142 Part 2 The Cultural Environment of Global Markets CROSSING BORDERS 5.2 The American Tourist and the Mexican Fisherman An American tourist was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist complimented the Mexican on the quality of the fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.” The tourist then asked, “Why didn’t you stay out longer The Mexican replied, “With this I have enough to The tourist then asked, “But what do you do with the The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The tourist scoffed, “I can help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, pro-cessing, and distribution. You could leave this small village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City where you could run your ever-expand-ing enterprise.” The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this take?” The tourist replied, “15 to 20 years.” “But what then?” asked the Mexican. The tourist laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.” “Millions?… Then what?” The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your grandkids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.” Source: Author unknown. Edward T. Hall, professor of anthropology and for decades a consultant to business and government on intercultural relations, tells us that communication involves much more than just words. His article “The Silent Language of Overseas Business,” which appeared in the Harvard Business Review in 1960,29 remains a most worthwhile read. In it he describes the symbolic meanings (silent languages) of time, space, things, friendships, and agreements and how they vary across cultures. Office space, for example, is managed differently in America—often as a personal perk—than in other countries30 In 1960 Hall could not have anticipated the innovations brought on by the Internet. However, all of his ideas about and catch more fish?” support my family’s needs.” rest of your time?” Communication Styles 29Harvard Business Review, May–June 1960, pp. 87–96. 30“Don’t Get Too Cozy,” Bloomberg BusinessWeek, September 22, 2014, pp. 51–52; Rachel Reintzeig, “Bosses Take a Stand on Where Workers Sit,” The Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2013, p. B8. Speaking of office space: Notice the individualism reflected in the American cubicles and the collectivism demonstrated by the Japanese office organization.
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