In the July 4, 2004 NYTimes Magazine, there was a great article on the rise of China. There was one quote that particularly caught my eye:
"There is a reason why the world is so impressed by Chinese workers," Weingrod says. "Culturally, the Chinese put a very high premium on not losing face. In manufacturing, that translates into not making mistakes on the production line. Their self-discipline and their ability to adapt are key factors driving Chinese competitiveness." And for every work disinclined or unable to apply himself with energy and concentration, there is always another poor Chinese worker waiting to escape the farm or adrift in the so-called floating population of the underemployed, willing to take his place.I found this to be quite interesting, and a marked contrast with the US workforce. While we surely still have a work ethic, I'm not sure that "face" translates to people's work. I've always wondered, is it possible to import this mentality into a culture? Maybe you don't do it universally throughout the culture but, instead, start small and build up from there? I guess that's a little bit of what WalMart has done. One could argue that the reason we have this situation is because every worker in the US DOESN'T have someone else breathing down their neck. The fact that we have as many jobs as we do means that you can kind of slack off and still be better for your employer than the alternative (namely a empty office). But it seems clear that that is NOT what is motiving the Chinese worker. Instead, it's a sense of honor about the work they do. I wonder if that's portable.