18.1 – Introduction to Switzerland

Welcome to Switzerland! Switzerland is a small country of slightly more than seven million inhabitants that plays a significant role in the world in banking, engineering, design, hospitality and gastronomy, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and international humanitarian activity.

lt is difficult to communicate the essence of any national culture. Switzerland proposes particular challenges in doing so, as it is a confederation of two major religious groups, four language communities, and 26 cantons (states) each with its own strongly distinct and long history. But it is precisely this history-more than 700 years of balancing majority-minority, central and local societal interests, often through the device of direct democracy-that has given rise and continued support to the Swiss valuing consensus, slow processes that thoroughly examine all factors involved in a decision, and sticking to that carefully crafted decision once it is in place.

To survive and thrive economically on land almost devoid of natural resources, the Swiss have focused on crafting value-added products, elevating “made in Switzerland” to a global seal of approval. The rigour that leads to such precision is supported by the Swiss style of communication–direct and impersonal.

How did this complex country come about? Starting in 1291 with the three original cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, Switzerland gradually constructed an allegiance of communities from amongst four language communities in Middle Europe: German, French, Italian and Romansh. As early as 1515 the Swiss split equally between Catholic and Protestant citizens and resisted the religious rivalries that bloodied much of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1648 the Holy Roman Empire recognized the

Swiss confederation’s independence. Switzerland then formalized its neutrality and has maintained this independence and neutrality until today.

Not only history, but geography has also profoundly influenced Switzerland. The famed Alps extend over the central and southern regions covering almost two-thirds of the country’s total surface area, making the amount of arable land one of the lowest percentages in Western Europe. Two-thirds of the Swiss live on 30 per cent of the country’s surface area, on the plateau between Lake Geneva and Lake Constance. Foothill and alpine meadows have been put to use for livestock grazing to yield the milk for the production of the foods Switzerland is famous for cheese and chocolate. By building infrastructure and developing transport, Switzerland has turned the economic “liability” of its mountains into a boon-60% of its tourism is concentrated in the Alps and their foothills, with tourism constituting a vital component of the Swiss economy.

At first, Switzerland may strike you as picture-postcard idyllic or unrealistically exacting. However, as you come to understand Swiss values and how they are lived, you may discover how the Swiss have successfully integrated broad cultural diversity, resulting in a remarkably stable and prosperous society at peace with the world.

Core Values: Understanding the Swiss on Their Own Terms

Keep in mind that values interact with and influence one another, and many of them overlap. In addition, most cultures have an ” ideal” and a ” real” version-that to which people aspire and that which actually happens! There are also frequently trends in society that run in direct opposition to prevailing values, or groups of people who resist traditional values and offer a stark contrast to them. Whether by following them or resisting them, a society’s prevailing values provide important clues to help us build relationships and accomplish our goals.

The inner part of the Values Lens on the next page shows the name given to each value highlighted in Cultural Detective: Switzerland, a brief description of the value, and how it might be negatively perceived or experienced. In the circle surrounding the magnifying glass, you will see the regional values. These regional values affect and are in turn affected by the core Swiss values. Cultural outsiders most commonly voice the negative perceptions, but those within a culture may voice negative perceptions as well. You might think of values as positive intentions and negative perceptions as unfortunate realities. Many times, negative perceptions are based on a lack of understanding of a cultural perspective. Using the Cultural Detective Model can help you understand your colleagues’ points of view, and leverage each other’s strengths to work more effectively together.

Core Swiss Values

 

These values are taught as good and virtuous, both explicitly and unconsciously, in families, places of worship, schools, and the media-as guiding principles for how one should think and act as an honest and productive citizen and worker. Though these core values are sometimes ideals that are not fully realized on an individual or social level, they represent beliefs and attitudes that drive personal behaviour, business practices, and political decisions.

