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As wise people say, “Time is the only thing that is evenly distributed among people.” Nonetheless, differences in understanding time come from how it is utilized and how it is valued among cultures.

That everyone utilizes time is obvious. Some people use time effectively, in what is called sequential time management. They do one thing at a time. Northern, European and American cultures usually prefer this type of tasking. Southern cultures, like Turkey, go for efficiency and work synchronically. This means they like to do more than one task at a time. Both are good in their own way, yet both have some short-comings. Multi-tasking creates problems with meeting deadlines and potentially leads to issues related to limited span of control.

Valuing time is a bit more complicated. Some cultures value the future more than the past and present. Controlling what will happen to them is more important than the current situation and history. Countries or companies with relatively short historical backgrounds have this evaluation of time. For countries, the United States is a good example. Research & Development, IT, and web businesses are good examples of these types of companies. Accurate planning and forecasting are the main tasks within these cultures. They know and respect the past, and manage daily events while focusing on shaping the future. The value circles go from smaller to bigger and from past to future. People who are future-oriented have a tendency not to think of their past, but live for the day with a constant focus on what will, and more importantly what should, happen tomorrow. The biggest advantage of these cultures is that they are prepared for the future. The biggest disadvantage is that they do not enjoy the day as others do. People or organizations constantly set up new goals as soon as they reach the previous ones.

Some cultures consider the past more important than the present and the future. They are proud of their past, which they believe prepared them for the present and ensures their existence tomorrow. Countries and companies with long histories, such as the United Kingdom and most of the well-known international banks and law firms, can be given as examples. They are loaded with long-established rules and regulations which have been around for years, and it is very difficult to challenge them. People within these cultures strongly believe that if you stick to your traditions, they will keep you safe and sound for many years to come. When a technological change occurs, they try to govern it with the existing rules and regulations.

Cultures and companies that live for the day without focusing too much on the past or the future are rare. Scandinavian countries and service companies live like this. They often view the past, present and future in equal proportions. As long as today is lived well or the services delivered, everything is fine. Constantly changing rules and relatively short-term planning are the main characteristics of these cultures.

As history and circumstances have shaped these cultures, they have also shaped Turkey. Turkey also pretty much lives in the present. Due to historical reasons, the Republic of Turkey is disconnected from the preceding 600 years, which was replete with rules, regulations and rituals. The economic and political turbulence since the founding of the Republic has prevented people from planning long-term. It has been so severe at times those banks occasionally could not make projections beyond a month or two. Furthermore, Turkey’s fiscal and legal systems are still developing.

Because of these factors, Turkish culture - specifically Turkish business culture - still lives in the present. People are always prepared for changes in their lives and businesses. Unfortunately, this prevents them from digging up useful information from the past or focusing on a project which will change the long term future. The low number of patent applications is a good indication of this. Foreign managers from future-oriented cultures at first often criticize their Turkish colleague distributors for short-term planning as they themselves attempt to figure out the dynamics of the country.

Lately, thanks to single digit inflation, relatively lower interest rates and political stability, Turkish society is slowly starting to focus more on the future. In the right circumstances, it will be hard for Turkey to not focus on the future, as half of the population is very young. Benefiting from the past and preparing for the future while living for the day is the ideal scenario, and Turkey is entering into a new era to do just that.