Slow Down Culture

Plug from email:
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 heretakes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It'sa rule.Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come topossess 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 word:1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo , a little state in Brazil;2. All of Sweden! has just 2 million inhabitants; 3. Stockholm has 500,000 people;AND YET--Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of Sweden'srenowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA. The first time I wasin Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, a bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2,000 employees drive their car to work).The first day, I didn't say anything, neither the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticedwe 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 have time to walk. But whoever gets in late will be late if he needs to walk a longdistance. He therefore needs a place! closer to the door. Don't you agree?"Imagine my face. Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe named "Slow Food". Thismovement 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 andwhat it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called "Slow Europe", asmentioned in "Business Week". Basically, the movement questions thesense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) vs. "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-hourworkweeks and have seen their productivity to have driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought! forth the US's attention, the pupils of the fast and the "Do it now crowd!".This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lowerproductivity. 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 simplicityof 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-rushing, that will increase productivity-- improve 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 anyminute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Thenthey 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 about life in the future that they forget to liveand enjoy the present - - which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one hasmore, nobody has less. The difference lies in how each one of us doeswith our time. We need to live each moment with joy and contentment.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 crazy globalized world.