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Slow Down
13

Slow Down

Slow Down

(OP)
Thought I must share the following with you (received via 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.

RE: Slow Down

I read to the end and thoroughly agree.  In fact I walked to work this morning (pushed my bike) because I was enjoying the music I was listening to and didn't want to miss the end.

RE: Slow Down

Very interesting.....

I read to the end (it made me think the whole way thru).

There has come a time (and I will admit that I do rush thru my life) in my life where I am looking at the past and wondering where it has gone to and looking at the future and wondering where it will be.....Funny that the present is the bit I am failing at miserably.

Kevin Hammond

Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
 

RE: Slow Down

I love the quote about parking further away.  It just goes to show that there are people out there who think of others instead of themselves.

I would love to slow down what I do, but often feel I am caught up in everyone elses rushing around.  Kinda like a log in a fast flowing stream.  Im also sure I would be able to do a better job, with less mistakes.  I should maybe move to Sweden, the women are quite attractive as well, or so I believe.

And if I have to nitpick, Nokia are Finnish as opposed to Swedish rednose

RE: Slow Down

7
(OP)
Ussuri, I also found the parking lot story fascinating..., and agree that me too find it extremely difficult to slow down even after taking a deliberate decision to do just that.  Many times one has about no choice as to simply fall in with the planning as passed on, or with what was scheduled for a diverse crowd of people with vastly different routines/obligations.

Yes, one should be able to do a proper job more consistently whilst also enjoying it!  (must be a good cycle; you are likely to stay healthier too – available to perform your task).

As they say; there’s never time to do a proper job first time, but always time to do it over!  Everything needs to be cheap, but then, how long does it last?  Of course there is a balance, but I think we lost it.  And, how much money do you really need to make?

RE: Slow Down

I think Nokia would nitpick that point, Ussuri.

Journalists writing at an eighth grade level still have no excuse for third grade geography knowledge.

RE: Slow Down

Al Pacino and John Lennon philosophy.

RE: Slow Down

Although I'm a European and obviously do buy into the quality of life, slow down, enjoy your food etc idea, I do have some difficulty to see this whole story as a back-up for the first point you made:
"Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule."

I guess this philosophy fits in the spirit of Volvo cars, which are (pardon my french!) somehow the dinosaurs of cars, like the 240 which is an early 70s or maybe even late 60s design but was still sold new I believe until into the 21st century. Sure before you introduce any change to such a concept you will want to wait 2 years and think about it (also Volvo being a small cars producers does not have the means to change and reinvent their models too often).

However if, I'm using your own example, Nokia had the same philosophy, I think it would have never grown as big as it is today.



RE: Slow Down

I liked the parking lot story, an excellent excuse to stay in bed a little longer! smile

RE: Slow Down

On the ubiquity and longevity of Volvos...

Back in 1999 we needed a replacement car.  Two guys at work were selling: a Fiat Tipo and a Volvo 740 - similar ages (c. 10-12 years old).  My wife didn't know what a Tipo was so I set out to show her some (didn't fancy driving a tank).  But I could not find one surviving Tipo anywhere amongst a sea of 100k+ Volvos.  It's still going strong.  I guess someone somewhere got something right.

RE: Slow Down

PS re "slow Europe", low working hours, etc: I think it is a bit of a luxury to adapt this philosophy. I have nothing against it, but it is a philosophy of workers in a big company that will make plenty of money anyway whatever they do.
Be assured that the bakers here in the area, who bake those delicious baguettes, the winemakers who make excellent Hermitages and other jewels of this area since I don't know how many centuries, and all the other self made people, work their @$$€$ off day in day out! (although I do believe they take appropriate time for a good lunch)

RE: Slow Down

yeah a Tipo... that's quite the opposite big smile

RE: Slow Down

The Tick

http://www.nokia.com/A4303001

Note the Line "from a riverside papermill in southwestern Finland to a global telecommunications leader"

RE: Slow Down

I often wondered about the "slow down" life style in Europe.  I have read about it and seen reports on it on tv, however, do you guys (in Europe) really do practice it?

