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Stories
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You can try to figure out what dimensions of culture
could be implicated in these stories. |
Coffee or compete?
I got this story in 2010 from Wasma Al-Husainy
from Jordan, PhD Toxicology at Wageningen
University, the Netherlands.
"The most striking thing I came
across during my student life in the Netherlands was when I had to postpone
an exam because I hadn’t studied enough and I was afraid of passing the exam
with a six grade (where 1 = worthless,5 = fail, 6 = minimal pass, 10 =
outstanding). This was perceived by my Dutch friends as pure stupidity and
nonsense. Having an eight or nine was not considered as necessary or even
‘exceptional’ by them. Most Dutch students were more than satisfied with a
six grade, unlike most of the non-Dutch students who consider a six grade as
a sign of failure.
One of the distinguishing features
that you spot instantly when you interact with the
Dutch community on a professional level is the lack
of a competitive mentality and behaviour. On the
contrary, the environment is remarkably relaxed. The
most notable example is when most work activities
stop at six o'clock and diminish at weekends. The
rhythm of the surrounding environment can get
extremely slow, sometimes to an extent that is very
boring and frustrating and hence not motivating.
Things can even get irritating, especially when you
realize that being highly competitive or dynamic is
not appreciated by the society. Missing the coffee
breaks, for example, because you prioritize work
duties is not appreciated or even accepted. In a
country like Jordan, where I am from, individuals
are raised to be the best in all aspects to gain
more social respect. If you ask any kid about their
future career the answer will definitely be either
medicine or engineering simply because the society
respects certain positions more than others. Of
course this results in more pressure on individuals
to meet the high standards. It is different in Dutch
society where you find people are satisfied about
being adequately good but not necessarily the best.
You can appreciate this phenomenon in
Dutch community if you analyse the underlying social
and cultural causes. Eager competition is seen in
societies where less social justice exists because
if you are not competitive enough it will be
difficult to survive, whereas in a country like the
Netherlands all citizens can be assured of a
sufficient life quality even if you are not working
at all, and thus there is less motivation for
competition. This also manifests itself through
another social phenomenon: no hierarchy whatsoever
exists in Dutch society. Not only this, but it also
wipes out the necessity for a showing-off attitude
which is more evident in other cultures where
individuals tend to boast about their success and
belongings because the society appreciates and
admires the more competent individuals in terms of
career position and wealth. This of course doesn't
mean that there is no space for competitive people
in Dutch society. Actually it is more enjoyable to
be competitive in such a society because you are
given the choice to be or not to be competitive and
you can guarantee respect and acceptance whatever
your choice is."
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Long term orientation: Planning?
A Dutch firm were planning a trip to China six
months in advance. They contacted one Chinese firm. The Chinese replied "it
is too early to plan; can you call back in five months?" Five months later
the date was arranged. On the planned day, when the Dutch presented
themselves, it turned out that another, more important visitor was keeping
the Chinese contact persons busy.
Moral: "long term orientation" is not the same
thing as planning. In China, vision is on the long term, but planning is
fluid until the end, because the Boss is in charge, not the plan. To the
Dutch, once it has been agreed upon the plan is more powerful than any boss, so it has to be kept.
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Nice luggage room
I was due for a lecture in the South of France, and wanted to leave my
luggage at Nice airport to walk around the city before travelling on.
There were no self-service luggage lockets, but there was a luggage
deposit counter. After a lot of waiting and a trip back to the airline
counter for another ticket, my luggage was re-checked and found
unsuitable for storing: it contained a Dangerous Electrical Device - my
old shaver. So I took my bag with me on the Nice city trip.
The
bureaucratic logic that leads to these frustrating experiences is
typical for countries where organizations are hierarchies. The customer is
not part of the hierarchy and largely irrelevant for the logic of
organizational decisions. Large power distance and uncertainty avoidance are
the cultural ingredients. |
Lovely teachers
Exam time in December, a few years ago. I was correcting the work of the university students who
had failed the first exam and who had had to re-sit (you always get
another chance, and another, in the feminine culture of the Netherlands -
quite frustrating for teachers, who end up spending much of their time
on creating re-exams for the worst students). Then one girl, a
Chinese, broke into my room with a Christmas card. It contained a romantic poem in
which she declared her love for teachers "...because they are so
lovely...". A veiled declaration of love? Bribery? No, a way of saying "I
respect you and I'm nice to you, and could you please be nice in return by not failing me
again?" Happily, she just passed - because a Dutch professor cannot
afford to give favours even to the nicest of students. The rules should
be the same for all. |
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Worker satisfaction
At my University, the Board has taken to administering worker
satisfaction questionnaires every two years. There has been quite some
organizational re-shuffling, and even some layoffs recently. On the whole
the personnel indicate that while they are happy with their job, they are
not satisfied with the management and with the bureaucracy. For a Dutch
organization in these circumstances, blame being shifted upwards, this is
what you'd expect from a worker satisfaction survey. Mind you, I feel the
same way myself. Unquestioning loyalty to the boss is not a Dutch specialty.
My Chinese colleague had read this result, and at coffee time he asked
me: "How can these people know that the Board are doing a bad job?" I
replied, "Good question". He then said "This year I saw many new students.
More than last year. So I think that they are doing a good job".
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Dealing with insults
This is a true story told to me by a neighbour,
Hans, a gentle retired Dutch specialist in plant diseases. He once worked for a
multinational in insecticides. One of his bosses was a really bad piece of
work, one of those guys who can spoil the lives of many colleagues. Let's call him Tony. Once, Tony asked to play tennis with my friend,
as expats in tropical countries did. Tony was no good but bragged that since
he was younger, he would soon become better than Hans. So far, no news: many
managers live by this kind of one-upmanship. But Tony went much, much
further. He asked laboratories for research protocols to test pesticides and
when he had gotten their protocols he said thanks and goodbye - which gave
him a free protocol, something to brag about and a new enemy. He reputedly
even divorced his wife because she would not abide by the frequency of
intercourse fixed in the marriage contract.
One day, Tony went to speak to a French crop
specialist and colleague, whom he insulted in every possible manner in his
Paris office. What Tony did not know is that the Frenchman, Thierry, had been a professional boxer. What would you do
if you were Thierry? Thierry simply took Tony by the collar, deposed him
outside, and closed the door on him.
Morale: This is about honour. The French have a
saying: 'toute insulte ne déshonore que son auteur' - in this case Thierry
did not want to descend to Tony's level of dishonour.
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Many more stories from various countries can be
found in my book Exploring Culture. |
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