A compendium of current news and headlines with commentary providing unique cultural insight into global affairs, business and daily life around the world.

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Check out CultureWizard Digest #46 here!

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

* Interpreting Overtime in Brazil
* Improper Child-rearing?
* Who works more in Europe?
* Translating British Talk

CultureLinks
+ International Assignments: Then & Now
+ A Long and Prosperous Life

CultureTips
+ Brazil

RW-3.com

+ Unlike many other Latin American countries where there is a distinct indigenous population, Brazilians have intermarried to the point that nearly everyone has a combination of European, African, and indigenous ancestry.

+ Brazilian conversations are fast-paced and animated with frequent interruptions. Exclamations and a great deal of physical contact are normal.

+ Soccer is a highly respected national institution. Never say that another country plays soccer better than Brazil.

+ Appearances matters to Brazilians both in business and daily life. This includes dressing well and staying at the best hotel that your budget can accommodate.
- Men should wear conservative, dark-colored business suits. Lighter colored suits may be worn in the summer. Three-piece suits generally indicate that someone is an executive.
- Business attire for women is extremely important. Brazilian businesswomen generally wear elegant business suits or dresses with high quality accessories.

+ In doing business, much time is spent developing a friendly relationship. It will usually take several visits to close a deal as Brazilians need to know who they are doing business with before they can work together.

+ A foreign businessperson should learn as much about the Brazilian economic and commercial environment as possible before conducting business.

+ Status in Brazil is based more on educational and professional accomplishments than on family background.

+ By nature, Brazilians are future oriented, yet strongly fatalistic at the same time. They have strong religious beliefs but do not see themselves as having total control over their destiny.

- from RW3 CultureWizard’s Country Profiles

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Brazil’s hunger for growth is noteworthy on many fronts. Working long hours to make new sales targets and developing business at all hours of the day has become the norm for many Brazilians. So much that President Dilma Rouseff enacted a law ordering companies to pay overtime for emails or calls taken after the normal work day (versus the VW approach to prohibit this activity after employees leave the office).

In the Financial Times, a professor of accountancy says, “Brazilians are always late, meetings never start on time…You sit there for two hours talking about one thing, then another.” The argument is that because of the pace of business and the fluidity of “Brazilian time”, it may often become necessary to address certain emails and business needs outside of the regular work day.

In the CNN report below, one labor lawyer talks about “technological slavery” – that it’s impossible for us to disconnect from the internet, from our phones and thus from our jobs.

What do you think is more feasible: shutting down servers after hours to prevent work from taking place, or having the employer compensate the employee? Is responsiveness more important than work-life balance?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

While the source of this is unknown (we found it posted somewhere on Facebook), we believe it’s quite true to form! Is there anything you can add to this list?

If you’d like some more culture tips for the UK, click here to read our previous post on the matter.

Mark
RW3 CultureWizard

How’s this BBC piece for bucking the trend?

Volkswagen has agreed to stop its Blackberry servers sending emails to some of its employees when they are off-shift. The car maker confirmed it made the move earlier this year following complaints that staff’s work and home lives were becoming blurred.

Could you imagine your employer doing this?

Even more so, after a near-decade of cell phones and the internet keeping you constantly connected to your work, how would you feel about this? I know the idea of disconnecting from your work and fully connecting to your family and leisure time is a lovely concept, but would there be a downside to the business?

This begs the question that VW is attempting to answer: does your connection to work on a non-stop basis actually make you a more productive worker?

More and more, a disease of distraction affects modern workers. Enabled by the constant connectivity via smart phones and computers, and a myriad of other modern sociological issues, US workers waste nearly two hours a day doing non-work things. And, the US is not alone in this growing trend. Believe it or not, even the efficiency envy of the world, Germany, is dealing with a growing apathetic workforce that wastes significantly more time than their recent forebears (according to the same Inc. story).

Do you think VW and their works council made a wise move in limiting post-shift emails? Do you think allowing for more unfettered personal time creates a more inspired and focused employee?

Adam
RW3 CultureWizard

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here’s a story in the Huffington Post I think many of you will relate to in one way or another (Emerson certainly did). Recently, in Honolulu, a former Air Force sergeant, her husband and their two year-old daughter stop at the local supermarket, a national chain, to pick up some groceries. The mom, who happens to be 30 weeks pregnant, is famished and feeling faint. She quickly eats a $5 chicken salad sandwich. She pockets the sandwich wrapper with every intention of paying for it, finishes shopping, heads to the register with her husband and daughter and pays for her $50 worth of groceries.

