Rule or Relationship

Introduction

A culture might place a value on devising system for organizing life, creating interconnected rules and regulations that must apply universally to all, while another culture might place more emphasis on the personal relationships that exist among people as the determinant of how to do things. So we have cultures that are rule oriented, and others that are relationship oriented.

Argentina

As in all Latin cultures. facts and rules are important in Argentina, but never exclusive to determining action, Feelings, the obligations of relationships. and subjective experience are critical, and the Argentine is always balancing all three in weighing issues and making decisions.

In Argentina, time is well-spent on developing the personal relationship (trust and simpatico, or an implicit sense of understanding); attempts to discuss the terms of the deal or the immediate task at hand without having built the necessary personal trust and understanding is often a waste of time.

America

It is often said that Judeo-Christian values are the basis for behavior in the United States. However, these seem to be eroding and being replaced by ego- and ethnocentrism.

Australia

Australians take great comfort in having designed a system and a society that for them pretty much takes care of most of what a society needs. While there is no doubt that who one knows goes a long way in determining how one lives in the world, the Australian demands the development of and adherence to systems, processes, rules. and regulation that work for most of the people most of the time (aborigines. and perhaps others with non-European backgrounds, excluded). Specific situations generally do not determine right from wrong, nor are they justifiable criteria for decision making.

China

While there are many rules imposed by the hierarchy from above. the control factor in Chinese society is the relationship between individuals. These important connections. And the obligations that arise from them, is known as guanxi. There has historically been little else that one could depend upon in China. There is, even today, no really dependable legal system for redress (civil, business, or otherwise); only recently is there a financial system; there is no representative political system.

The one dependable thing in the Chinese world is the spider like network of relationships and obligations that one builds with others, usually friends and family. This will determine future action. The Westerner usually accomplishes a task. and is freed by the discharging of his or her responsibility; the Chinese. by taking care of a task, are obligating themselves further with the other person. so that in the future, new action and claims for action can be made. There is little distinction in this universe between professional and personal, and how one behaves professionally is a statement of his or her value to the other personally.

Colombia

As in all Latin cultures, but again more so, due to the rigidity of Colombian tradition, formal rules around in Colombia, but informal ways of getting around the rule, around equally. There is an e,established pattern of behavior that encourages the circumvention of rule, from above by those clever enough or with connections. Therefore, relationships – not rules -- rule. This results in everything from minor day-to-day corruption (some form of "payment" needs to be made in order to get someIl1mg done, whether if, to void a traffic ticket or win government approval of a project) to major insurrection (guerrilla resistance).

Congo

While many Congolese have had experience with and in the West, the tension that exists between the application of universal rules over reliable and dependable relationships is palpable. especially under current circumstances. where legitimacy for the imposition of rule, i, challenged, This leads to a high dependence on power, authority, and subjective decision making based on the situation and the relationships between the individuals involved. Ultimately, face-to-face knowledge of the individuals involved in any interaction is the basis upon which final decisions are often made.

Egypt

While many Egyptians have had experience with and in the West, the tension that exists between the application of universal rules over reliable and dependable relationships is palpable. This leads for many to a high dependence on power, authority. and subjective decision making based on the situation and the relationships between the individuals involved. Ultimately, face-to-face knowledge of the individuals involved in any interaction is the basis upon which final decisions are often made.

England

A curious blend of the two opposing traditions here: the aristocratic, Anglican, monarchist tradition emphasizes the importance of individual relationships, which is tied to class and who one is and who one knows. However, the democratic reformist tradition is very powerful in Britain today, and the British are sometimes seen as real sticklers for doing things by the book-no matter who, no matter what. Here again, which tradition has the upper hand depends upon whom one is with and the circumstances. Americans in Britain will constantly be confounded by requirements that are applied to all, while seeing, at a distance, clear evidence that many are exempt from the same strictures.

France

Class-based, or hierarchically determined, organization inevitably means heavy dependence upon rules and structures. However, this dependency also leads to the peculiarly Latin notion that when the rules don't work (and they often don't), the successful individual is one who can find a way around them; and this means, more often than not, depending upon someone influential with whom one has a particular relationship. This is an important issue in France, and the balance between the creation of rules that serve all, and the need to limit the degree that personal position can preclude one from having to follow those same rules, is always hotly debated. If you are in a privileged position in the French hierarchy (either in society or business), the rules more or less work in your favor, and as you go down the pyramid, it becomes more and more important to be "c]ever," to know the right person, and to find unique ways to get around the sometimes restraining and often conflicting regulations.

Germany

Rules in Germany are made to be obeyed (this is distinctly different south of the A]ps, in the Latin cultures, where rules, essentially. are made to be broken). The rules can be explicit (do not cross the street if the light is red) or implicit (never wash your car on a Sunday morning); in either case. you need to know the rules.

India

Practically, immediate situations determine decisions and action; this means that there is a strong dependence on knowing the right people and on accepting the benefits of influence. However, there is also an understanding that this may not he morally correct, and as such, there is much concern whenever such behavior becomes apparent, as universal rules and systems are held in high moral regard.