1. ConsenSwiss: Resulting from a centuries-long co-existence of four cultures, as well as a deep­ rooted principle of direct democracy, the Swiss have developed a strong sense for consensus. Although it is considered normal for everyone to have a say, the country is governed by”agreement” rather than by “government versus opposition.” Emphasis is put on everybody “buying in” to decisions, including in the business and professional worlds. This forces the Swiss to look at many sides of an issue and to reach an acceptable accommodation of all points of view. lt is not only the final decision that matters but also the fact of having reached agreement “as a group.” Negative Perception: Indecisive. Most Swiss tend not only to be champions of compromise but also try to avoid openly taking any controversial stance. At times, a decision might be taken by compromising in an implicit way, possibly following an opinion leader suggesting the least contestable bid. The ensuing absence of open debates and the reluctance to defend contesting points of view can be perceived as paralyzing or weakening by outsiders. Or, in the interest of harmony, decisions are deferred indefinitely, which can be very frustrating for those not accustomed to this approach.
2. Swiss Made. Swiss-made stands for precision and perfection, accuracy and care, reliability and efficiency, detail orientation, safety and aesthetic design. lt also stands for stability, service and prestige. In short, the Swiss pride themselves on excellence in craftsmanship. Negative Perception: Arrogant. This assumption of the superiority of Swiss products by the Swiss can be perceived as arrogant by those who are then, by definition, producing “inferior” goods.
3. lt’s Not Personal: Especially in the German part of Switzerland, professionalism is associated with straight-talking: clear, direct, dry, and efficient communication. Since one does not generally relate personally- “professional distance” prevails in most business situations-there is no reason to consider the feelings of others when communicating ” business.” The key issue tends to be what is said, rather than how it is said or by or to whom; such communication should never be taken personally. Most Swiss mean what they say and say what they mean, and can remain “matter-of-fact,” frank, and direct even when dealing with clients, “superiors,” or those they have recently met. This being said, it is important to note that the value of “ConsenSwiss” interacts with the value of “It’s Not Personal” when it comes to group decisions.

In such situations, you will observe a cautious, non-confrontational and compromising (‘political’) attitude, where silence might be used to show disagreement while avoiding open conflict. Negative Perception: Critical. At times, the “extreme frankness” perceived by most Swiss, associated with the absence of softening the negatives with positive comments, can be perceived as offensive and hurtful to people used to more indirect and ” face-saving” ways of communication. Many Swiss do not phrase direct feedback in a way that is designed to avoid hurting another’s feelings; it is not meant personally anyway but is intended as sincere guidance for improving quality, process, or conduct, even in a private context.

1. Slowly but Surely. Before arriving at any decision, extensive information is usually studied in detail, in order to make sure no risks are taken and no major points are missed. Everything, all possible options, have to be thought through in advance in order to take future events into account as much as possible. This characteristic, combined with the Swiss inclination to give everybody a say and to reach a consensus, makes for a slow decision-making process, with a preference for long-term planning.
2. Negative Perception: Inefficient. For more pragmatic cultures, the slow analysis and decision­ making process, combined with the deep preference for consensus and precision work of the Swiss, can be perceived of as inefficient.
3. Sticking to The Plan. When something has been decided, it is assumed to be definite. Therefore, reliability means doing exactly what you have said you will do, even if the circumstances have changed.
4. Negative Perception: Inflexible. Quick decisions in Switzerland are unlikely, which is often perceived as inflexibility. Likewise, most people will not greet new ideas with enthusiasm until they have checked out all the implications. But once they give a ” yes,” it usually really is a “yes.”

18.2 – Specific values by linguistic region

The following values distinguish the regional sub-cultures within Switzerland. The language cultures may share strong common values and beliefs, but also embody different norms and patterns.

German Swiss/ Deut schschweizer / Les Suisses Alemaniques

(64% of the population)

1. Anstand; Decency, Propriety. German-Swiss live by a basic code of behaviour that regulates the myriad activities of daily life. This code is not optional or a matter of being polite or impolite but is seen as essential to the ordering and quality of life. German-Swiss will generally be embarrassed (and apologetic) if for some reason they are found in violation of this code. A common demand of children by their German-Swiss parents is sig aständig, a plea for behaviour congruent with strict social expectations. This also means that children are often absent from social gatherings.

