This was the situation you have seen in lesson 10. Remember. An inspector noticed damage to the cargo. A member of the stevedore's crew was accused of causing the damage.

However, one of the Russian deck mates suspects that not the stevedore but one of his fellow crew members did not use walking boards while walking on top of the boxes in the holds. In that way, he probably caused damage to the cargo.

The dilemma of Maksim is that he wants to honor his relationship with his fellow crew member and friend Andrei. He is afraid Andrei will be in trouble if he speaks to the Captain. On the other hand, he knows there are rules and that Andrei broke the rule 'use walking boards'.

Universalist vs. particularist

The cultural dimension that is connected to this dilemma is called universalist vs. particularist by Fons Trompenaars. Universalists want rules to rules, whoever is involved. Rules should always be applied in the same way. Particularists feel that it is OK to look at people and circumstances first. Yes, there are rules but if you have a great relationship with someone, maybe you don't want to be too strict... This cultural dimension can always be called rules first vs. relationships first.