Indonesia

There is much less concern for abstract moralizing, and more concern for doing what is best given the situation and the people involved. Systems and processes are questioned, and generally not seen as benefiting only those who create them. Subjective relationships and whom you know determine the outcome of things (along with forces that are beyond your control). This is revealed in a "here-and-now" attitude: what is best for all involved in the immediate given situation, after considering all factors, is usually what determines the chosen action.

Italy

The explicit bureaucratic rules, of course, can sometimes be baffling (and contradictory I) in their byzantine complexity, and the implicit social rules must be, if not mastered, at least respected. In either case, the ultimate determinant of human action is the flesh and-blood relationships within and between families. friends, and neighbors; therefore, family histories, marriages, and associations are critically important.

In the north, this condition is less severe; in the south, it is everything – effectively leading to the existence and the power of the Mafia in Sicily. As civil government vainly attempts to keep order through the application of universal law, organized groups based on subjective relationships rise to fill the vacuum.

Japan

The requirement for rules, order, and structure, however. does not inevitably lead to rule orientation as a fundamental value. In fact. while some of these rules. structures. and hierarchies mandatory, much is based on relationships, rules that can only be inferred or learned "off line." In fact, Japan is extremely relationship oriented; that is, what will ultimately determine someone's action or decision is not only the ritual code, but the relationship that exists between the individuals or organizations involved, and the circumstance in which the decision must be made or the action taken. This is one of the reasons for the old-boy network, and the difficulty Japan has in disestablishing its authority.

Nigeria

While many Nigerians have had experience with and in the West, the tension that exists between the application of universal rules over reliable and dependable relationships is palpable. This leads to a high dependence on power, authority, and subjective decision making based on the situation and the relationships between the individuals involved. Ultimately, face-to-face knowledge of the individuals involved in any interaction is the basis upon which final decisions are often made.

Philippines

Situations, not rules systems, typically determine action. The particulars of the moment (based who one is and who the other players in the action are), as opposed to abstract systems and universal rules, will determine what is right and wrong, and what is done, most of the time. “Utang na loob”, or the constant building and fulfilling (not discharging) of obligations between individuals, is the grease that keep society going.

Poland

Rules can be complex (especially when working with government agencies) and bothersome, but are always subordinate to the individual relationships one has with authorities who may be able to overcome the rules. Clever Poles either know someone who can get them out of a jam, or help them take advantage of a favorable opportunity, or are themselves ingenious enough to make a situation work in their favor, despite the existence of rules that are supposed to be for the welfare and benefit of all. The Polish experience has been that official rules were never designed for the benefit of all, and that systems and processes, while perhaps a theoretically good idea, mainly benefited only those who instituted them, leaving most others to fend for themselves. The Western belief that processes and systems, rules and regulations, can be created for the universal benefit of society was the result of western European events, such as the Enlightenment, which never occurred in or had a minimal impact on most of eastern Europe. Therefore, while there may be a great interest in, and almost admiration for, Western thought and philosophy in Poland, there is little experience to justify its benefits; for example, the German methodological tradition more than once became a political threat to Poland. Poles will as easily rely on their subjective intuitive notions of right and wrong, beliefs, and their personal relationships to make decisions, as they will on processes, rules, and systems.

Russia

Rules can be complex (especially when working with government agencies) and bothersome, but they are always subordinate to the individual relationships one has with powers that may be able to overcome the rules. Clever Russians either know someone who can get them out of a jam, or help them take advantage of a favorable situation, or are themselves clever enough to make a situation work in their favor, despite the existence of rules that are supposed to be for the welfare and benefit of all. The Russian experience has been that official rules were never designed for the benefit of all, and that systems and processes mainly benefited only those who instituted them, leaving most others to fend for themselves. And while in much of eastern Europe there may be some valuing and understanding of how individuals co~ benefit from the universal application of rules and systems, in Russia, rules and systems are applied for the benefit of the state (the modern-day mir), not individuals; individuls need to find a way through or around the rules on their own. Russians will more easily rely on their subjective notions of right and wrong and their personal relationships to control their lives than they will on processes, rules, and systems. It's not that they don't understand it (although that might in some cases be part of it); it's that it simply doesn't count in their experience.

Saudi Arabia

While many Saudis have had experience with and in the West, Islamic law, not West rules, are the rules that are followed, and these are applied universally if they are universal (i.e., part of Islamic law), and subject to interpretation and uneven application if nonuniversal. This leads to a high dependence on power, authority, and subjective decision-making based on the situation and the relationships between the individuals involved. Ultimately, face-to-face knowledge of the individuals involved in any interaction is the basis upon which final decisions are often made.

Slovenia

Relationships define reality in this very unstable environment. A Serb once commented to me that he was sure democracy would never succeed in his country because people were being asked to trust in the one thing that historically they could never trust in and which would in the end always be seen as yet another foreign invasion: a democratic system. He went on to say that the only thing the average Serb could rely on was his relationship with trusted family and friends, and that the obligations inherent in this relationship would outlive any foreign idea. Right and wrong, good and bad, what to do and what not, all are determined by the subjective interpretation of reality based on how it affects the personal relationships of the individuals involved and how such relationships can, in turn, impact the situation.

Sweden

In Sweden, rules and order are essential, and it is believed that the universal application of rules is the best way to treat all people fairly and equally. There is great consideration for the individual requirements that individuals and differing groups have regarding similar issues.