On your mark, get read, GO. The maturità exams have begun. My son arrived at school for the first day at 7:30am and left at 3.30pm during which time he participated in the "prima prova" -- an essay. EIGHT hours (???). Yes. That is the time allocated for one essay.
First all backpacks had to go in a corner and cell phones in a box. Then there were sheets of paper to be counted and signed and instructions given before the theatrical entrance of the carabinieri. Why the police you (and I) may ask. The police deliver the official envelope with the essay questions to distribute. Two hours had already passed before the essay questions were in hand. Six more to go.
Out of the five choices, M. chose the one on science and technology. He seemed fairly pleased with the final result but he wished he had managed to make it more linear. I wonder if anyone will notice? Maybe his desire for linear thinking comes from elsewhere. In any case, from what he described over supper, he covered a lot of territory.
and tomorrow, it starts all over again....this time, Greek.
will it end? When will the students know when the oral exams begin? Not until the professors figure out how long it will take to correct the written ones. Why can't they estimate that time in advance, since they have been doing this for many, many years? "By the 30th at the latest" is the best they can do as a response.
It is not to ask, but to simply shrug and follow.
Pazienza.
a domani,
E
Showing posts with label ambiguity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ambiguity. Show all posts
June 18, 2008
January 11, 2008
Bollo time
I paid the car "bollo" or tax today. At least that was the plan. Turns out that someone else had already paid it yesterday -- obviously a mistake. "So, what do I do?" I asked the woman behind the ACI desk. She didn't seem to know. We all assume that the person who inadvertently paid my car tax instead of his, will notice, eventually, maybe. Unless he happens to look at the receipt before filing it away at home, most likely this moment of awareness will come same time next year when he pays next year's tax, only to find this year's one unpaid and with a fine! Or he will receive a fine in the mail -- probably in five years time (says the woman at the bar to whom I told my story).
But what if he doesn't notice? What if it is a company car and in the midst of piles of accounts no one notices and just pays again.
My fellow cappuccino clients at the bar next door conferred and the general consensus was to wait and see....maybe I have won a kind of bureaucratic lottery -- "free car tax for one year, get your tickets here". No one said that I should do the right thing and pay so that my car would be covered twice over until the truth comes out. At worst, I will have to pay a modest fine for paying late.
Ah yes, the Italians do thrive in ambiguous situations, it gets their blood circulating, they come alive, full of ideas on how to beat the system. They loved the idea that I had done it, although by chance. I had made their day.
But it boils down to a question of "risk tolerance" and as I have seen on other occasions, I often fail this exam, pay up, park properly or whatever, just to reduce the anxiety of ambiguity.
a domani,
E
But what if he doesn't notice? What if it is a company car and in the midst of piles of accounts no one notices and just pays again.
My fellow cappuccino clients at the bar next door conferred and the general consensus was to wait and see....maybe I have won a kind of bureaucratic lottery -- "free car tax for one year, get your tickets here". No one said that I should do the right thing and pay so that my car would be covered twice over until the truth comes out. At worst, I will have to pay a modest fine for paying late.
Ah yes, the Italians do thrive in ambiguous situations, it gets their blood circulating, they come alive, full of ideas on how to beat the system. They loved the idea that I had done it, although by chance. I had made their day.
But it boils down to a question of "risk tolerance" and as I have seen on other occasions, I often fail this exam, pay up, park properly or whatever, just to reduce the anxiety of ambiguity.
a domani,
E
October 6, 2007
Rules of the game
It is hard to figure out the rules of the game here. Italians are much more flexible than we are in accepting odd rules (odd to us at least) without questioning why. Well, they learn this skill at school.
Today my son got back an Italian test. Grading runs from 1-10 with a 10 being an A+ anything below a 6, a failing grade. While handing back the test the teacher said that the highest grade on this particular test(for a perfect job)was a 7.5 which means that that no one could receive an "A". Why? Because, "It is too early in the year and we haven't covered enough material for this test to merit a full-value."
Does this hit you as being strange? and arbitrary?
