Employee Image: Orient vs. Occident

What is this all about? East vs. West: eternal contrast – Difference in culture and mentality – Difference in approach to workforce – Difference in employee expectations Experience compilation – First-hand experience

Who am I to judge? Been about – 1 year in Moscow: banking systems – 4 years in UK: PhD – 4 years in Moscow: game development – 2 years in Ankara: professor – 2 years in Moscow: game development – Off to USA – ???

Still… Experience is limited – Game Dev and Academic only – Middle East, not Far East Experience is subjective

1. Employee Image What is an employee? – A person who creates surplus product for you – Working with others Basic Requirements – Professional fit – Sociality Grey area beyond that

Western Approach Soldier – Doing his best for the common good – Every soldier carries a marshal's baton in his pack. Napoleon Competitor – Ambition

Eastern Approach Part of a family – Someone to share your piece of pie with One of “Us”

Benefits of Globalization Inter-culture connections Borrowing ideas Few pure representatives

2. Global Difference West: Individualism – Everyone for himself – But goal is common Assumed, at least East: Clan Wars – Every group for itself – Leader’s goal Employee requirements differ accordingly

3. Orient: Joining the Clan Personal relationship above all – Need to be “connected” – Degree of connection may vary Any connection is better than none Evolved from families – Now everyone is a member of a number of clans

Becoming a Part Getting hired = joining a clan – Immediate superior’s clan Or invoking existing clan membership – To get a good place

Life of Your Boss Goal 1: looking good – For his boss and others Goal 2: control – Keeping underlings in their place – Divide and conquer Goal 3: escape responsibility Goal X: care – Looking after “ours”

Feudalism Best definition – On many levels Horizontal rivalry – For favours Vertical worship – For favours – Trying to get beyond

Rules of Courtship Wanted: Vassal – Not really wanted: worker Qualities to show – That you will make a good vassal – No skills beyond basic are required Wildcard: Connection – No skills whatsoever are required

Career From symbol of power to symbol of power – Air conditioning, secretary, etc In the wake of your lord – Take all or “us” and move up – Drop down, taking everyone

4. Occident: Meritocracy Efficiency above all Efficiency is ensured by – Qualified professionals – Enthusiastic and ambitious

Ideal Career Social skills are secondary – As long as you do your job and more – If not in your job description Vertical mobility – Based of performance – “Healthy competition” – One interesting consequence

Incompetent Pyramid The Peter Principle – In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence – Corollaries In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out their duties Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence

Ideal Employee The star of tomorrow – Qualification – Potential – Ambition

The Microsoft Interview Complete hiring process – Works for large companies Several stages – CV screening Recommendation – Phone screening – Interview day – Brainteasers Obsolete

Looking Your Best Resume – Qualifications Certificates – Experience Verifiable Interview – Tackling challenges – Show reasonable ambition

5. Academic World Globally westernized Best minds and selfless enthusiasts – In theory Emergent competition – Who has the longest…

Resistance Is Futile All of the above is useless – At least with regards to the interview Instant interviews – Decision is made in the first 5-10 seconds – The rest is self-conviction So do dress up for the interview