Do you reaaly work 20 to 30 hrs a week?  I have also read somewhere that if the a couple has a baby, both parents can take a year off to spend with the child, now that's cool.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

RE: Slow Down

I guess high speed trains are out of the question in Sweden? tongue
Isn't marijuana legal there too?
If you eat slower, how long are your lunches and breaks?
IMO, I don't care if everyone decides to work slower or faster, as long as the job quality is there, they are consistant, and communicate well.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 3.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-08-07)

RE: Slow Down

NOT AT ALL smile at least engineers.
The 35 hours working week in France means a 40 hours working week + a lot of days off. Depending on the company these are more or less fixed, e.g. mine are one day (Monday when most shops are closed sad ) every 3 weeks. They're a blessing when you want to paint the house and things like that, actually the things you would otherwise have someone else do if you worked that day and had the extra money.
Actually the system has been introduced to lower the soaring unemployment rate (not really succesfully though), not at all because of some "slow down" philosophy. There is more and more discussion, president candidate Sarkozy stated that in order to get going (cf China and other emerging countries) France should rather consider getting rid of the 35 hrs week or at least give people a choice.

Anyway 40 hours on paper still means more in practice for people with some responsibility.

Re the baby, the mum gets I believe 16 weeks off in total, the dad can take time off too but you do pay for that. No way can mum and dad take a year off in any country in Europe (I put my head in the guillotine for that) while being paid. That would be a pretty senseless way to spend taxpayers money...

And note also that this whole slow down thing is something Mediterranean, in places like Holland people have 30 minutes lunches just like in the US.

RE: Slow Down

(OP)
Epoisses, just to clarify – I did not write the story (neither do I live in Europe), but posted it because I belief there is some merit in!  

The statement about 2 years for any project, in my opinion, is not to be taken very seriously (e.g. was the Saab Grippen fighter developed in 2 years only?).  Also did not particularly like the Al Pacino line, but found all the rest useful to be reminded about.

As I said: it is meant to be a balance.  If you use the philosophy simply as an excuse (not to work), you are loosing out big time.  Something else:  to be on site or in office is one thing, but to be busy in a productive way another…  

Somebody mentioned another benefit of shorter hours per week is likely to be that more people at least have a job.  Not sure what to think about this.

RE: Slow Down


The yin of "slow europe" is the yang to "hot, heavy, and sweaty asia".

Nice story, but...

We'll see in the end that there is no answer for a determined, aggresive, and vigorous competitor.

RE: Slow Down

gfbotha
about 2 mins after reading your post I took a call from an old colleague I used to work with who is based in Switzerland. I hadn't heard from him in a few months despite sending a few emails. He hasn't been to work since Feb, he had literally burnt out (he's about 34) otherwise termed as a breakdown due to work pressures and simply driving himself too hard.
This is Switzerland for goodness sake... a very similar work ethic to the Scandanavian countries!
I sent him the story. Thanks for the post.  

RE: Slow Down

I worked briefly with some Dutchmen.  Okay, I watched.  They showed up on time, took their breaks on time, and went home on time.  I went to lunch with them, and they talked about everything, except work.  While they were at work, they worked like dogs.  It seemed a reasonable balance, and the day was productive.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: Slow Down


 www.slowfood.com

I am all for the concept, and my wife and I have been trying out best to follow this path, but I highly question the productivity numbers in the email.

There has been a huge growth industry in eating healthy (more than just dieting) and organic foods in the past 10 years in the States.

______________________________________________________________________________
This is normally the space where people post something insightful.

RE: Slow Down

Quote:

There has been a huge growth industry in eating healthy (more than just dieting) and organic foods in the past 10 years in the States.

... but it's only a matter of time before "healthy" and "organic" foods are made better by covering them in plastic cheese.

RE: Slow Down

Sounds like a fair bit of hooey to me, actually.

My dad spent several years in Germany back in the late 50's and early 60's.  I mentioned to him about the longer vacations and his response was "Yes, but when they work, they work longer hours".  So have things perhaps changed in the last 40 years?

My dad first went there in 1952, just 7 years after WW II was over.  His observation was that there was very little visible damage remaining in Germany, but that France still had unrepaired damage from the first world war.  So maybe the whole continent doesn't think quite alike.

I seem to recall the new Airbus 380 is behind schedule and in danger of dragging the company under.  So maybe slow is not good all the time.

