Discuss some basic cultural dimensions on which societies differ. Analyze the following scenario and provide insight on the possible cultural differences that may be in play.

Scenario: A manufacturing plant in Thailand was falling behind schedule in producing semiconductors for worldwide distribution. To investigate the reasons behind this lag, Operations and Manufacturing managers Cathy Hutchison and Sean Forlani set up a conference call with the Thai managers in charge of production, assembly and testing.

Cathy started by asking them for feedback on the constraints in the factory contributing to the delay in the shipping schedule. There was silence and then one of the Thais asked if they could please hold. Cathy and Sean held on the line for 10 minutes, hearing a discussion in Thai in the background. When the Thais got back on the line, the assembly manager said, Yes, there were quality control problems, but they were working very hard to resolve them as soon as possible. Wanting the specifics, Sean began asking a series of questions to uncover more detailed information. However, the answers he received were, in his opinion, insufficient.

Finally, Cathy asked if there were constraints in the assembly. The assembly manager answered, Yes, there are. Relieved, Sean asked how long it would take to fix the problem. There was a long pause, so Sean then asked if they could fix it in a week. The Thais said that they could. Cathy then asked for the maximum number of devices that they could commit to shipping out each day, after the week had passed. The Thais agreed on a number. Sean and Cathy ended the phone call feeling satisfied that everything had been taken care of and was under control.

In two weeks, however, although the assembly problem had been fixed and the factory workers were working significant overtime hours, the plant was not meeting the quota per day that had been agreed upon. Exasperated, Sean and Cathy set up another conference call to ask the Thais what was the matter, and why. Again, the Thais put them on hold and then began to answer in general terms. Finally, Sean asked if they had found constraints in any other areas besides assembly. The manager in charge of testing then answered that the primary constraint had been in the testing area and that they had just about resolved it. Angrily, Sean asked why he hadnt told them about the problem before. There was a long pause and then the production manager said, last time, you asked about assembly and we did tell you. Sean and Cathy terminated the phone call shortly thereafter, wondering if the Thais were prone to hiding things or just couldnt understand English.