dutch on the whole are thought of as being very independent and self-reliant, each maintaining their individuality and values. They are tolerant and open and tend to combine a frank, no-nonsense informality of manner with strict observance of basic etiquette. Innovation and boldness are considered important for survival, but at the same time minimizing risk. Change for its own sake or change that has not been thought through is to be avoided. A strategy has to be qualitatively and conceptually right and not quantified in detail. Careful planning and study is thought to be important and cautious, pragmatic, and step-by-step development favoured.
Dutch people's motivation comes from job satisfaction and the congeniality of the team with whom they work and they value open and transparent communication styles. Cooperation and trust are valued more highly than individual performance, with the importance on attributing success to the team and not to oneself or another individual.
The Belgian culture is a more difficult one to describe with there being distinctive differences across the country depending on the area, Flanders or Wallonia. As a whole the Belgians are seen to be adaptable, flexible, intellectual, assertive and creative with a greater concern to find a solution than to win the argument. In Flanders relationships are quite low key and relaxed and organisational structures are flat and procedures unsophisticated, however, in the other area there is a clear preference for a structured, formal organisation with a clear hierarchical system and a directive style of leadership. Rules and procedures are important and in the main adhered to.
Considering these business cultures, we can now see the links between what behaviours are displayed by successful managers in the Netherlands and Belgium through the 16PF research.
Dutch 16PF® factor correlations with managerial level
The research showed that Dutch participants who were managers closer to the top of the organisational structure tended to have high scores in the following:
Emotional Stability (factor C) indicating that they feel that they rarely meet problems which they can’t cope with, that they usually go to bed at night feeling satisfied with their day, and that they recover from upsets quickly. To others they may appear to be calm and unflappable.
Dominance (factor E) indicating that they enjoy being in a position of influence and are likely to be quite forceful and vocal in expressing their wishes and opinions. They usually hold strong views and are disinclined to defer to views contrary to their own and may expect others to defer to them.
Social Boldness (factor H) indicating that they consider themselves to be bold and adventurous in social groups, and to show little fear of social situations. They tend to initiate social contacts and aren’t shy in the face of new social settings. They will not be easily intimidated and will be very motivated by challenge.
Openness to Change (factor Q1) indicating that they tend to think of ways to improve things and to enjoy experimenting with new ideas. If they perceive the status quo as unsatisfactory or dull, they are inclined to want to change it. They often like to find new and better ways of doing things in contrast to following well-tried ways and may become bored by work that is familiar and routine.
Low scores were reported in the following:
Rule Consciousness (factor G) indicating that they believe that most rules can be broken when good reasons for doing so exist, and that they may feel that being free to do what they want as being more important than good manners and respect for rules. They may feel constrained by rules, but this does not actually mean that they will always break those rules.
Sensitivity (factor I) indicating that they tend to form their understanding on the basis of detached objective analysis and often separate their feelings from the fact. They usually act upon practical, logical evidence and are very solution centred, attaching value to what is tangible, practical and possible.
Apprehension (factor O) indicating that they tend to be more self-assured, neither prone to apprehensiveness nor troubled about their sense of adequacy. They present themselves as confident and self-satisfied and feel worthy of love and self respect.
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Belgian 16PF® factor correlations with managerial level
The research showed that Belgian participants who were managers closer to the top of the organisational structure tended to have high scores in the following:
Warmth (factor A) indicating that they tend to have more interest in people and to prefer occupations dealing with people. They tend to be comfortable in situations which call for closeness with other people and see close personal relationships as an important source of satisfaction.
Emotional Stability (factor C) indicating that they feel that they rarely meet problems which they can’t cope with, that they usually go to bed at night feeling satisfied with their day, and that they recover from upsets quickly. They are probably proactive rather than reactive, resilient and persistent. To others they may appear to be calm and unflappable.
Dominance (factor E) indicating that they enjoy being in a position of influence and are likely to be quite forceful and vocal in expressing their wishes and opinions. They usually hold strong views and are disinclined to defer to views contrary to their own and may expect others to defer to them.
Social Boldness (factor H) indicating that they consider themselves to be bold and adventurous in social groups, and to show little fear of social situations. They tend to initiate social contacts and aren’t shy in the face of new social settings. They will not be easily intimidated and will be very motivated by challenge.
