Japan is often a land of paradoxes. It is in many ways very efficient. Things run smoothly; trains run on time: everything is done well and in an orderly fashion. Yet in other ways it can be very inefficient, to our eyes anyway. Recently we have had two cases (in different sports clubs) where we hit up against what might be called the 'following the rules' way of thinking. There are often detailed procedures for even the simplest thing. Yet at times these rules seem to fly in the face of common sense. Or so much time is spent following all the procedures that it seems - to us - a rather inefficient way of getting things done. Sometimes there can be a lack of flexibility (or even freedom) to depart from 'the way something should be done'. One of our recent cases concerned Alistair receiving a badge for moving up one rank in swimming. He passed the test and was given his test sheet and a badge by the coach. Then the sheet and the badge were taken back and the test results whitened out. Why? Because it was apparently necessary to have several weeks of practice before being entitled to receive the badge. But he was already at the required standard and the coach had so graded him and awarded the badge. But the 'rules' said it should not be done. There was no freedom to apply what we might feel would be common sense to the situation. Nor was there any apparent freedom to depart from the 'must-be-adhered-to' procedures. It can be easy to get frustrated with such situations. But it served as a reminder to reflect on what someone said to us in our early days in Japan - it's not wrong, just different. Very true. We live in a different culture with a different way of thinking and there are many times where we just need to go with the flow. Maybe it's just the lawyer in us which likes to argue the case though when it seems patently lacking in common sense!
Showing posts with label rules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rules. Show all posts
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Following the rules
Japan is often a land of paradoxes. It is in many ways very efficient. Things run smoothly; trains run on time: everything is done well and in an orderly fashion. Yet in other ways it can be very inefficient, to our eyes anyway. Recently we have had two cases (in different sports clubs) where we hit up against what might be called the 'following the rules' way of thinking. There are often detailed procedures for even the simplest thing. Yet at times these rules seem to fly in the face of common sense. Or so much time is spent following all the procedures that it seems - to us - a rather inefficient way of getting things done. Sometimes there can be a lack of flexibility (or even freedom) to depart from 'the way something should be done'. One of our recent cases concerned Alistair receiving a badge for moving up one rank in swimming. He passed the test and was given his test sheet and a badge by the coach. Then the sheet and the badge were taken back and the test results whitened out. Why? Because it was apparently necessary to have several weeks of practice before being entitled to receive the badge. But he was already at the required standard and the coach had so graded him and awarded the badge. But the 'rules' said it should not be done. There was no freedom to apply what we might feel would be common sense to the situation. Nor was there any apparent freedom to depart from the 'must-be-adhered-to' procedures. It can be easy to get frustrated with such situations. But it served as a reminder to reflect on what someone said to us in our early days in Japan - it's not wrong, just different. Very true. We live in a different culture with a different way of thinking and there are many times where we just need to go with the flow. Maybe it's just the lawyer in us which likes to argue the case though when it seems patently lacking in common sense!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Following the rules
Japan is well-known for its precision - the trains really do run on time. It's also a land where people follow the rules. In fact they learn from an early age that there is a way for things to be done. Today we bumped up against both - precision and rule-keeping. Even in the setting of the dentist (fast becoming one of David's most-visited haunts) the sheer time and effort that went in to having a silver cap for a back tooth measured and shaved and re-measured and re-shaved was quite something. Things are done well here! And then the rules. Alistair was looking forward to getting a present at his tennis class. After all, it was promised to those who attended the requisite times in August and September. He'd been there the required number. But no present! David - 'Why not?' Tennis coach - 'He was missing twice'. David - 'Well no he wasn't because the times he missed he came on another day'. Coach - 'Ah but you need to come on the actual day to get the present'. It seemed rather unfair to deny a 6 year old his present (even if it was just a soft tennis ball) but that was what the 'rules' said. Aiming for precision is a good thing; following rules is not a bad thing; but both can become a trap. We are ever learning as we live in this fascinating culture.
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