Lupe Edition No. 17, Liebich & Partner Magazine for Clients, Article about cross-cultural understanding

1. LuPe
17
Break

2. the decision-makers are. If you approach
the wrong person you won’t be told, out
of polite consideration, and will wonder
why the friendly discussions are often
inconclusive.
There is a similarly significant deviation
in the dimension of individualism.
Here we are defined in terms of one’s
personality, in Asia it’s in terms of group
memberships. Employees, sales partners
and customers in collectivist cultures are
perfect networkers, very peace-loving
and shy away from conflict situations
in order to „save face“. It is necessary
to establish real, familiar relationships.
But the loyalty gained from these is to
the person, and not to the company for
which that person stands. If that person
should leave the company, there is a
big risk that the workforce and business
partners will turn their backs on the
organization.
Masculinity and uncertainty avoidance
are model dimensions in which Asian
cultures are different. While in Japan
masculine values such as strength, power
and competition dominate, in Thailand
or Vietnam it is feminine balance,
Andreas Kambach worked for 13 years in Asia, six
of those were in Singapore. He experienced the
Asian cultures with all their nuances and differences,
and embraced them, so much that the behaviour of
Germans there appeared alien to him.
liebich-partner.de/andreas-kambach
Companies that rely solely on their German
cultural understanding are putting a lot at
stake when breaking into Asian markets.
Moral concepts and behaviour patterns
sometimes deviate significantly from what
the customs here. Studies
conducted by social
psychologist Prof.
Dr. Geert Hofstede
have shown that
there is more to it
than just a feeling
of otherness.
Hofstede compared
national cultures
and identified
dimensions that are
relevant for business
(geert-hofstede.com).
When comparing Germany with Asia the
levels of power distance are noticeably
different. In Germany a manager needs
to have the relevant competencies
to be recognized in his leadership
role, whereas in Asian countries the
employees aren’t that bothered about
what a manager can do: the boss is the
boss because he’s boss. He decides and
says what everyone has to do. Involving
the employees in decision-making leads
frequently to disorientation. Leadership
should be task-oriented, and not target-
oriented. This dimension is also relevant
when dealing with market partners.
Decisions are made at the highest level.
The problem is it’s not always clear who
»The boss is the boss because he’s boss.«
»There’s more to it than a
feeling of otherness.«
Breaks in cultures
Ni hao!
As companies expand beyond national borders, they too often forget
that they are not only venturing into new markets, but also into distant
cultures. Being successful means associating with foreignness.
A personal report from Asia.
humbleness and cooperativeness which
drive the society. Typical of the Japanese
culture is also high uncertainty
avoidance, which plays more of a minor
role in China or Singapore.
The idea of hiring local general managers
to run the subsidiaries abroad doesn’t
prevent cultural misunderstandings
from occurring. Most Asians have a
keen sense of what pleases the „distant
parent“ even if the does not represent
the reality. Managing breaks in cultures
requires cross-cultural skills. Not just
one, but numerous employees have to
live in, and with, the culture; interacting
with others in an unbiased way, without
imposing German views and working
principles on their Asian counterparts. It
is only when companies associate with
the foreignness that they can recognise
the potential in it, and be successful in
distant cultures.