Tests are often given (at my son's liceo in any case) on this sliding value scale. Sometimes a test is worth a full "10" value and other times (if it is an easier exercise) only a "7". The first time my son came home with a 7 on an English test, I asked, "What did you get wrong?" "Nothing" was the answer. A "B" was the highest grade for a perfect score.
Along with Dante and algorithms, he is learning cultural skills that will serve him well in this world: tolerance of ambiguity and how to navigate among uncertain rules.
a domani,
E
Today my son got back an Italian test. Grading runs from 1-10 with a 10 being an A+ anything below a 6, a failing grade. While handing back the test the teacher said that the highest grade on this particular test(for a perfect job)was a 7.5 which means that that no one could receive an "A". Why? Because, "It is too early in the year and we haven't covered enough material for this test to merit a full-value."
Does this hit you as being strange? and arbitrary?
Tests are often given (at my son's liceo in any case) on this sliding value scale. Sometimes a test is worth a full "10" value and other times (if it is an easier exercise) only a "7". The first time my son came home with a 7 on an English test, I asked, "What did you get wrong?" "Nothing" was the answer. A "B" was the highest grade for a perfect score.
Along with Dante and algorithms, he is learning cultural skills that will serve him well in this world: tolerance of ambiguity and how to navigate among uncertain rules.
a domani,
E
October 5, 2007
Eleven lucky students
In the middle of lunch, after a long pause in the conversation, my son looked up and announced, "today was really a strange day." As my mother antennas went up, I calmly replied, "in what way, strange?"
M -- "We had way too much homework for today and "interrogations" in Philosophy, Art History AND Science. I wrote my Art History essay and studied an impossible amount of philosophy text, but I didn't have time to look at science."
("oh no, he got interrogated in science -- Murphy's law," I thought to myself)
M-- "Instead, only eleven students came to class."
Me -- "I bet the teachers were angry."
M-- "So angry that they didn't interrogate us at all! We just went ahead in the text and the Art History teacher took our essays. The philosophy teacher told us that when he does pull names out of his bowl for the next interrogation he will skip over our eleven names until he picks one of the absentees."
His cell phone rings and he tells the friend on the other end what he has just told me.
M -- smiling, "everyone is calling me to find out what happened today."
Me -- As I try to draw a lesson from all this, "I guess it pays off in the end to go to school even when you haven't been able to finish everything."
M -- Thoughtfully, "Not always, sometimes it actually does pay off to stay home, you have to know how to manage the workload and skip a class, go into school at the second hour, leave early or stay home when you are not prepared." He has done it too in the past, but he happened to play his cards right today.
So, the lesson is: to get through liceo, you have to learn the subtle Italian art of "risk management" in the ambiguous jungle that is the Italian classroom with its surprise interrogations, or planned interrogations but for only a few students (picked out of a bowl) and teachers that do not coordinate workloads. The final results will not mirror a "fair" playing field in any case, there are too many capricious factors that raise obstacles along the way. As the science teacher told the lonely eleven, "You have just had an important biology lesson -- the survival of the fittest." Or the furbi, or the just plain lucky.
By the time he finishes his maturità exam this summer, he will be well prepared for what lies ahead in the Italian university, starting with medical school entrance exams! (click and look for September 10 post)
M -- "We had way too much homework for today and "interrogations" in Philosophy, Art History AND Science. I wrote my Art History essay and studied an impossible amount of philosophy text, but I didn't have time to look at science."
("oh no, he got interrogated in science -- Murphy's law," I thought to myself)
M-- "Instead, only eleven students came to class."
Me -- "I bet the teachers were angry."
M-- "So angry that they didn't interrogate us at all! We just went ahead in the text and the Art History teacher took our essays. The philosophy teacher told us that when he does pull names out of his bowl for the next interrogation he will skip over our eleven names until he picks one of the absentees."
His cell phone rings and he tells the friend on the other end what he has just told me.
M -- smiling, "everyone is calling me to find out what happened today."
Me -- As I try to draw a lesson from all this, "I guess it pays off in the end to go to school even when you haven't been able to finish everything."
