Culture Clash
Culture Clash
American workaholics
can be baffled by
other cultures'Three countries in five days. I think I can do it!" Greg Randall said to himself as he waited at the airport in Frankfort, Germany. Greg represented a sporting goods manufacturer and had recently negotiated contracts at two department stores in Paris. After Frankfort he was scheduled for meetings in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Greg was from Chicago and was one of the most successful salespeople in his company.
Greg was scheduled to meet with Jan De Jong about an hour after his scheduled arrival in Amsterdam. Due to a plane delay, he did not arrive until 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. He hoped Jan would still be at his office phone, but this was not the case. He called Jan at home to schedule a meeting for Saturday, pointing out that it should take only about one-half hour to finalize the deal. Jan said that he could not meet since he promised to take his two pre-teenage children to the zoo on Saturday. Greg was upset that he would have to stay in Amsterdam until Monday.
Greg has encountered differences in the cultural emphasis on the quantity versus the quality of life. In some cultures, career success is measured by the quantity of outcomes such as salary, number of contracts signed and the number of promotions received by a certain age. In other cultures, judgments of success include additional outcomes such as time spent with family, the nurturance of hobbies and sensitivity to the needs of other people. In the Netherlands, people emphasize these types of quality issues. Jan has promised a weekend outing with his children. This is a commitment that Greg should respect.
What might Greg do? He could go to the zoo with Jan and his family. He might find a half-hour time slot, while the children are watching the chimpanzees, during which he can close the deal. Even if this is impossible, Greg would show his sensitivity to Jan's culture and this will pay benefits in future business dealings.
This incident and analysis developed from conversations with Geert Hofstede, Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation in Tilburg, Netherlands. Countries that emphasize the quality of life often have social policies that encourage strong families. For example, these countries have paternity leave policies where fathers can take paid time from work after the birth of a child. Benefits such as maternity leave, paid daycare for children and extensive social services for the needy are other features of countries such as the Netherlands. These benefits are expensive, however, and tax rates are often much higher than people in "quantity oriented" countries are willing to pay.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Special attention will be given to miscommunications caused by cultural differences. Each column will start with a short example of such confusion. Possible explanations will be offered to encourage thought about these issues.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu