Timetostopexcusesforlateness

Therearealwaysacoupleofpeopleineveryofficewhoarehabituallylateforwork.Howshouldamanagerhandletheprobleminamulticulturalenvironment?Shouldhebepatientbecausedifferentcultureshavetheirownconceptsoftime?Orshouldhetakedisciplinaryaction?

ScholarstellusthatWesternersandAsiansapproachtimedifferently.CulturallyWesternerslivemoreinthepresentandthenearfuture.Asianslivemoreintheancientpastorinthedistantfuture.

Asianstrytoavoidaneurotic(神经过敏的)slaverytotimeviewinglifeasapassingmomentineternity(来世).Theyenjoythesenseof“zerogravity”thatcomesfromtravelingwithoutanimmediategoaloranurgentobjective.

TomanyAsianslifeisalongjourneyandhappinessissimplynotamatteroftime.Insteadofrushingtheyprefertomaintainasteadypace.Quietlywatchingtheseasonschangeorchildrengrowiscertainlynotconsideredawasteoftime.

Westernersbelievethathappinessisjustoverthenexthill.Alittlemoretimemoneyorstrugglewillgetthemthere.Americansinparticularlivebytime-pressingschedulesanddeadlines.

Buthowdoesthisinsightrelatetotheneedforpunctuality(守时)intheoffice?Shouldweinferfromthisdifferenceinculturaloutlookthatit’sjustifiedforsomeemployeestobelateintoday’sofficelife?Doesitmeanthatamanagershoulddisregardpunctualityasanofficediscipline?

Onthesurfaceitmightseemthatamanagermayhavetobemoretolerantaboutpunctualitywithsomeculturalgroupsthanothers.Butthisisunwarrantedinanurbancivilization.Itwouldhavebeliefintheacademicliteraturethatimpliesthetimeorientation(定向)insuchacultureisinferiortothatinthewest.

Thisconfusestwoentirelydifferentthings:observanceofpunctualityandthephilosophicalopinionsoftime.

Aperson’sbeliefthattimeismeasuredincenturiesratherthaninsecondshasnothingtodowithhisabilitytoshowupontimeattheofficeeveryday.NoAsianemployeewouldeveruseaculturalexcuseforbeinglate.Hemaycertainlyemploymoremodernexcusessuchasatrafficjamaslowwatchoraparkingproblem.TheseexcusesarethesameasthoseusedbytheofficeworkerintheWest.Whyisitcons