The family exists the store and is immediately confronted by a security guard who informs her that she has just shoplifted. Surprised and embarrassed, the mom apologizes profusely and offers to immediately return inside to pay for the $5 sandwich. The security guard refuses her request, EVEN THOUGH SHE JUST BOUGHT $50 WORTH OF GROCERIES, and brings her, her husband and daughter to the store manager.

Now, here’s where the tale gets truly Orwellian. The supermarket manager, while sympathetic to the woman’s plight, is unwilling to break from store policy and calls the police. The police arrive, see that the “apprehended suspect” has a child with her, and, unwilling to break from policy, call in Child Services. Child Services arrives, and, unwilling to break from policy, TAKES THE CHILD INTO PROTECTIVE CUSTODY while the former Air Force Sergeant and 30-week pregnant mom and her husband are arrested and brought to jail.

Finally, after 18 hours in custody and posting $50 dollars bail, each, the mom and dad are reunited with their child, the national supermarket chain gets united with a public relations nightmare, and the couple starts fielding enquiries from a bevy of enthusiastic and skilled lawyers. And all for a $5 chicken salad sandwich. But here’s the rub, along every step of this terrible and ridiculous ordeal, the technocrats following the orders were fully aware of the absurdity of the policies they were enforcing but were unwilling to contradict them.

Now, in some ways we see this happening in the business world all the time, especially in an international arena, where the adherence to rules can vary significantly between cultures. Whether rules are applicable universally or on a case-by-case basis is often a hallmark of culture. According to psychologist Barry Schwartz and his compelling TED Lecture, the difference between a great manager and/or worker and a mediocre one is the wisdom to know when to follow a rule and when to ignore it. His lecture is a near case study in how humanity and wisdom make the world and workplace a better and more productive one.

In a complimentary lecture, take a look at how one visionary CEO, the largest manufacturer of carpets and flooring in the world, decided to trust his wisdom over prevailing opinion and make his company entirely green. It’s a story of exquisite executive foresight, courage and profitability. Believe it or not, in the 14 years since the company began their green and zero-impact protocols, sales have gone from $591 million to nearly $1.1 billion! How’s that for wisdom?

By the way, do you ever find yourself eating or drinking something you plan on buying at the supermarket before you pay for it? Couldn’t you compare this to dining at a restaurant where you eat first and pay later?

Adam
RW3 CultureWizard

恭喜发财! Happy Chinese New Year, or literally, Congratulations and be prosperous!

Check out the Baidu.com homepage (China’s biggest search engine) for an interactive dragon animation.

QUIZ: which famous Chinese animal is not part of the zodiac? And, why do you think so? Leave your answer in the comments area below!

RW3 CultureWizard

This NDTV video (New Delhi Television) reports that a Norwegian government agency, Child Protective Services, took an Indian couple’s children into custody due to their inappropriate behavior: the parents hand fed their children and slept in the same bed as their children.

What do you make of this story? Is this truly a cultural difference and an excessive abuse of power, or is it clear that we are missing some key information?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

At first glance, this fascinating TED lecture about outlier communities where life spans are demonstratively longer and healthier than the norm has seemingly little to do with the world of international business and cross-cultural relations. After all, what does an isolated mountain town in Sardinia, an island village in Okinawa and a community of Seventh Day Adventists in Southern California have in common with a globe-trotting maven?

What the National Geographic writer-researcher and his team of PhDs found was that all of these so-called “Blue Zones” share certain consistencies that aid longevity and vitality. They are:

1) An inherent, but low-level of physical exertion. Not exercise, but a natural movement factor that is embedded in their daily life.
2) A near daily connection to nature.
3) A contemplative aspect that causes them to slow down for a least a part of every day.
4) A sense of purpose, regardless of age.
5) A value and respect for elders.
6) Natural, plant-based diets that emphasize caloric restriction.
7) An authentic connection to community, friends and family.

Now, here’s the aspect that’s worthy of contemplation: if these are the seven consistent factors that make for a long and joyful life, just how at odds are they with the demands placed upon a modern business person—especially one who travels frequently? It’s not at all hard to picture a modern manager who:

1) Travels often and spends much of their time in front of a computer in a solitary office with hardly anytime for exercise.
2) Is a car-owning city-dweller who works long hours and has virtually no connection to nature.
3) Works non-stop with an ever-present cell phone ringing and pinging away.
4) Constantly questions what they’re doing with their lives and just why they are doing it.
5) Knows that with age, health insurance costs make them more of a liability than an asset to their company.
6) Eats inconsistently, unhealthy and often excessively.
7) Lives away from family and friends.