German-Swiss often expect that others want to be guided in how to live by this sense of propriety. It is perfectly acceptable, even considerate, for a German-Swiss neighbour to put a note in your letterbox telling you that you left your recycling bin on the curb too long or that it is time for you to trim your garden hedge. In the German-speaking part of Switzerland,

‘· ·                 great attention is devoted to doing things in this socially regulated way, from bundling your newspapers properly for recycling pickup, to how you are permitted to put your feet on the train seat. (If you need to keep your shoes on, you are expected to place a newspaper under the heels of your shoes; if you remove your shoes you may place your feet directly on the seat. You would do neither if someone were sitting on that particular seat bench). Negative Perception: Rule-bound. A French expatriate living in an apartment building noticed that some of the rented parking spaces at the back of the building were never used, even though she was told by the owner of the building that all were rented to other tenants. The French woman was a single mother and at times struggled to get her two young daughters and her groceries out of the car and into the house. One day she decided to park in one of the vacant spaces to make this process easier. When she returned to the car, she found a note written by a neighbour informing her that she was not entitled to park there. Noticing that the parking space continued to be vacant, she left her car for 45 minutes another day and got another note from a neighbour. The next day the real estate company called, mentioning that they had been informed about her abuse of the parking space. The company could confirm that, indeed, the parking lot was only rarely used, since that tenant only lived in town six weeks a year. Nonetheless, they insisted she never uses the parking space because “that’s the rule.”

A family moved from the U.S.A. to an affluent neighbourhood outside of one of Switzerland’s major cities. Most neighbours were expatriates themselves, and they quickly felt comfortable. One of the only Swiss living there invited them over for a drink one night, underlined how mutual respect was important to the community living in the neighbourhood and said that he was sure they would fit the community well. Two weeks later, he knocked on their door and informed them that it was time for them to cut the grass in their garden. ” We like it to look nice here”.

2. Pünktlichkeit; Punctuality. Switzerland is known the world over for the precision of its timepieces and concern with punctuality. Within Switzerland, the German-Swiss are particularly known for the precision of their internal “timepieces.” A German-Swiss will generally consider someone late if they arrive after the second-hand sweeps onto the appointed time. People routinely arrive at business appointments, theatre performances, and outings between 15 and five minutes ahead of time, so as to be sure to be “on time.” Arriving late is seen as a sign of poor self-management and is considered highly socially irresponsible. Once a person is viewed as someone who is “late,” it is very difficult for Swiss Germans to take that person entirely seriously. Negative Perception: Machine-like. It was the last day of an art exhibition of international importance. The museum was scheduled to open at 10 am, and several buses had arrived a bit early. As time passed by, the queue in front of the museum became even longer. As the museum is a glass building, the queuing visitors could see that all the staff, from the cashier to the security staff and guides, were ready to welcome the visitors well in advance. They were chatting, looking at the queue, then at their watches and back again, but nobody made any attempt to open the doors. When it started to rain heavily four minutes prior to the opening time, the queuing visitors started waving at the museum personnel, hoping they would open the doors. But only once the church bell tolled ten times did the staff open the door. Some of the visitors could not understand what they saw and perceived the staff’s behaviour as a lack of service orientation.

 

French-Swiss/ Westschweizer / Romands {19% of the population)

1. Le Patron, c’est le patron; The Boss is the Boss.

(NOTE: The English word ” boss” does not carry all the implications of the French /e patron, which means one who has a sense of personal responsibility for those managed, who acts as a personal benefactor and defender in addition to the purely managerial responsibilities of assigning tasks and resources.)

 

Although very consensus-oriented as are most Swiss, the French-Swiss have a high respect for hierarchy. Most Swiss have grown up recognizing collective hierarchy and defining the ideal manager as a democratic team leader who will incorporate the opinions of his team in his decision-making process. In the French part of Switzerland, a certain autocratic/charismatic authority is still respected and at times even expected. French-Swiss tend to work more for a leader and a cause rather than to take up a role or work for a task or objective. They tend to be sensitive to elements of respect, trust, affinity, and personal relationships but also value demonstrated formality when dealing with their superiors or subordinates.

