Suzanne Peck, CiB chairman

Marseille or Morecambe? Let the extrovert in you free!

A recent study examined how the commitment of employees could be dictated by their country of birth. And it proved interesting reading.

The report by Cass Business School says that extrovert cultures breed more committed employees. It examined organisational commitment in 49 countries and found that Brazil, Israel and Cyprus had the most committed employees.

At the other end of the scale, while the presence of Russia as one of the three countries with the least committed employees might not be a surprise, the fact that Japan and Hong Kong are the other two certainly was.

The UK was ranked just 34^th. Australia, the Netherlands and Switzerland had the happiest workforces, while Latvia, Bulgaria and the Russian Federation were the least happy.

The study says that commitment is high in countries where the population is 'extrovert', and low in countries where the population is 'neurotic' - that is, more prone to negative tendencies.

Now, I’ve just returned from a holiday in France, sharing pleasantries, space and drinks with a pretty eclectic mix of Earth-dwellers.

I would say that the Dutch and Australians exuded bonhomie; the Belgians were in abundance and looked jolly on their cycles even when labouring up Mont Ventoux; the French and Germans appeared relatively carefree, although the latter always seemed to be attached to either a laptop, a mobile or both; and the Italians, Swiss and Canadians looked generally delighted with life.

By contrast, the few Brits we saw could be spotted a mile off – him looking hot and cross; her looking harassed; kids looking bored. In Avignon, we stood aside to let a large party of Japanese go by in the majestic Palais de Papes, a world heritage site – not a smile among them.

On the atmospheric island of Chateau D’If - the legendary prison that inspired Dumas to write The Count of Monte Cristo - as a couple from Halifax looked back across the sea to Marseille impressive and shimmering in the heat, I heard her say ‘It’s not a patch on Morecambe Bay.’

So, this notion of ‘extrovert’ and ‘neurotic’ populations could ring true. Holidays are false environments I know, but can Britain be described as having a naturally ‘extrovert culture’?

I’m sure that there are some bloody-minded Brazilians and anxious Australians in existence, but their general joie-de-vivre seems to be a national pastime even when they aren’t on holiday.

It could just be my holiday attitude lingering, but now the suitcase is packed away and work begins again, I’m determined not to let my good mood fade as quickly as my tan.

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