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The other person being honest would have helped much more.
by vwuon 7y ago
The other person being honest would have helped much more.
- pacaro 7y agoThis isn't an honesty thing. Many cultures (both in terms of social culture and work culture) have a strong aversion to saying no. Some languages barely have a word for it. Even when those aren't issues yes/no questions rarely have the precision that you want, often you can phrase a question to seem like it only has a binary answer, but the real answer is way more complicated. Basic project management principles come into play here. As other posters have commented, asking what someone will be working on first, setting up tracking tasks etc.
- vwuon 7y agoIf lying blatantly is a part of Indian culture then Indian culture must change.
- engineeringwoke 7y agoLying is a big part of most of the world's cultures. The northern Europeans are unique in that they have such an aversion to it.
- ethbro 7y agoOne person's lie is another person's cultural expectation. It's ironic you're lamenting Indian cultural inflexibility, while simultaneously imposing your own by refusing to simply reword a question. Engineers get results with the world they're given, not the world they wish they had.
- vwuon 7y ago>It's ironic you're lamenting Indian cultural inflexibility, while simultaneously imposing your own by expecting people not to lie* ftfy. Sorry for imposing my own twisted, vile view of the world: expecting people to be honest.
- ethbro 7y agoNo apology needed. :) We each have a right to our own perspectives on the world.
- lotsofpulp 7y ago> Engineers get results with the world they're given, not the world they wish they had. Evidence I see points to better engineering results from countries that don’t “culturally” lie.
- belltaco 7y agoWith anectdata, yes.
- hibbelig 7y agoIf you ask an American "How are you?", they will respond "Fine, how are you?". If you ask a German "How are you?", they will tell you they caught a flu and they bumped their toe on the way to the bathroom. As a German, it's hard work for me to respond appropriately to the American question. But I understand that I don't blame the American for being dishonest. It's even harder for me to work with the Indian "yes", but I understand they don't mean to be dishonest.
- hevi_jos 7y agoThat is your problem: You have not taken the time to understand other cultures. You believe they are not being honest but they ARE!! If they can not do the work, they tell you, but in their own language, not directly but in subtle ways. They are expressing it, and in their mind you understand them, because they are actually saying it. It is just that you are deaf to their language, you are not looking to the nuances, and just ignore those signals they are emitting. Then comes the blaming and the pointing fingers.
- flukus 7y agoThey are a service provider and we are their customers, it's up to them to adapt to our needs and adapt to our culture.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- Tade0 7y agoI can't help you here. I'm just a lowly eastern-European contractor banking on real estate prices in Silicon Valley remaining ridiculous on one side, and Indian contractors[0] remaining unreliable on the other. [0] Those of them who have lower rates of course. Reliable Indian contractors have proper rates - and good for them.