In experiencing my first week in Singapore, I initially expected the work culture to be busy and booming because of their open market economic environment. I also expected the population to be very international with lots of people from all different backgrounds because of the level of involvement they have in trading and because I knew it as a global business hot-spot. I think both of these expectations were in some ways made a reality, but not like I could’ve expected! As I continue my time here, I hope to gain a better understanding as to how business is conducted in a country as unique as Singapore is and to simply broaden my perspective about different cultural values and lifestyles.
In my observation of the nature of their work culture, it appears as a whole much less individualistic and competitive than America’s culture. I think this is largely due to the country’s sense of collectivism, keeping the mission focused on the people and maintaining a group mentality. A clear example where I experienced this first hand was in our company visit to Maybank as Greg Seow (the company’s Head of Global Banking) represented himself as a very down-to-earth and team oriented person. In hearing his presentation, I could really tell that he truly valued the people on his teams, which I believe is very unique to someone at his level of prestige. Although he delved into the details of Maybank’s business practices, he always brought it back to the people.
As for the country’s internationality, I’ve found it very interesting how much of an emphasis Singaporeans place on each individual’s heritage, while still maintaining a sense of unity. They clearly focus on preserving the varying prominent Asian cultures and their respective languages as key pillars to the country’s identity, whether it be in the presence of Little India and Chinatown, or in the representation of each language on the signs in the city’s public transportation system. I’ve really enjoyed being exposed to these differing cultures in our visits to the Asian Civilizations Museum and to the Buddhist and Hindu temples, as well as through talking with our guides!
One major difference I’ve noticed between Singapore and the US is Singapore’s attention to laws and order. We’ve heard it a few times now that Singapore is referred to as a “fine city” since it’s both a lovely city, but people can face serious fines for offenses as simple as littering or jaywalking. This is certainly different from the US because I feel Americans have their own way of doing things and our legal system seems to be less strict as a whole. Singaporeans definitely appear to have a greater respect for authority in this way. Another observational difference is the biodiversity of Singapore; although the city is fairly densely urbanized and packed with skyscrapers, the beauty of the island’s lush tropical environment is well integrated. This is very different from our highly urbanized cities in the states.
I look forward to the other insights and observations I’ll gain going into this next week abroad and am so incredibly grateful for the adventures we’ve had thus far!
