Are American CEOs lazy?
In U.S. News and World Report, Rick Newman writes about some survey results suggesting that Asian CEOs don’t whine as much as American CEOs: Development Dimensions International, the human-resources firm, recently did a survey of business leaders in the United States and in China. Some provocative findings: In China, 23 percent of business leaders complain ...
In U.S. News and World Report, Rick Newman writes about some survey results suggesting that Asian CEOs don't whine as much as American CEOs: Development Dimensions International, the human-resources firm, recently did a survey of business leaders in the United States and in China. Some provocative findings: In China, 23 percent of business leaders complain about the amount of work they do. In the States the figure is more than twice as high: 49 percent. Chinese businesspeople are more satisfied; 80 percent feel they have work-life balance. Only 69 percent of American businesspeople feel the same way. Business leaders in China are gluttons for punishment, too?93 percent say they'd be willing to sacrifice more free time to get ahead in business. Only 66 percent of Americans say that. Americans aren't lazy. We all know people who work a full day and bring work home for evenings and weekends. And many parents do that while juggling kids. But Americans have developed expectations that border on unreasonable: prosperity, leisure, and fulfillment, all at once, plus we have a mentality that leads us to believe we're entitled to these things.... In Asia, the lifestyle issues that have formed their own industry in the West still barely register. "In China, India, and Singapore, they're not talking about work-life-balance issues," argues David Heenan, author of Flight Capital. "They're working like crazy and taking no prisoners." Much of that has to do with recent?and ancient?history. America has been one of the world's most prosperous nations for decades. China, like India, is just beginning to taste prosperity. We're satiated. They're still lean and hungry. Like Americans 100 or 150 years ago, the new Asian capitalists are willing to sacrifice their personal lives for the once rare opportunity to improve their lives and maybe even get rich. The rewards of leisure and family time, of course, are among the things that motivate people to get rich. Who doesn't want to retire at 50, wealthy enough to do little more than play golf, socialize, volunteer, and cultivate a covey of grandchildren? Well, not the Chinese, evidently. Not yet, anyway. Puzzle this one out: While 45 percent of American business leaders find their personal life more fulfilling than their work life, only 3 percent of Chinese business leaders feel that way. I don't find this to be much of a puzzle at all -- American CEOs have greater leisure opportunities than Asian bosses. Neither do I suspect it's quite the dilemma that Newman suggests -- my strong suspicion is that American bosses can devote greater hours to work and personal life than Asian bosses -- because U.S. hours devoted to non-renumerative work have likely declined faster than in Asia. There's no puzzle for an obvious reason (which Newman recognizes) -- Americans are much better situated to maximize their utili
In U.S. News and World Report, Rick Newman writes about some survey results suggesting that Asian CEOs don’t whine as much as American CEOs:
Development Dimensions International, the human-resources firm, recently did a survey of business leaders in the United States and in China. Some provocative findings:
In China, 23 percent of business leaders complain about the amount of work they do. In the States the figure is more than twice as high: 49 percent. Chinese businesspeople are more satisfied; 80 percent feel they have work-life balance. Only 69 percent of American businesspeople feel the same way. Business leaders in China are gluttons for punishment, too?93 percent say they’d be willing to sacrifice more free time to get ahead in business. Only 66 percent of Americans say that. Americans aren’t lazy. We all know people who work a full day and bring work home for evenings and weekends. And many parents do that while juggling kids. But Americans have developed expectations that border on unreasonable: prosperity, leisure, and fulfillment, all at once, plus we have a mentality that leads us to believe we’re entitled to these things…. In Asia, the lifestyle issues that have formed their own industry in the West still barely register. “In China, India, and Singapore, they’re not talking about work-life-balance issues,” argues David Heenan, author of Flight Capital. “They’re working like crazy and taking no prisoners.” Much of that has to do with recent?and ancient?history. America has been one of the world’s most prosperous nations for decades. China, like India, is just beginning to taste prosperity. We’re satiated. They’re still lean and hungry. Like Americans 100 or 150 years ago, the new Asian capitalists are willing to sacrifice their personal lives for the once rare opportunity to improve their lives and maybe even get rich. The rewards of leisure and family time, of course, are among the things that motivate people to get rich. Who doesn’t want to retire at 50, wealthy enough to do little more than play golf, socialize, volunteer, and cultivate a covey of grandchildren? Well, not the Chinese, evidently. Not yet, anyway. Puzzle this one out: While 45 percent of American business leaders find their personal life more fulfilling than their work life, only 3 percent of Chinese business leaders feel that way.
I don’t find this to be much of a puzzle at all — American CEOs have greater leisure opportunities than Asian bosses. Neither do I suspect it’s quite the dilemma that Newman suggests — my strong suspicion is that American bosses can devote greater hours to work and personal life than Asian bosses — because U.S. hours devoted to non-renumerative work have likely declined faster than in Asia. There’s no puzzle for an obvious reason (which Newman recognizes) — Americans are much better situated to maximize their utili
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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