Page 41 - Time Management

26
Time Management
Active
Flexible
Structured
Mancini02.qxd 1/16/2003 4:21 PM Page 26 Relaxed
Socializing at work is discouraged
Socializing at work is common
Business starts, ends early in day Business starts late morning, ends
late
Efficiency valued Efficiency less important than
people
Procedures, routines clearly Procedures, routines not fully
defined or followed
defined

Examples Examples
United States Africa
Middle East
Canada
Germany Latin America
Switzerland Southern Italy
Scandinavia TEAMFLY
Greece

Researchers have identified two global approaches to time, as
shown below and continued on the next page:
It’s extremely important to realize that these are general
traits that characterize time behavior in a majority of cases.
Exceptions exist in any culture. You should avoid stereotyping,
but remain alert to these time management patterns that exist
in a general way.
These patterns, too, are in constant flux. Many formerly lin-
ear types in the Western World are learning to overlap activities
through multitasking in the same way as people in “developing”
countries. And some countries or regions represent a blend of
both styles. Australians, for example, tend to be well scheduled
and organized, but they do put a premium on socializing and
are more flexible than most. Residents of Hawaii have a thick
veneer of U.S. linear thinking, but underneath lie the old,
relaxed ways of native “Hawaiian time.” The Japanese exhibit a
unique mix of both overarching trends: punctual, organized, and
efficient, they nonetheless invest huge amounts of initial time on
socializing in business situations. Their goals are usually clearly
set but are unwritten and unspoken.

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