M -- Thoughtfully, "Not always, sometimes it actually does pay off to stay home, you have to know how to manage the workload and skip a class, go into school at the second hour, leave early or stay home when you are not prepared." He has done it too in the past, but he happened to play his cards right today.
So, the lesson is: to get through liceo, you have to learn the subtle Italian art of "risk management" in the ambiguous jungle that is the Italian classroom with its surprise interrogations, or planned interrogations but for only a few students (picked out of a bowl) and teachers that do not coordinate workloads. The final results will not mirror a "fair" playing field in any case, there are too many capricious factors that raise obstacles along the way. As the science teacher told the lonely eleven, "You have just had an important biology lesson -- the survival of the fittest." Or the furbi, or the just plain lucky.
By the time he finishes his maturità exam this summer, he will be well prepared for what lies ahead in the Italian university, starting with medical school entrance exams! (click and look for September 10 post)
July 9, 2007
Learning ambiguity
If Italians live comfortably with, and even thrive on ambiguity, how do they learn to do so? We seemed to have missed this lesson as we grew up.
My older son passed his maturità exam up in Trento and has been sharing notes with his buddies from ginnasio in Rome who had a little exam adventure. Since the last maturità reforms, there has been an "unwritten rule" (his term) that the subject chosen for the second day of the three day written section of the exam is then not included on the third day short answer test. So since Latin was chosen for the liceo classico portion of the exam (a translation exercise), Greek, but not Latin, would be on the short answer test. He continued, "It is not a written rule, but the professors generally make the students understand that this will be the case." Instead, to their surprise, the students found questions on Latin grammar in addition to Greek and in the place of history. It seems that the history professor had an emergency and couldn't participate in the exam, so the Latin professor took her place.
The students can't complain because the practice was only an "unwritten rule" or more precisely, insider information that could be withheld at any time. In theory, the professors could choose any five subjects out the ten, in practice, they had an ongoing "arrangement" with the students. In the process, this group had an important lesson in how to live with ambiguity and its practical consequences.
So when they grow up they will do a much better job than I ever will at figuring out the unwritten parking rules at the auditorium. There is a pay parking lot (1.5 euros/hour during the evening) that stays empty until all the outside street parking (none of which is marked as "regular" places) is filled up -- on curbs, in the center triangle of a road fork, along curves etc. "Don't those cars get ticketed" I naively asked the men at the parking lot, pointing at the colorful tangle in the middle of the road. They shrugged and looked at each other, "Never seen a car get a ticket in the evening, but then again, the traffic police could come by and give out fines if they choose to do so."
So, I wanted to ask, where should I park? But I didn't, because I knew that the answer had to do with my risk tolerance level, and, having failed yet another "tolerance of ambiguity" test, I parked in the lot.
a domani,
E
My older son passed his maturità exam up in Trento and has been sharing notes with his buddies from ginnasio in Rome who had a little exam adventure. Since the last maturità reforms, there has been an "unwritten rule" (his term) that the subject chosen for the second day of the three day written section of the exam is then not included on the third day short answer test. So since Latin was chosen for the liceo classico portion of the exam (a translation exercise), Greek, but not Latin, would be on the short answer test. He continued, "It is not a written rule, but the professors generally make the students understand that this will be the case." Instead, to their surprise, the students found questions on Latin grammar in addition to Greek and in the place of history. It seems that the history professor had an emergency and couldn't participate in the exam, so the Latin professor took her place.
The students can't complain because the practice was only an "unwritten rule" or more precisely, insider information that could be withheld at any time. In theory, the professors could choose any five subjects out the ten, in practice, they had an ongoing "arrangement" with the students. In the process, this group had an important lesson in how to live with ambiguity and its practical consequences.
So when they grow up they will do a much better job than I ever will at figuring out the unwritten parking rules at the auditorium. There is a pay parking lot (1.5 euros/hour during the evening) that stays empty until all the outside street parking (none of which is marked as "regular" places) is filled up -- on curbs, in the center triangle of a road fork, along curves etc. "Don't those cars get ticketed" I naively asked the men at the parking lot, pointing at the colorful tangle in the middle of the road. They shrugged and looked at each other, "Never seen a car get a ticket in the evening, but then again, the traffic police could come by and give out fines if they choose to do so."