In daily working life, this translates into the widespread use of more formal forms of address than in some other parts of Switzerland. The use of the family name with the formal vous is widespread between hierarchically different positions, and charisma is clearly recognized as a management quality. French-Swiss in leadership positions is expected to attend to ” relationship building” by meeting certain social obligations, such as inviting all of the staff to their homes early in a team’s Formation process and organizing special events such as birthdays or joint celebrations. Finally, only a few people will take any offence at the boss having the privilege of an individual office, or showing up a bit later at work than the others. C’est /e patron! Negative Perception: Lack of initiative. A German consultant was invited to facilitate a two­ day-long workshop with a team of Swiss teachers, to work on strategies to enhance the quality of the teaching provided at their school. Whereas the German-Swiss participated actively, coming up with many ideas, the French-Swiss listened to the discussion but did not offer any suggestions of their own. When asked directly by the consultant what their ideas were, the French-Swiss teachers responded that it wasn’t really relevant to discuss these issues in the absence of the school principal, as, “He will have the final say anyway. So why spend time on things he probably will not act on in the end?”

2. Convivialite!; First, Be Human! Although most Swiss promote a sense of “professional distance” at work, the French-Swiss usually prefer to work and/or do business with people they know or appreciate personally. Therefore, personal relations are promoted at work in order to build mutual trust. Many occasions are organized in the workplace to meet informally: coffee drinking, going for a longer lunch together or joining the traditional apero (aperitif) on Friday afternoon just before heading out for the weekend. Not only are these all occasions to build a strong working relationship, but they also provide opportunities to resolve some professional matters in an informal way. This is true for French-Swiss co-workers, but also for French-Swiss leaders and managers. An international study revealed that the French-Swiss ” patron” cultivates closer and more significant relationships with clients than most of his/her European colleagues; communication tends to be spontaneous and relationship-oriented. The study concluded that this strong personal and social orientation (social responsibility of the CEO) represented a clear competitive advantage for the French-Swiss companies. Convivialite also stands for spontaneity and the permanent search for originality. Negative Perception: Favouritism. An engineer had been working for a renowned French-Swiss company for more than a decade and was interested in finding a more senior position in the organization. He started applying for various managerial positions posted internally, but always other, at times younger, colleagues were chosen instead of him. As time passed and the number of jobs he had unsuccessfully applied for grew, he suspected the selection process was not fair. One day, sitting at a table in the cafeteria enjoying his morning coffee, he shared his frustration with some colleagues who happened to work in the Human Resources department. They listened to him, and one finally smiled and asked him, “Do you play bridge?” The engineer was surprised and replied no. “That’s the answer: most managers, including the top managers, meet to play bridge at least once a month. When having to choose somebody for a job, they usually pick people they know personally from these circles. Start joining all informal social gatherings and learn to play bridge.” He followed these instructions, spent more time socializing, and was chosen as a manager a few months later.

Italian Swiss and Romansh/ Svizzera Italiana and Rumantschia

(9% of the population)

 

The valleys Centovalli, Val di Vergeletto, Val Pescia, Val Pontinore, Val di Prato, Val Müstair, Valpochiavo, Val d’Alvra, Val Bregaglia, Tumleagsta, Engiadina, Surselva, Surmeir in the South (Ticino) and in the Southeastern portion of Switzerland (Graubünden/Grisons), are home to the Italian Swiss and the Romansh-speakers of Switzerland.

Comprising just nine per cent of the Swiss population (Italian Swiss 8%; Romansh 1%), limited economic opportunity and geography have played a significant role in the cultural evolution of these two language communities. The demands of subsistence farming, which in Ticino included the cultivation of vineyards, led to a culture built around rural trades and crafts. The isolation of the valleys fostered the development of highly localized traditions such as mule races, characteristic architecture, and dialects that vary from valley to valley.

 

Romansh, the fourth language of Switzerland and the third language spoken along with German (68%) and Italian (10%) in the canton of Graubünden, is the native tongue of roughly 60,000 people rooted in these valley communities. Strictly speaking, there is no Romansh language as such, but rather five separate language groupings-Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter and Vallader-spoken in their respective regions. To aid in the preservation of Romansh, a composite written language formed by averaging out the words across the five dialects was created in 1982 and dubbed Rumantsch Grishun. The four southern valleys of Graubünden (Val Mesolcina, Val Calanca, Val Poschiavo, Val Bregaglia) are Italian-speaking with close cultural ties to the Italian Swiss canton of Ticino.

