INTERESTING 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.