So, I wanted to ask, where should I park? But I didn't, because I knew that the answer had to do with my risk tolerance level, and, having failed yet another "tolerance of ambiguity" test, I parked in the lot.
a domani,
E
July 5, 2007
Living with ambiguity
Yesterday was the fourth of July, American Independence Day!
No fireworks, flags flying and barbecue in the backyard for us. The only vaguely American thing we did was a trip to the Auditorium for a concert by Dee Dee Bridgewater, called "Red Earth - A Malian Journey". The musicians -- all from Mali as she has recently discovered her African roots -- were fantastic and it was a great show.
The US Ambassador to Italy, Ronald G. Spogli, instead held a party at Villa Taverna for over 2,500 Italian and American dignitaries and friends. Today's news reports on his speech for the occasion. "Investment conditions for American business in the Italian economy are not favorable.... Without trying to deny this fact or identify the guilty parties, we should instead work together towards finding ways to improve the situation and put an end to this sad chapter of our history." One initiative he has enacted is an embassy sponsored program Partnership for Growth.
Why are American investors so cautious and reticent about investing in Italian companies? Below the surface of obvious obstacles connected to overwhelming bureaucracy, shifting politics, closed-minded "national interests" and undecipherable company law, there are lots of cross-cultural issues at work. The first (and foremost I believe) is a gap in tolerance of ambiguity / uncertainty. While that of Americans is very low, Italians comfortable live with and even thrive on ambiguity. In the end, the best of intentions fall between this crack. In a previous editorial the Ambassador states that, "Investments don't arrive where they are not well received. When the rules of the market change continuously without warning, the level of risk increases making it very difficult to program for the future." Sounds reasonable, to an American. I like that idea of programming for the future too, even in my daily life! And AT&T up and left town empty-handed citing "uncertain rules". They just couldn't see a straight line to the future.
Many years ago now, John (American), the Director of a small NGO in Rome, wanted to hire a part-time receptionist. A lawyer friend of mine stopped by the office one day to visit and John took advantage to ask, "Can I hire her off the books -- she will only be here for a few hours a day -- or not". Roberto gave what he thought was a clear and comprehensive picture of the situation by explaining that this would depend on John's comfort level with risk. Did he believe there was a high risk that this girl would eventually sue him for back taxes, or was he pretty sure she would not. In the first case, he should hire her on a regular contract and pay all the taxes and benefits, in the second, he could consider splitting the fallout with her and hiring her off the books. I looked back and forth between the two. Roberto seemed pleased at his job well-done, his clarity and precision regarding the situation. John's eyes glazed over and there was a minute of silence before he spoke, "So, can I hire her off the books, or not?"
a domani,
E
P.S. check out Shelley's post for pictures and a great story about her day at the Villa Taverna July 4th celebrations. Makes you crave a hamburger with the works!
No fireworks, flags flying and barbecue in the backyard for us. The only vaguely American thing we did was a trip to the Auditorium for a concert by Dee Dee Bridgewater, called "Red Earth - A Malian Journey". The musicians -- all from Mali as she has recently discovered her African roots -- were fantastic and it was a great show.
The US Ambassador to Italy, Ronald G. Spogli, instead held a party at Villa Taverna for over 2,500 Italian and American dignitaries and friends. Today's news reports on his speech for the occasion. "Investment conditions for American business in the Italian economy are not favorable.... Without trying to deny this fact or identify the guilty parties, we should instead work together towards finding ways to improve the situation and put an end to this sad chapter of our history." One initiative he has enacted is an embassy sponsored program Partnership for Growth.
Why are American investors so cautious and reticent about investing in Italian companies? Below the surface of obvious obstacles connected to overwhelming bureaucracy, shifting politics, closed-minded "national interests" and undecipherable company law, there are lots of cross-cultural issues at work. The first (and foremost I believe) is a gap in tolerance of ambiguity / uncertainty. While that of Americans is very low, Italians comfortable live with and even thrive on ambiguity. In the end, the best of intentions fall between this crack. In a previous editorial the Ambassador states that, "Investments don't arrive where they are not well received. When the rules of the market change continuously without warning, the level of risk increases making it very difficult to program for the future." Sounds reasonable, to an American. I like that idea of programming for the future too, even in my daily life! And AT&T up and left town empty-handed citing "uncertain rules". They just couldn't see a straight line to the future.
