Efficiency

One of your colleagues is from the United States of America and he is having problems adjusting to what he calls “unprofessionalism” in the working place. He complains about how inefficient people are: they don’t come to meetings on time; they come very late to appointments with him or they make him wait a long time when he has an appointment with them; when he is meeting with someone, that person will take telephone calls or talk to people who drop by and interrupt the conversation. “That is not the way to do business,” he told you yesterday. Apparently he has complained to other people in your office as well, for just today some of them have come to you to complain about him. You are his closest friend in the office. What should you do?

Case #22

Understanding Another Person

In his famous novel, The Razor’s Edge, W. Somerset Maugham acknowledged the difficulty in getting to know people. Men and women, he wrote, are not only themselves. They also are the region in which they were born, the city dwelling, the farm, in which they learned to walk. They are the games they played as children and the old wives’ tales they overheard.

They are the food they eat and the schools they attend. They are the sports they follow and the poetry they read. They are the God they believe in. You can know them only if you are them.

Case #23

Chinese Guests

When a delegation of buyers from China came to Nashville, an export executive Mr. Wagg arranged VIP treatment. At the welcoming dinner, he ordered the best cuts of American ribs of beef. As the custom in most fine American restaurants, the beef was served rare. The Chinese took one look at the meat, blanched and refused to touch it.

Case #24

Living in a Foreign Country

(Food technologist posted to Montreal, Canada.) Nothing went right from the start. We spent the first nine months in a hotel because we couldn’t get suitable accommodation. My wife never stopped complaining. She hated the cold winter and the Canadian way of life, “All they ever think about is ice-hockey,” she used to say. She never really wanted to come to Montreal anyway. She had to give up a great job as Office Manager when I was transferred. I didn’t enjoy the job there much because I didn’t get on with my colleagues. My French isn’t bad, but I certainly couldn’t understand the sort of French they spoke.

Case #25

A Honolulu Barbershop

Entering a Honolulu barbershop for the first time, I saw that all of the barbers were women. I didn’t know what to do. Did I want a lady cutting my hair? Would they cut it or give me a “wave” instead? What do I say – “Trim around the ears; shorten the top?” Would they understand? They’d have to touch me. Do I want that? All of the familiar things from barbershops back home were missing. I was at a loss.

Case #26

An Obsession

I’m a third generation of German, born and raised in America, yet privacy is important to me, just like for the old folks. I hate to have my space invaded. I like my things neat and orderly – clean, too. My house is fenced in, and I don’t like people walking into the yard without my permission. My wife is just the opposite. Her stuff is spread around the house, and if I’m away for a time, my den becomes hers. But she’s not German. She says I have an obsession. I’d say all Germans have it.

Case #27