Thang Nguyen 555

Cultures on Collision Course

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With some short-term relief work in Asia/Africa and long stint in Telecom, Thang also earned a B.A. at Pennsylvania State University. M.A. in Communication at Wheaton Graduate School, M.A. in Cross-Cultural Communication at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, Boston. In addition, he earned a CELTA – classes taken in Hanoi for cultural re-immersion.

Author: Thang Nguyen 555

  • Inter-group problems

    At work or in life, people are bunched together “us vs them”. No way around this. Shared values and “group DNA“. I am glad to see titles like Chief Cultural Officer. It’s about time we see how group think, group problems and group competition affect the bottom line. As we move away from the Command-Control management…

  • People-people problems

    Technical issues can be dealt with, even if we have to farm it out. People problems, especially when it’s personal, and potentially embarrassing, tend to linger on, and if unresolved and cancerous. We simply wish they go away. And they will. When the people died. Those of us who stand one foot in tech and the…

  • Taking chances

    Peter’s Principle states that line managers are often promoted “beyond their level of competency”. In other words, a technical guy, best at his job, ends up being the boss who has to crawl his way through business dilemma and personnel issues. In life, however, some problems cannot be solved at the same level where they…

  • Summer in mind

    Coming of age. Summer 42. Sandy beach. Surf. Dream. Instant memories. Something humbling about the vast expanse. Men  and women, hard and soft bodies, clothed and nude. All have walked those beaches. All have pondered and projected toward the unknown. Will i turn out alright! How much time do I have left to live? What…

  • Use it

    Hard times push people to diversify, retrench or change. My friends turn organic farmers. I have tried the road less traveled (although there were many scooters on it) and early morning gym (also less popular).  Honing and toning. Just another way to react to hard times. It will make us stronger, wiser and more creative. I…

  • The resemblance

    She offered me water, from her huge one-gallon container. Hip-hop dancer-trainer, you see. We need water, especially when we dance many sets at a local theme park to entertain and engage visitors. So, you finished the first of the “girl w/ the dragon tattoo?” …..so it went. We broke bread and shared snippets of our…

  • A sliver of hope

    I still remember the hype surrounding Google IPO ! Now with Facebook, it’s a deja vu. Anything to stir up and to enliven. We need hope when housing is still in the slump! We can do better! Simply because are wired with survival instincts. One man’s success will trigger a chain of similar success. Innovation tend to cluster. Ours…

  • Social dynamics

    Like aerodynamics,  social dynamics involve working with conflicts, not avoiding them. Since we are all made differently, we accept change at various speed. That’s why some ideas are voted down immediately. Others might take some arm-twisting. For instance, it took a while for some emerging countries to introduce the condoms. Used to be a cultural taboo to mention…

  • V for valley

    Silicon Valley that is. Palo Alto. The hype, the anticipation and burst. Dream and dread. It’s here for the taking. You game? Pine trees and even banana trees. Years ago, one would see Vietnamese technicians and Indian engineers. Now, the work is mostly outsourced and off shored. The design and creative work are still here. But…

  • Saigon siesta

    We used to lie on the floor (absorbing the coolness from the tiles) and listen to “Y0ur Song” , theme of that time’s radio broadcast. That’s my siesta as I can recall. Older brother used Hit Parade, with Elvis Presley  on the cover. My friend, meanwhile, laminated his vinyl album (James Taylor). We have just met over…