I recall that some of the great technological advances of the last century were made by both sides during WW II, with a tremendous pressure to hurry.

I recall recently reading of a French train setting a new speed record.  Simply the existence of high-speed trains contradicts the universal "slow down" mentality.

I'm all in favor of taking life easy to the extent that one can manage it, but it seems a bit presumptive to try to write that up into a national or continental philosophy.

RE: Slow Down

In the old days, the days of cotton mills in the UK, mill workers could work 14 hour days or more and one mill owner measured the workers performance and discovered that some workers would walk as much as 20 miles a day tending the looms.
He then reduced the working hours (before the government introduced legislation and to fewer hours than the legislation limited).
As a result of this action the productivity and profitability of his operation improved and his workers were much healthier and happier.
This type of study has many times produced similar results and by extrapolating the data I have realised that I am at my most productive when I do no work at all.

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

RE: Slow Down

I seem to recall seeing/hearing somewhere that Volvo was actually struggling a little and that Ford were considering divesting themselves of it.

If it's true doesn't it start to blow some of the above out of the water?

As regards the parking thing, when I started here I’d always do something similar.  

Our main parking lot is relatively small for the number of staff and a lot of the spaces are only for ‘compact’ cars.  Even then there isn’t a lot of room and I’ve had to climb in from the passenger side before now.  I didn’t park in the farthest space but I did try to park on the very end of a row and well across, right against the far curb/line so as to leave plenty of room for the next guy and so on down the row.  I quite doing it and started parking at the front near the entrance because the bushes next to the curb got overgrown and it was scratching up my car door & making egress difficult.  I noticed today that they’ve removed the offending bush and trimmed the others so I parked there, and the email above has inspired me to keep doing so.

In principle it sounds good but taken to the ultimate extreme probably wouldn't work.

RE: Slow Down

Ussuri:
I was agreeing with you.  I meant that I didn't think Nokia would appreciate being called "Swedish".

RE: Slow Down

I'm still waiting for the Swedes to decide to produce the P1800 again; I'd liked to see the 544 again, also. I can see that decision has taken much more than two years to reach. But I am patient.

RE: Slow Down

Apologies, Tick, I thought you were 'nitpicking' my statement.

It all becomes clear now.  Even with the 'emoticons' just goes to show how text can be misinterpreted.

RE: Slow Down

@gfbotha
I did not want to burn your post down...
I do agree with the general idea but when you mentioned French working hours it reminded me of a certain category of French workers (if you can call them that way) that make me sick, between two strikes, 3 sick days and 4 holidays, they complain harder than they work... and then they ask the government to protect their jobs against the Chinese... and in this presidential election time (fingers crossed for Sunday!) they get ample attention from all the different socialist, green, anti-liberal, communist and trotzkist (I wish I were joking) candidates who promise them more than would ever be possible in their wildest dreams...
Sorry it must be election fever.
Otherwise I have nothing against a "slow down" if it's a 1.5 hour lunch on a terrass in the sun with a bottle of wine on the house, as is standard practice in this area. smile

RE: Slow Down

(OP)
Absolutely no problem, epoisses! - I never thought you wanted to.

I just picked up phrases like "the first point YOU made" and "but when YOU mentioned French working hours".  Thought I need to point out that I did not write the nice story but simply passed it on (read: no credit).  Maybe it was just a language or writing style thing.

As Ussuri said; text can easily be understood the wrong way.  BTW, also my home language is not English.  And around here we also get sick & tired of too many striking and demands by people not sweating at all!

Cheers

RE: Slow Down

Nice article...

RE: Slow Down

2
In my opinion, the article is simply socialistic propoganda. The author offers no facts, and cites no sources, to support the arguments put forth. The author implies the parking lots in Sweden are always filled from the back row first by citing the parking habits of one anonymous person. While it's a nice emotional appeal, the logic fails.

The article states "They (Sweden), 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." The author attempts to mask the purely emotional appeal with logic. The logic is flawed; "better" is a comparative phrase. The results are better than what? Better than nothing? Better than Ethiopia's results? One is also left to speculate as to what results are being discussed. Productivity, economic growth, quality, etc.?