Many years ago now, John (American), the Director of a small NGO in Rome, wanted to hire a part-time receptionist. A lawyer friend of mine stopped by the office one day to visit and John took advantage to ask, "Can I hire her off the books -- she will only be here for a few hours a day -- or not". Roberto gave what he thought was a clear and comprehensive picture of the situation by explaining that this would depend on John's comfort level with risk. Did he believe there was a high risk that this girl would eventually sue him for back taxes, or was he pretty sure she would not. In the first case, he should hire her on a regular contract and pay all the taxes and benefits, in the second, he could consider splitting the fallout with her and hiring her off the books. I looked back and forth between the two. Roberto seemed pleased at his job well-done, his clarity and precision regarding the situation. John's eyes glazed over and there was a minute of silence before he spoke, "So, can I hire her off the books, or not?"
a domani,
E
P.S. check out Shelley's post for pictures and a great story about her day at the Villa Taverna July 4th celebrations. Makes you crave a hamburger with the works!
April 19, 2007
Uncertain rules
The Americans came, looked about, and then stooped down to sniff. At base of the lovely and enchanting flowers, they smelled something dark and dank, obscure, indefinite – unsure of what it was, they moved on in search of greener fields. In other words, AT&T put forth an offer to acquire a controlling share of Telecom Italia, only to suddenly pull out, citing incertezza sulle regole (uncertain rules) as the reason -- or at least this is what the papers say.
In Italy the rules are never clear and straightforward and foreign investors don’t have the time and/or patience to figure them out. There are two ways to look at this complex area in terms of cross-cultural tools. One is by examining communication styles – our low context one in contrast to Italian high context style. The other is where the cultural value of rules lies along a spectrum that runs from their universal application to an orientation towards varying rules according to particular situations.
Context: (click here for a presentation of context in communication). In Italy rules often operate differently in different contexts and these subtle distinctions are really only accessible to Italians. In the end, only an Italian can understand how a rule can or should be interpreted in any given situation, depending on its context – extremely frustrating for foreigners!
Rules: (click here for a presentation of rules and their particular or universal application.) As one newspaper noted, it was not only the “uncertain rules” themselves that drove the Americans away, but the uncertain terrain on which new rules might be formed, undefined environmental “obstacles” coming from the government currently in power that could invent new rules to separate TLC services from their management. Transparency was also an issue as AT&T delved deeper into Telecom’s papers, or tried to. The problem being that these new rules only came about after the American offer, not before, as a way to lay a level playing ground for all – very uncertain terrain indeed that unsteadies the foreign investor and topples the best of plans.
A domani,
E
In Italy the rules are never clear and straightforward and foreign investors don’t have the time and/or patience to figure them out. There are two ways to look at this complex area in terms of cross-cultural tools. One is by examining communication styles – our low context one in contrast to Italian high context style. The other is where the cultural value of rules lies along a spectrum that runs from their universal application to an orientation towards varying rules according to particular situations.
Context: (click here for a presentation of context in communication). In Italy rules often operate differently in different contexts and these subtle distinctions are really only accessible to Italians. In the end, only an Italian can understand how a rule can or should be interpreted in any given situation, depending on its context – extremely frustrating for foreigners!
Rules: (click here for a presentation of rules and their particular or universal application.) As one newspaper noted, it was not only the “uncertain rules” themselves that drove the Americans away, but the uncertain terrain on which new rules might be formed, undefined environmental “obstacles” coming from the government currently in power that could invent new rules to separate TLC services from their management. Transparency was also an issue as AT&T delved deeper into Telecom’s papers, or tried to. The problem being that these new rules only came about after the American offer, not before, as a way to lay a level playing ground for all – very uncertain terrain indeed that unsteadies the foreign investor and topples the best of plans.
A domani,
E
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