In the Italian part of Switzerland, Svizzera Italiana, “standard” Italian as it is spoken in Italy is the official and commonly written language. However, various Italian Swiss dialects (Ticinese) are extensively spoken and dominate communication in private life. The use of the various Ticinese dialects gives a local identity to the speaker, and people sharing the same dialect feel a sense of community.                                                                                                                                        –

Over the last century, the pleasant weather and beautiful scenery of these regions of Switzerland have been a magnet for tourists: in the canton of Ticino Germans and German-Swiss buy vacation homes on lakes surrounded by almost tropical fauna (including palm trees!); in the canton of Grisons the world flocks to hike and climb the craggy alpine valleys, to ski resorts such as St. Moritz and to Davos for the World Economic Forum, as well as buy houses to live in an area where nature is pristine and the locals maintain remnants of a simpler time.

 

Tourism is now the single most significant socio-economic factor in these formerly economically marginal agricultural areas. Thus, values specific to both of these communities have much to do with the dynamics of preserving culturally distinct islands within a sea of seasonal residents and tourists.

1. Politeness (towards the in-group). In very small communities in which seemingly everybody knows everybody, politeness is of utmost importance because family honour is perceived to be at stake. This value is amplified by the strong traditional attitude of both communities, maintained by living in remote agricultural valleys often difficult to get to and largely uninfluenced by urban civilization. Negative Perception: Cold and Aloof. A business consultant was invited to facilitate a two-hour session on international marketing for high school students in the Romansh part of Switzerland. This session was part of a one-week-long tourism study project with students from various parts of the region. The two local teachers and the two tourism professionals of the region who were in charge of this project joined the session as well. The consultant’s impression was that the session went well; at least the students seemed to appreciate it. He expected some feedback at least from the project leader who had hired him. Instead, the project leader rushed out of the room with the students and the other project managers, simply suggesting that they all meet at seven pm to have dinner together in a local restaurant. During the dinner, none of the project managers mentioned the afternoon session at all. Although it was a very lively and entertaining gathering with everyone clearly enjoying themselves, it seemed to the consultant as if the two-hour session had never taken place. Not wanting to leave without any feedback at all, the consultant finally asked the project leader very directly if the session had met his expectations or not. “Oh, yes, that was a very good session, thank you so much,” was the short reply he got. The terse one-line email he received two days later, thanking him for his time and effort which the students had appreciated, confirmed his feeling that something must have gone wrong and nobody dared to tell him so directly.

Consequently, the consultant was very surprised when he received a phone call from the German-Swiss project assistant who had not been able to join the session for medical reasons. She called to inform him she had just read the evaluations:”I’ m feeling so sorry I missed your session. Especially now that I know that both the students and the project managers unanimously quoted your input as the highlight of the week.”

1. Maintaining Appearances. The Italian Swiss and Romansh communities have grown increasingly aware of their economic dependence on tourism but perceive this development as a threat to their traditional lifestyle. As more and more young people leave these regions for Switzerland’s larger cities, use of both Romansh and Italian continues to dwindle; the vast majority of Italian Swiss use Italian and/ or Ticinese only amongst themselves, defaulting to German with others. Many members of these communities feel the need to defend their land, property, and identity. Consequently, the Roman sh, for example, may offer better prices or special conditions for in­ group members, particularly when property changes hands in the Grisons. If confronted regarding this ” discrimination,” they may respond with stubborn resolve. Some find both the Romansh and the Italian Swiss open when encountered outside their home territory, such as when they live and work in the rest of Switzerland, but at home in Grisons or Ticino, it is another story. As a French-Swiss student reported about his experience in Ticino, “as soon as they realize that you don’t speak any local dialects, they quickly lose interest in you, and prefer to stick to themselves”.
2. Negative Perception: Deceitful. A consultant hesitated a long time in accepting an invitation to facilitate a session on international marketing. The project leader emphasized that they could not afford to pay any fee for the facilitation. “We’II refund your travel expenses, but we don’t have the funds for more than that.” The consultant decided it was worth the experience and accepted the project nonetheless. When he joined the group for a dinner out after the session, the consultant could not believe that the four project managers had all ordered the most expensive items on the menu. He was also surprised when the project leader ordered several bottles of the most expensive wine. From the conversation around the table, it became obvious to the consultant that the group had enjoyed such lavish treatment throughout the week. He felt deceived and betrayed by the local project leader who was spending as he wished while saying that he was on a limited budget.