Individual performance and entrepreneurship are both stifled in the "slow down" culture. How can one ever 'get ahead' in such a system.

The following quotes are from Nima Sanandaji and Tino Sanandaji as published at http://www.neolibertarian.net/articles/sanandaji_20060414.aspx

..."the Swedish model has been on the decline. Entrepreneurship has declined to an international low. None of the 50 largest Swedish corporations have been started after 1970"

"In a study of 37 developed countries that was conducted in 2002, Sweden was ranked in the 31:st place when it came to entrepreneurial activity and was one of the countries where entrepreneurship had fallen the most between 2000 and 2002. An important contributing factor is that the marginal tax on entrepreneurs is approximately 70 percent and that they are required to pay additional fees to the state, such as when their employees go on sick leave."

"Estimating the true unemployment rate:
Below is a calculation of true unemployment in Sweden. All figures are from the Swedish Statistical Agency (SCB) Labor survey, first quarter 2005, except the number of individuals only on welfare, which have been taken from Tax researcher Dane Nordlings homepage. The number on Sick Leave have been adjusted for the number of working hours.

Population 16-64 - -- - - 5.755.000

Not in labor force - - - - - - 1.365.000
Early retired - - - - - - - - - (494.000)
Seek work - - - - - - - - - - - (150.000)
Get Welfare - - - - - - - - - - (84.000)

Labor Force - - - - - - - - - 4.391.000
Unemployed (5.6 %) - - - - - (245.000)
unemply programs - - - - - (130.000)
Employed in Real job - - - - 4.016.000
Absent from work - - - - - - (554.000)
Of which on Sick leave- - - (216.000)

Actually work - - - - - - - 3.469.000
Some 4.0 million (70 percent of adult population) are in productive activity rate, while 1.2 million (20 percent of adult population) are living of welfare and Health or Unemployment insurance alone. The remaining 10 percent of adult population are supported by the state by other means (such as parents leave and absence from work due to care of sick children)."



RE: Slow Down

Is it just me or does the original post claim Swedens' population to be 2 million? The CIA world factbook estimates the population to be around 9 million. <shrug> Minor point in terms of the message the writer is trying too convey.

The writer paints a pretty picture, with a nice "feel good" read to it. Comparisons of someone else's situation to one's own always leads to quality of life reflections (at least in myself, and from others' posts, apparently other people do this as well)

Interestingly the comments are quite varied and International. I embraced a personal "slow life" mentality years ago. When I work I observe along with co-workers the hilarity of work flow perceptions. Contractors needing everything "Yesterday". Managers simply barking "Hurry Hurry" because that is what they were promoted to do. Americans will continue to be driven like rats in a mill, with no end in sight. Some people love it, some people hate it. Just depends what kind of rat you are. Engineering is a a pretty good way to go if you don't like being driven too hard. Get in there, do the work, and go home. If you are lucky, the company you work for is family oriented.

An individual in US can, though, take control of their life if they wish too. An individual can live the "Swedish" lifestyle in America if they choose, it just depends on your career path. Most couples are driven by the bills that come due each month, and so play the "game" to meet expenses. Observing this willing devotion to accept the rat race can only mean most Americans' don't want to have the "Slow Growth" society that is touted in the OP. Americans like rushing around with a Starbucks in one hand and cel phone in the other. I just laugh at those people and avoid them.

The American system is certainly on a decline though. The Frontier Spirit is diluted and continuing that trend, leaving shadows of former American Ingenuity and Work Ethic. American quality of life is decreasing.




RE: Slow Down

>>>Twoballcane (Mechanical)      
17 Apr 07 10:22

Do you reaaly work 20 to 30 hrs a week?  

I work a 37.5 hour week. i.e. I come in at 7.30 and leave at 3.30 every day and take 0.5hours for lunch. I have 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.

I'm home by 4pm. I can then go to the gym or read a book or do my garden. I get 8 hours sleep a night - at least.

The approach to hours and holiday in the US confuses the hell out of me. If your economy was booming and your currency wasn't so weak I'd maybe buy into all this hard working idea.

The reality is that working hard (i.e. long hours, minimal holiday) is no more efficient than working smart and having time and space to be someone other than your work self for at least some of the time.

Ben

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