Classification: Internal Status: Draft

First part

2

Getting Under The Norwegian Skin

Workshop Stavanger 06.02.2008Geir Golden Sæther, Working Environment Technology (TNE PPT HSET WET)

3

Culture shock?

Barnga card game - Instructions

• Players are dealt 5 cards each

• Everyone plays one card, and the winner collects = ‘trick’

• Each round will be about 5 minutes long, and will consist of any number of games that the time allows

• Highest & lowest tricks rotate table – game continues

• The game winner will be the person who has won the most tricks in total

Classification: Internal Status: Draft

Boarding ..

Handling cultural rules and

cross cultural communication

is essential for

doing success in

a multinational company ..

5

Increased number of cross cultural interfaces …

StatoilHydro is entering the world …

StatoilHydro becoming more international …

6

7

Different levels of dealing with cultural issues ..

Cross – Cultural communication ..

– day to day life …

… hidden costs

– increased level of conflicts

– misunderstandings

– motivation

Strategic …

… negotiations

– governments

– local contractors

… management and operations

… HSE programmes

… etc

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… also a safety issue

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Different levels of dealing with cultural issues ..

Cross – Cultural communication ..

– day to day life …

… hidden costs

– increased level of conflicts

– misunderstandings

– motivation

… also a safety issue

Strategic …

… negotiations

– governments

– local contractors

… management and operations

… HSE programmes

… etc

Classification: Internal Status: Draft

Boarding ..

Plan for the

presentation:

- What is culture?

- Consequences ..

- The Norwegians ..

- Some tips ...

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Group session 1. Your first impression of Norway and Norwegians?

2. Is there something that have surprised you by Norwegians?

3. What is the main difference from your home culture?

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The Game of Trust; formal and informal organisation at a multi cultural work place in Venezuela

- A master thesis in social anthropology based on fieldwork from SINCOR

- Focus: cross cultural communication and its influence on trust building

- Master of enginering (sivilingeniør)

- Now also social anthropologist

-- Started to work at T&P ANT HMST Technical work environment 01.12.2006

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Feltarbeid 1

10.01 – 05.2002

Feltarbeid

2 01.03 – 04.2003

SKR

SINCOR Jose Upgrader

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The Game of Trust – a study from Venezuela/SINCOR

Norwegian Technician (NT): We have a few fan-sections. Once, when I looked at the meter to control the temperatures I discovered that a couple of the fans might have gotten blocked. I asked one of the men out there to check it out ……

Norwegian engineer: I have to check in the corridors to see if the messages have gotten through. In the beginning I was surprised by the fact that everybody said “yes” when meaning “no”. It took me some time to realize this. You need to check twice to see if the message has gotten through and if they actually mean it when they say “yes”. Discovering this was a bit frustrating.

Interviewer: Can you describe a situation at work when you felt offended?

Venezuelan engineer: We are in a group discussing something and you yell at me in front of everyone. This I do not accept! No, this is lack of respect! (…) This has happened. All the incidents .. You could .. (laughing) And in front of the others. NO!

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Interviewer: In other words, you are being careful?

VT: Yes, exactly!

Interviewer: And you always need to show that you are willing to allow trust?

VT: Yes, exactly!

Interviewer: How can you loose trust? In the same way?

VT: Exactly!

Venezuelan technician,

ca. 30 years

Interviewer: How do you gain trust? I have been surprised of how important trust is here in Venezuela

Venezuelan Technician (VT): We are used to people being on the defensive. We all have had bad experiences with people that lie, you see? … That is why you always start out a bit on the defensive. On the first meeting we would never say anything to people we don’t know.

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“We all have had bad experiences with people that lie, you see?”

Students: Lac of trust. Insecurity. Criminality.

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The main argument in ”The Game of Trust”

The context outside the refinery is characterised by

– Criminality

– Corruption

– Systems of friendly favours

Strategies for coping with such a problematic situation

We all have had bad experiences with people that lie, you see? …

Europeans: take trust for granted

– a strong state

Latin-Americans: trust is increasingly linked to social behaviour

– a weaker state

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COLLECTIVE PROGRAMMING of the MIND

The SKILLS, COMPREHENSION and MANNERS

a person has acquired as a member of the society

What is ’Culture’?

Visual elements

Conscious meanings/ thoughts/ values

Silent/ unconscious knowledge

”Culture is like smell from a cowhouse; if you have been working there for a while you do not recognise the smell …”

Culture

Human nature

Person

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Mental codes achieved as a member of a group1. A common frame of understanding

– Perception

– Interpreting

2. Simplifying everyday life

– Common “rules”

– Predictable society/day

3. A situation of feeling confident ..

Culture

Individual experience

Communication

Emotions

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Consequences …Examples:

• Odour & smells

• Humour & laughter

• Eye contact

• Compliments

• Finger signalling

• Conception of time

• Punctuality

• Compromising

• Socialising

It entails consequences

It makes communication exotic, but may also:

- Create misunderstanding

- Stress and frustration

- Irradiating, insecure, uncomfortable and sad

- Feeling lonely/strange

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Quotes from a refinery in Venezuela; The Game of TrustIn the beginning I tried to confront my Venezuelan colleagues but the consequence was that the curtains came down. No communication. They withdrew….not only in the moment but also afterwards. Norwegian engineer, ca. 55 years

You are dependent on goodwill before they are willing to do or say anything. You need to step carefully or ells you will meet the wall (…) They do not like to be confronted with it when they do something wrong. You need to contact indirectly…..

French engineer, ca. 50 years

What is shocking to me here with Norwegians is that they are incredibly rude (…) There is a limit between telling and just being rude. They (the Venezuelans) say nothing about this, but they are not willing to initiate contact. You can see it on their face sometimes. What they want to say is “well, they don’t know the language very well….” They want to find a reason. Norwegian engineer, ca. 40 years

When will I feel offended? When people shout at me (…). Venezuelans are not used to shouting. They feel bad and get angry. Venezuelan engineer, ca. 35 year

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Mental codes achieved as a member of a group1. A common frame of understanding

– Perception

– Interpreting

2. Simplifying everyday life

– Common “rules”

– Predictable society/day

3. A situation of feeling confident ..

Culture

Individual experience

Communication

Emotions