Dialogue
Susan: Hi, Silke. As I said in my email, we’ve been enjoying working with you and your team these past weeks. But I think it would be good if we talked about some differences in our working cultures.
Sure, like what?
Well, for example, your team seems to be flexible about the schedule and deadlines. My team is finding it difficult to plan their own activities if they can’t be certain that your team will finish their stages beforehand and on time. How do you feel about the schedule and the stage deadlines?
Well, it’s good that we’re all moving in the same direction and are in agreement about our goals. Sometimes, things change and other work gets in the way. Or there’s a delay in starting because we’re still waiting for information ourselves.
OK, I understand. But your team is probably more focused on the goal than on the process and timing of getting to the goal, right?
Yes, you could say that.
If we know that there is going to be a delay, then we can plan around it, which we can’t do if we find out at the last minute.
OK, I understand. I’ll talk to my team.
Great. Thanks very much, Silke.
Are there other points you think we should discuss?
Yes, there is one thing. It’s about the communication channels that we use. My team is often in meetings and can’t always react immediately to calls. Your team often calls without warning instead of emailing or scheduling a call, and then it’s difficult for my team to keep track of all the voicemail messages.
I see. We prefer using the phone, as it’s more personal than email. It’s also faster. It’s part of our culture — call first!
I understand. So, that’s probably something you don’t want to change, right?
I think we’d like to continue doing it that way. What if we stop leaving voicemails if we can’t reach someone, and simply send an email? Would that make it easier for your team? And in case anyone needs to check what tasks have been completed — or which decisions have been taken — they can always look in our planning software.
Yes, that sounds great, Silke. Many thanks for your flexibility. I’m sure this will help our teams to work together successfully.
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