I’ll ask these questions:

How might you apply the insights offered in this lecture to create a more balanced and sustainable approach to your work?

How many of these habits are rooted in culture, one that we share as a community or nation?

Is longevity a universal value?

Adam
RW3 CultureWizard

In May of 2011, “…Merkel hinted that southern Europeans take too much holiday and retire too early,” which infuriated people all over the continent.

A report by Natixis’ (a bank in France) chief economist Patrick Artus claims the contrary: “Germans worked less annually and during their lifetime than Southern Europeans, and did not work more intensely than their neighbours either.” This news comes from Mercopress, a Uruguay-based independent news agency.

Here are the stat’s according to Artus’ study:

Hours of work per year
Germany: 1,390
Spain: 1,654
Portugal: 1,719
Italy: 1,773
Greece: 2,119

Real retirement age
France: 60
Italy: 60.1
Greece: 61.5
Germany: 62.2
Spain: 62.3
Portugal: 62.6

Of course, efficiency and productivity levels must be factored into this information, and the study claims Germany is on par with most of Southern Europe.

The cultural stereotype Merkel used (think siesta in Spain, for example) was just that, a stereotype. On the other hand, the cultural norms that display Southern Europeans’ value for work-life balance may still apply, but surprisingly to some, this value certainly exists in Northern Europe, too. Clearly, the data indicates a penchant to work less hours, which is corroborated by what we know about the stark division of business and private life for many Germans.

What does the data say to you?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

Read Charlene Solomon’s article in MOBILITY magazine, “International Assignments: Then & Now”.

RW3 CultureWizard

Brian Hults of Newell Rubbermaid (VP of global organizational and people development) cited CultureWizard in Talent Management magazine.

Here is the relevant excerpt:

Newell Rubbermaid, which has employees in more than 70 countries, requires its vice presidents and above to go through its Working in a Global Matrix program to help those leaders build skills they need to be successful in a global environment.

‘The program allows leaders to learn how conflict can be used to reinforce relationships within the organizational structure,’ Hults said. ‘[It] helps them understand their personal leadership style and how that can both help them and hinder them when working internationally. They can then use these insights to help them make adjustments in how they lead to be more effective outside of their home country.’

Further, every employee can access free of charge the CultureWizard, an online tool that provides an array of information about a country’s population, culture, economy and other stats. ‘It gives them an opportunity to learn a bit about the culture and the people that they’re seeing before they go into a country,’ he said…

By taking proactive steps to identify and develop the next generation of global executives, organizations can march boldly into today’s uber-competitive business battlefield.

Click here to read the full article. Thanks, Brian!

A compendium of current news and headlines with commentary providing unique cultural insight into global affairs, business and daily life around the world.

Interested in receiving the CultureWizard Digest every month? Click here to sign up.

Check out CultureWizard Digest #45 here!

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

* The Act of Weeping for Kim Jong-il
* To Wed Across Borders
* “The Awful German Language”
* Violent Expressions

CultureLinks
+ Gastrodiplomacy
+ Groupon’s Sales Culture

CultureTips
+ Destination Profile: Russia

RW-3.com

Interested in improving your Russian business skills? RW3′s Sean Dubberke contributed a cultural profile of Russia, including strategies for successful business, to MOBILITY magazine this month. Click here to read it online.

RW3 CultureWizard

The Economist highlights the increasingly popular trend to marry individuals from outside one’s country of birth – at least 10 million marriages in “rich countries” are international. All this boils down to one concept: globalization (for the most part). The more global mobility becomes an everyday occurrence, the more we come into contact with diverse peoples from countries outside our own, and at the same time this interaction is normalized.

The tricky thing is to keep track of these marriages, and to define what is international and what is not. In any case, certain places attract couples for their wedding tourism packages, like Cyprus in the graph below. In Taiwan, men marry Vietnamese women to strengthen their business ties in Vietnam. Men in East Asia also have a hard time finding local brides due to the “marriage strike” women in the region have been on (see our earlier post on this topic, which The Economist covered in detail).

What benefit is there to cross-border marriage?

Their unions are symbols of cultural integration, and battlefields for conflicts over integration. Few things help immigrants come to terms with their new country more than becoming part of a local family. Though the offspring of such unions may struggle with the barriers of prejudice, at their best international marriages reduce intolerance directly themselves, and indirectly through their progeny.

My parents had different passports when they married, and the result was a childhood that exposed me to two different sets of values, some aligned with mainstream US society and some not. It forced me to take a number of perspectives into consideration, which is certainly a skill everyone needs when doing business today. I’d say the trend will undoubtedly continue, but what is your sense?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard