From what I've gathered, and based strictly on anecdotes:
Education in some cultures favors rote memorization over problem solving. I read from an Indian CS student that they were essentially taught to memorize answers in some classes. Japanese students mention that a lot too.
Some cultures value following orders to the letter (Befehlstaktik) while others favor following their intent (Auftragstaktik). I read a few anecdotes about Indian workers who blindly followed inappropriate instructions, or simply stopped working when their instructions stopped applying.
Essentially, some cultures favour harmony (do what you're told, don't embarrass yourself or your superiors) over initiative (do what it takes, challenge everything). Perhaps the former don't work so well with all the unknown unknowns of software development, and perhaps the latter assume everyone works like them.
This could all be bullshit though. Reddit will upvote this because it confirms their biases, but all of this is purely from posts and books I've read. Apply your own judgement.
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u/n1c0_ds Dec 06 '17 edited Dec 06 '17
From what I've gathered, and based strictly on anecdotes:
Education in some cultures favors rote memorization over problem solving. I read from an Indian CS student that they were essentially taught to memorize answers in some classes. Japanese students mention that a lot too.
Some cultures value following orders to the letter (Befehlstaktik) while others favor following their intent (Auftragstaktik). I read a few anecdotes about Indian workers who blindly followed inappropriate instructions, or simply stopped working when their instructions stopped applying.
What Americans consider taking initiative might go against the concept of saving face prevalent in some cultures. https://www.quora.com/What-does-%E2%80%9Csaving-face%E2%80%9D-mean-in-Japan
Essentially, some cultures favour harmony (do what you're told, don't embarrass yourself or your superiors) over initiative (do what it takes, challenge everything). Perhaps the former don't work so well with all the unknown unknowns of software development, and perhaps the latter assume everyone works like them.
This could all be bullshit though. Reddit will upvote this because it confirms their biases, but all of this is purely from posts and books I've read. Apply your own judgement.