Speaking of slow worker... here's what my boss mass-emailed us a
week ago. I guess there's a point to the passage but somehow
suspect boss wouldn't take kindly to me if I were to quote it back
to him 
=== copy & pasted 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
here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and
brilliant. It's a rule.
Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a
general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we
have come to posses 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 words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm, has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its
renowned
companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.
The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up
at the
hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would
arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the
entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I
didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I
asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we 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'll have time to walk,
and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to
the door. Don't you think? Imagine my face.
Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food.
This movement 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 and
what it
stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger
movement
called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.
Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and
"craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of
"having in quantity"
(life status) versus "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 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity
been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the
US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!".
This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a
lower
productivity. 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 simplicity of
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-rush that will increase productivity and 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 any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in
an instant". Then they 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 of living the future that they forget
to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We
all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less.
The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We
need to live each moment. 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 globalized world.
