Flat3D

Back to Ireland for a week…

 If you missed it, it’s too late!  For a brief, one week only exclusive appearance, I was back in Northern Ireland!  It was a good week, I arrived and got to go to FAPC on Sunday for the last vacant services and met a lot of folk!  Monday and Tuesday were spent preparing for PC and Cara’s big day on Wednesday.  Tuesday was also spent with a brand, shining new cold, which has spun itself out until even today!  I also got to go to the installation of the new Rev at FAPC on Thursday, meet family and friends and even was about for my brother’s birthday on Friday!   What a week…

Some pics from the big wedding for you to see.  Best man isn’t the best place to take photos from, so there aren’t many and they are pretty terrible.  I only brought my point and shoot back with me, and it has certainly seen better days!

Paul and Cara’s Wedding

Tags: CC, cold, family, FAPC, friends, northern ireland, paul and cara, PC, PC and CC, wedding, week

East Meets West on David Mitchell’s soapbox…

I am a fan of David Mitchell.  He is an incredibly funny guy!  I have subscribed to his soapbox video podcast on itunes and every week or so he posts a little commentary on something (usually being a grumpy old man about it, but in a hilarious way).

This week he was talking about consensus and how it is becoming something that is more and more sought after, even when everyone doesn’t actually agree…

On Wednesday I was talking to my Japanese language partner about business in Japan.  He told me that in Japan a decision is not made until it is 100% agreed on.  A meeting won’t end until everyone has reached the same point and there is 100% consensus.  Quite the contrast to the west where often majority rule comes into play, or in some cases the higher strata just tell the lower what to do…  He told me of a recent political situation in which there was a problem, but no one could fully shirk responsibility as it was a 100% consensus to move forwards in that way.  However this is an understood position in Japan and often people will vote for something or put their name to something even though they don’t fully agree, or even may totally disagree, because a consensus must be reached.  Afterwards it isn’t uncommon to find people who agreed (eventually) later grumbling or saying “I told you so”.  It is also why often church meetings can go on for hours and hours!

So… I think David Mitchell may have stumbled upon this very same concept creeping into western culture and business…  A consequence of the east’s ever increasing influence on western business?  Or just westerners placing more value in “saving face” as folk here in the east?

Tags: business, consensus, david mitchell, japan, soapbox