On Day 5 we will be talking more about working in the international arena, and there are numerous books/websites that give you tips on how to work in a culturally appropriate manner with international colleagues.
The website Executive Planet makes the following suggestions regarding the use of first names and titles when working in Australia / with Australians.
"First names are used both in personal and professional circumstances even amongst relatively new acquaintances, and Australians tend to move quickly on to a first-name basis. ... In Australia, professional or academic titles do not necessarily command respect, and are not widely used in addressing. Professional titles are not prominent in Australian business culture, and are sometimes dismissed as pretentious."
For the full article, see:
http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Australia:_First_Name_or_Title%3F
http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Australia:_First_Name_or_Title%3F
My students in Australia would never call me Professor Casey, and I have found it hard to adjust to the greater level of formality here in the US.
SO YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO CALL ME JOHN!!
John C
(formerly known as Professor Casey)
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In a nearly 7-year experience in a US academic workplace, I found a curious amalgam of informality coupled with rude behavior! Recognizing this to be a hierarchal, rank-driven environment, this tone was in marked contrast to past experience in the corporate world where rank is also important. Perhaps this is due in part to the unspoken need for collaboration as the bottom-line depends on a team approach in the business world, whereas in higher ed, the word "collaboration" is overused though often not practiced. A 2004 NYTimes article, "New Concern That Politeness Is a Lost Art in the Office" highlighted both law firms and colleges as breeding grounds for incivility, as was seen by the president of Hampshire College in Ameherst, MA.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/18/jobs/new-concern-that-politeness-is-a-lost-art-in-the-office.html?scp=2&sq=civility%20lost%20art&st=nyt&pagewanted=1
Also interesting is that the Brits manage to maintain decorum vs. the raucous French, as per Curtis et. al. More to be said on Saturday!
Maryann McKenzie
One of the group sent me an e-mail today with the greeting of "John", so the message did get through. That's good. But she writes at the end: "PS- It is SO difficult to call you by your first name, but I will try"
ReplyDeleteThis made me reflect on the fact that this is a great microcosm/example of a core debate about the impact of immigration on the host country's culture. Who should adjust? In this case, should I just shut up and let everyone call me "Professor Casey" or should I "force" my Australian informality on an unwilling US society?
John C