What Singaporeans can learn from the Malay culture

Culture shapes our behavior, because we are all the products of the cultures in our environment. In a blog post back in April, I talked about the role of culture in promoting teamwork in the workplace.

Examples abound of cultures that promote cooperation, as we see in proverbs from around the world. One African proverb states, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. A Vietnamese proverb tells us, “One person can make nothing, but three people can make a mountain”. An Irish proverb teaches that, “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live”.

In the April blog, I talked about Chinese culture’s link to teamwork on the job, discussing the Chinese concepts of guanxi (to build relationships) and renqing (to return favours). Today’s blog post focuses on how Malay culture can be used to promote feelings of cooperation among staff.

One pro-cooperation Malay proverb advises us that, “A rope of three strands is not easily parted (Tali yang tiga lembar itu tak suang-suang putus)”. I see this all the time in my work with colleagues. When I work alone on a task, the product may be good, but I’m likely to make errors and leave out important perspectives.

Fortunately, my colleagues are there to help. Often, the second and third colleagues whom I ask will add strands to the rope that my first colleague and I left out. Thus, with each colleague’s assistance, the rope grows stronger.

A second Malay proverb that promotes teamwork is, “When the load is light, you carry together, when the load is heavy, you carry together” (Ringan sama dijinjing, berat sama dipikul, ke bukit sama didaki, ke lurah semua dituruni). Thus, whether the task is something short, such as composing an email to send to colleagues, or a major project, such as designing a new product, teamwork is the way to go. In English, a similar proverb is, “Many hands make light the work”.

Perhaps the concept in Malay culture that most succinctly urges us to cooperate with one another is “gotong royong” (communal work). We see gotong royong in the spirit of the kampong, in which people come together to aid one another, whether they work together to put a roof on a house, to bring in the rice harvest or to prepare for a festival.

Working together not only makes the task quicker, working together also makes the task more enjoyable, by lending a social element to what might be a tedious task if done alone.

We human being are social animals; we enjoy doing things with others. Unfortunately, too many of your staff may be spending most of their working hours alone. Malay culture teaches that when people work together, they produce more and enjoy more. Doesn’t that sound like the type of workplace you want to promote?