Rules or Circumstances? Reflections from the Ice Cream Shop

What is more important: following the rules or making your customers happy?

And how is that related to culture?
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Over the weekend, I took my two boys to the mall for ice cream. While we were in line, my elder son mentioned that he preferred ice cream from another place. Since my younger son and I were more interested in the ice cream from the shop we were at, I decided to let my elder son buy his ice cream elsewhere and join us later.

He came back happily with his ice cream and joined our table. However, one of the staff approached us and informed me that they don’t allow customers to sit with ice cream from another shop. My son stood up and went outside with his ice cream. I stayed with my younger one, who didn't fully understand where his brother disappeared to.

Initially, I felt disappointed. I couldn't understand why there is such a strict policy, especially when two of us had already purchased ice cream from their shop.

I decided to suspend my judgment and further investigate my emotional reaction. I realized that the source of my disappointment is because in my home country, no one would really care about it, and sitting together as a family is more important than following the rules. Additionally, I recall growing up in a place where service excellence is linked to flexibility, and a more adaptable approach based on individual needs.

Then, I 'forced' myself to look at it from a different angle. I knew that in other cultures, service excellence is not necessarily about flexing the rules but is more related to a strong emphasis on order, consistency, and uniformity. I even asked myself, what if they allowed everyone to bring an ice cream from another shop? How would this place look?

It always amazed me how STICKY culture is – even after over 15 years of living in Singapore, my root culture stays strong and follows me even without my permission! :-) 

Connecting my story to research, it illustrates a typical tension between Particularism and Universalism – an important cultural dimension that influences our approaches to rules and regulations, coined by Fons Trompenaars.

In cultures with a high degree of particularism, context and individual circumstances often outweigh a standardized set of rules or principles, and decisions are made based on the specific situation and the people involved.

In contrast, cultures with a strong universalistic orientation emphasize the application of consistent rules and principles to ALL individuals and situations, regardless of personal relationships or context. 

Clearly, in this case, the ice cream shop's strict policy reflects a universalistic approach, where rules are applied consistently to all customers. While my son accepted the rule without complaint, it made me reflect on the importance of finding a balance between strict rules and individual circumstances, especially in relation to service expectations in a multicultural environment. 

What are your thoughts? Is it possible to ensure fairness and consistency without overlooking the unique situation? And what solution would you advise in that case?

#serviceacrosscultures #culturaldiversity #globalmindset #culturalintelligence
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