Perfectionism (factor Q3) indicating that they like to adhere to clearly defined personal standards and to do things right in an organised manner. They like to keep things in their proper places and to plan ahead. They may be more comfortable in highly organised and predictable situations and may find it hard to deal with unpredictability.
Low scores were reported on Apprehension (factor O) indicating that they tend to be more self-assured, neither prone to apprehensiveness nor troubled about their sense of adequacy. They usually present themselves as confident and self-satisfied and feel worthy of love and self respect.
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Belgian 16PF® factor correlations with annual family income
Increasing annual family income for Belgian participants was found to be associated with the following high scores:
Reasoning (factor B) which measures ability rather than temperament and is included because of the enormous influence of reasoning ability on behavioural style. (The scale should not be used to replace full-length assessment of ability).
Emotional Stability (factor C) indicating that they feel that they rarely meet problems which they can’t cope with, that they usually go to bed at night feeling satisfied with their day, and that they recover from upsets quickly. They are probably proactive rather than reactive, resilient and persistent. To others they may appear to be calm and unflappable.
Dominance (factor E) indicating that they enjoy being in a position of influence and are likely to be quite forceful and vocal in expressing their wishes and opinions. They usually hold strong views and are disinclined to defer to views contrary to their own and may expect others to defer to them.
Social Boldness (factor H) indicating that they consider themselves to be bold and adventurous in social groups, and to show little fear of social situations. They tend to initiate social contacts and aren’t shy in the face of new social settings. They will not be easily intimidated and will be very motivated by challenge.
Impression Management – this scale reflects socially desirable responses, this can be due to the respondent presenting themselves to others as tending to behave in a desirable way or it may be their self-image as a person who behaves in a desirable way.
Lower scores were reported on Self-Reliance (factor Q2) indicating that they tend to prefer to be around people and like to work within a team. They tend to consult others and like to feel a sense of belonging.
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Dutch 16PF® factor correlations with annual salary
Increasing annual salary of Dutch participants reported higher scores in the following:
Reasoning (factor B) which measures ability rather than temperament and is included because of the enormous influence of reasoning ability on behavioural style. (The scale should not be used to replace full-length assessment of ability).
Emotional Stability (factor C) indicating that they feel that they rarely meet problems which they can’t cope with, that they usually go to bed at night feeling satisfied with their day, and that they recover from upsets quickly. They are probably proactive rather than reactive, resilient and persistent. To others they may appear to be calm and unflappable.
Dominance (factor E) indicating that they enjoy being in a position of influence and are likely to be quite forceful and vocal in expressing their wishes and opinions. They usually hold strong views and are disinclined to defer to views contrary to their own and may expect others to defer to them.
Social Boldness (factor H) indicating that they consider themselves to be bold and adventurous in social groups, and to show little fear of social situations. They tend to initiate social contacts and aren’t shy in the face of new social settings. They will not be easily intimidated and will be very motivated by challenge.
Lower scores were reported on the following factors:
Sensitivity (factor I) indicating that they tend to form their understanding on the basis of detached objective analysis and often separate their feelings from the fact. They usually act upon practical, logical evidence and are very solution centred, attaching value to what is tangible, practical and possible.
Apprehension (factor O) indicating that they tend to be more self-assured, neither prone to apprehensiveness nor troubled about their sense of adequacy. They present themselves as confident and self-satisfied and feel worthy of love and self respect.
In summary, several results for the Dutch sample are comparable to the Belgian sample. This suggests that more senior managerial levels across these Benelux regions are associated with higher Emotional Stability scores (factor C); higher Dominance scores (factor E); higher Social Boldness scores (factor H); and lower Apprehension scores (factor O).
Increasing annual family income in Belgian participants was found to be associated with higher Emotional Stability scores (factor C); higher Dominance scores (factor E); higher Social Boldness scores (factor H); and lower Self-Reliance scores (factor Q2).
Increasing annual salary of Dutch participants was associated with higher Emotional Stability scores (factor C); higher Dominance scores (factor E); higher Social Boldness scores (factor H) and lowers scores on Sensitivity (factor I); and Apprehension (factor O).
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