https://www.worldbusinessculture.com/country-profiles/china/
Navigating cultural guidelines while working with an individual from the Chinese culture is crucial. There are several differences between American culture and Chinese and it is important to know those differences going into a business relationship and how to best avoid a faux pas in this arena. Let’s look at conflict avoidance, silence in meetings, and creativity and learn how to be aware of the differences and possible strategies in navigating.
“Direct confrontation is seen as disrespectful in China” (Moran, 2014, p.416). So, while in meetings and negotiations it will be imperative to not question a Chinese counterpart and make them feel as if they need to defend their actions. Many Americans are comfortable with questioning those they work with and pushing the envelope when it comes to confronting a peer, but when working with the Chinese you will need to avoid this method of communication. Being an active listener, observing nonverbal cues, and being willing to work 1:1 with an individual instead of large gathering or meetings would be an effective approach.
In my current role, we have a phrase we used during meetings and projects, “silence is agreement.” This means when we are making decisions or changing workflows it is assumed that if you don’t speak up you are agreeing to the changes. This same thought process would not be successful when working with individuals from the Chinese culture. The Chinese are typically “not comfortable making recommendations or suggestions publicly” (Moran, 2014, p. 416). This means in a large meeting an individual may not be comfortable disagreeing or asking for a different outcome in front of others. This is invaluable information and is going to require smaller settings for meetings and 1:1 email communication ahead of meetings as well as phone calls may be beneficial to ensure everyone is rowing in the same direction and truly ok with the direction in which the work is heading.
Creativity is an area in which many of the Chinese are lacking and this comes from many different avenues. Chinese are typically looking for a tell me what you want me to do and I’ll go do it type of role. This does not inspire or promote out of the box thinking or creativity, and if they do not prefer speaking up in large groups then they are most likely not going to engage in meetings where group participation is required. In my role, most of our meetings seek input from all involved in the work, this is not how I would run a meeting if a was working with the Chinese. There is also a distinct disconnect between superiors and workers in this culture. The workers typically “maintain a distance” from their superiors as well as look to their superiors to tell them the role they would like them to perform. The workers will do the job they’ve been given and stay within the parameters of the role… which does not require creativity.
As China continues to maintain and grow as a powerhouse it will becoming even more important to learn how to successfully navigate a business relationship with the Chinese culture.
References:
Moran, R.T., Abramson, N. R. & Moran, S.V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Ninth Edition. Abingdon: Routledge.
Pennsylvania State University (2019). Leadership and Global Context – OLEAD 410. Online course lesson, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved October 20, 2019 from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2008449/modules/items/27026970
Jennifer Balchunas says
Thank you for the response Madeline. I would encourage creativity through the use of sticky notes. Many times you can find that using sticky notes is a great way to gather ideas and allow individuals to share without having to voice their ideas in front of others. This seems to help those that are timid and don’t feel comfortable sharing ideas. If I working with a group of Chinese individuals that have lived in a culture that does not encourage creativity I would need to provide an atmosphere that is no pressure and allows everyone to share in a non-threatening manner. Once ideas are written on a sticky then I would collect the stickies and place them on a flip chart. Once up it is rare that others in the room can figure out what idea and the best part is once you begin to go through the stickies it sparks conversation and more sharing, individuals begin to build off of each other and suddenly creativity is flowing without pressure.
swh5163 says
Hello Jennifer,
This was a refresher blog for me, which means I heard some of these rules before. It always amazes me how Chinese people operate. I understand that is how they are raised but do you think things would ever change? What if they were in a meeting making a huge mistake that could cause the organization to lose millions of dollars and an employee could stop it by disagreeing with the head person in charge. Instead, they have to wait and send an email which could be too late.
How do you like the whole “silence is agreement” process? I am not sure I agree with that because I know people that are timid when it comes to speaking up because they fear to be wrong. Is that something your organization practice with everyone or employees with seniority?
Great post,
Sy
Madeline Blandford says
Hello, Jennifer!
I found this post to very interesting. I have a few friends working and living in China as English teachers, so I found this information to be very intriguing. More specifically, the fact that Chinese find confrontation to be disrespectful. Challenging and questioning each other is very commonplace in the U.S. I believe Americans have been taught from a young age to always ask questions; to use scrutiny in many areas of our lives. Its not always disrespectful. However, similar to Japanese culture, I can see how Chinese would find confrontation unappealing due to the emphasis put on the respect for seniors, superiors, and bosses.
I find the lack of creativity within the Chinese culture to be very interesting as well. Why do you think this is? If you were an HR manager taking on a role for a Chinese company, how would you encourage creativity? Asian cultures are very fascinating to me – I have always been intrigued by them. However, the difference in western culture and Asian culture is huge and I imagine working/living in China would be a challenge.