Data of Sigutė Seemann (Lindorff)

Question Findings

GM attributes and behavior

Nationality Lithuanian

What was your work experience before taking this position?

Sigutė Seemann has a vast experience having held senior management positions in international banks (French, Finnish and German) in Lithuania. Sigutė Seemann had joined Lindorff Lietuva in 2006.

Could you tell how your previous work experience influences your daily work in this company?

In general it helped to enhance leadership attributes.

For expatriate: Do you have a family?

What about your spouse adaptation? Does she/he know local language? What was the impact of you becoming a general manager of this company on your family life?

Do you know Lithuanian/Norwegian language? Are you going to learn? Who is financially responsible for your language course?

Sigutė Seemann said she does not speak Norwegian.

Since Lindorff has 11 more units in all the Europe, the corporate language is English and to learn Norwegian is not necessary.

What is your international experience?

How your international experience influences your daily work in this company? Does it help? In which cases?

Besides of working many years in the international banks, Sigutė Seeman also has been studying in Denmark and Switzerland. It helped to gain higher awareness about different cultures.

Organizational Culture

How often do you have meetings with your subordinates? Who participate in these meetings (all company’s

In Lindorff employees have regular short weekly meetings. However, as Sigutė Seemann noted, the company is relatively small so the communication in

Appendix 7

employees or merely top managers)? order to exchange information is going every day without planned meetings. In addition, if the company runs a new project, there are more unplanned meetings at that time.

What is your role in a meeting? How do you give instructions (level of freedom given)? Do you share your ideas? Do you intend to listen to other opinions?

Sigutė Seemann leads the meetings, but it is based on sharing ideas and all employees are expected to involve.

How do you make decisions? How often do you decide entirely yourself?

How often others can contribute to decision making? Who are usually those employees – senior managers or others?

In decision making there is no one way. It depends on the decision itself, the more important it is, more often it is made individually by Sigutė Seemann. In daily routines, employees are delegated to take decisions under their respinsibility level.

Is your door open for everyone in the company? How do you communicate with your subordinates? Do you consult your subordinates often in daily routines? What is the practice in your company when the subordinates have a request or need consultancy from top management: do they have to contact firstly senior managers or they can directly contact you?

Sigutė Seemann expressed that her door is always open for employees to consult. However she expects that coming with the problem the person would be prepared the possible solutions as well.

Regarding the communication, it is a balance subordinates to follow instructions obediently? Is there a level of

In general all employees are required to follow instructions. As Sigutė Seemann said, sometimes it can be situations where the person needs to take the

flexibility in terms of opposing rules?

In which situations?

decision right now.

Do you feel often stressful or tense at work?

Sometimes.

How important is team work in this company? How often tasks are conducted cooperatively?

Team work in Lindorff is very important. Since the company is relatively small (37 employees), everyone needs to cooperate, support each others work and solve arising problems together.

What kind of motivation initiatives is used? Do you provide your subordinates with training?

The motivation initiatives are financial ones and emotional reffering to good working environment.

There are various types of trainnings in Lindorff.

According different employees position there are leadership, sales and technical trainnings. place. The company has big annual social events in winter and summer time, also organizing sport attractions.

How is it important for your company to be socially responsible?

It is considered as very important in Lindorff. All company’s employees contribute of keeping social solidarity: visiting and supporting orphans, help to recreate nature by planting trees and collecting rubbish from litter surroundings in initiative called DAROM.

How is it important to keep work and life balance of your employees in the company?

Sigutė Seemann shared she has a very favorable position in terms of keeping family and work balance. Working parents can take flexible working hours.

Agency Problem

Do you see cultural distance between you and headquarters? Does it make

Sigutė Seemann said that she does not see any cultural distance. As the main reason she stated out

Appendix 7 any impact on your communication?

Have you experienced any misunderstandings? What do you think helps you to build common understanding and trust between you and headquarters?

that for 15 years her direct chiefs are foreigners, and she can keep very good communication. In order to build common understanding it helps personal attributes and favorable approach.

How often do you meet with headquarters? Do you go to visit them or they come to Lithuania? When you was appointed as general manager, did you receive any trainings? What type of trainings? Regarding the trainings you receive for leaders, do you follow Norwegian management style or you adopt according to local practice?

Sigutė Seemann has video conference with CEO and general managers of all Lindorff units In every 4 month. In addition, CEO of Lindorff comes to visit Lithuanian subsidiary at least once per year.

Regarding the training, Sigutė Seemann noted that there was no special training when she started working as general manager. However, there were informational visits to headquarters, which are organized and now.

What is the role of this subsidiary for the whole company? Do you produce final or semi-finished products? Are there any other subsidiaries producing the same products for the same markets (the same supply chain)?

Lithuanian unit is one of 11 Lindorff units throughout the Europe. Lithuanian unit brings comparatively small market share regarding the units in bigger countries such as Germany or Spain.

However, as Sigutė Semann noted, all units have equal rights and appreciation from headquarters.

How flexible you can be in the process of reaching settled targets?

Have you experienced any disagreement between you and headquarters in terms of targets, goals, decision, values, etc.?

Sigutė Seemann voiced she did not experience any disagreement between headquarters. The financial targets are set up by headquarters, but she can choose her way to reach them as long as it goes along company’s policy.