Traveling into DC this past Wednesday was quite the trek. The night before, I had gone over all of the pick-up times of the College Park Metro Shuttle, as well as the track schedules for both the Green and Red Line that would transport me to Dupont Circle, all of which had to get me to the SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies) building by 9 AM, where I would meet Dr. Gordon Bodnar.
Bodnar, who is the Morris W. Offit Professor of International Finance and Director of the International Economics Program, has an extensive background in the field of international relations. Having held teaching positions all over the world, including in Frankfurt, Germany, Dr. Bodnar has a lot of experience and knowledge about how nations interact in the business world. It was a bit intimidating at first when I was thinking about the idea of interviewing him, as his vast expertise made all of the experience I have had seem slightly less important, to say the least. However, once I first shook hands with Dr. Bodnar, these feelings were immediately quelled and I felt very comfortable in his office.
From the start of the interview, I could tell that Dr. Bodnar, while he was a busy man, appreciated my interest in his field and the prospect of the student-expert interview. With each question I asked, skillfully employing Ernesto Gluecksmann’s “silence = answers” strategy, Dr. Bodnar responded in very much detail, many times citing both actual and theoretical examples to help illustrate his point. For example, even with the very first question I posed, a simple question about the basic day-to-day responsibilities of an international business, Dr. Bodnar began with a theoretical example. He described a multinational treasury, which, as the central hub within a company, involves a great deal of communication in terms of collecting, gathering, and interpreting a large amount of information. I could tell from how in depth Dr. Bodnar went just after one question that this would be a very productive and worthwhile interview.
By the end of the interview, I had learned a lot about international business, and more importantly communication issues in this field. To sum up what I learned, the most basic things that cause problems in the business world are issues in conflicting social behavior and customs, usage of slang in our language, and the vast distances needed to covered, although these distances are getting smaller and smaller with technological innovations. While advances in relations between multiple nations is improving and allowing for international businesses to proliferate, the same communication issues that have lent to miscommunications between cultures and languages is still causing problems between nations, and is something that still needs work.
Overall, my interview with Dr. Gordon Bodnar was very informative, and I appreciated the opportunity to meet and discuss with him.
I noticed the "silence=answers" strategy is really effective, too! I guess it is because by not talking, your interviewee feels more compelled to fill the silence and feels less restricted.
ReplyDeleteErnesto would be proud :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Tom! And a very interesting interview.