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An interesting reflection: Slow Down Culture
It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them
has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to
be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.
Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of
searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to possess a need to
see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the
Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of
meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better
results.
Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 9 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its owned
companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.
The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel
every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at
the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive
their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either on the second
or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed
we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To
which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever
gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door, don't you think?
Imagine my face.
Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement
establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste
their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food! is
against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a
lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement
called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.
Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness"
generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life
status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being".
French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive
than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and
have seen their productivity driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought
forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!"
This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower
productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality,
productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means
reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now",
present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means
taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.
It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more
productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time
to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush
that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services,
without losing the essence of spirit.
In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to
dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To
which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.
Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we
die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so
anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the
only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No
one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our
time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens
to you while you're busy making other plans".
Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who
will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized
world.
--
Eric Daniel L. Soriano
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