cross culture training

2. Typical Workday
• Length of day
• Starting and ending
times
• Length of lunch and
breaks
• Overtime and
weekend work
• Appropriate dress
code

3. Meeting Protocol
• Establishing credentials and credibility
o Being sincere
o Walk the talk
• Formality of address: “Khun”, “Ton”, “Pi”, “Nong”
• Making the appointment
o Confirmation
o Arrival
• The actual meeting: agenda is fluid (everything already agreed)
• Preferred presentation style: bullet points, graphs, simple
• Summation and closure
• Follow-up and thank you

4. Communication and Knowledge
Management
• Information sharing
methods in an
organization
o Formal/town hall
o Teams
o One-on-one
o Informal
communication
(grapevine)
o Socializing outside of
work

5. Networking and Relationship-
Building
• Social and political networks: Importance
networks for effectively conducting business
• Strategies to establish and maintain:
-Building Trust (sang kwam wai wang jai)
-Reciprocity (pen nee bun khun)

6. Customs
• Entertainment: types of
events, style of dress,
expectations
• Gift-giving: appropriate
settings, types of gifts,
reciprocation, etc.
• Gender, seniority, and
age issues

7. Behavioral Norms
and Etiquette
• Loss of face/non-confrontational
• Compliments and acknowledging
achievement…give team reward
• Criticism or critique…private
• Eating and drinking
• Interrupting or disagreeing
• Making contact and establishing relationships
• Invitations and entertaining
– Staff outing
– Team lunch

8. Leadership Styles
• Key characteristics of a good
leader
– Traditionally: patriarchiral/autocrat
– Changing
– Lobbying and buy-in
• Leadership methods that are
ineffective
– Aggressiveness
– Causing loss of face

9. Subordinate-Manager
Relationships
• Ideal subordinate-manager relationship
o Personal, similar to extended family
o Show care and concern
• What motivates?
o Belonging/community
o Food
o Fun
o Reward: training/travel
o Money is less important

10. Feedback and Development
• Feedback process
o One-on-one
• Staff development
o A way towards promotion
o Constructive feedback approach/sensitivity
o Not a loss of face or judgment
• Methods of training and
expected training outcomes
o Employer and employee point of view/set
expectation
o Class room is effective
o Online is a challenge
o Outside the office is a perk

11. Decision-Making
• Level which
decision making
happens
• Decision making
process

12. Teams
• Keys characteristics for a functioning team
o Trust
o Ability to deal and resolve conflict
o Commitment
o Accountability
o Measuring results

13. Teams
• Single function teams
vs. cross-functional
teams
• Assignment of team
leader and expectations
of leadership style
• Impact of differing level
and status of team
members on team
interaction

14. Teams
Key attributes/characteristics of a good team member in
Thailand
• Works for consensus on decisions
• Engage others in the decision-making
process
• Supportive of others
• Has genuine concern for other team
members
• No finger pointing and blaming
• Listens
• Committed to team’s goal
• Engages in a win/win
• Understand the teams strengths and
weakness

15. Negotiation
What would be your advice to a foreign business person moving here on the
subject of negotiation?
Make them laugh
Play stupid
Be theatrical
The better the performance
the higher the discount
It's a game show
Damien, 12 years in Thailand
Business executive
If it's with an elderly Thai
Friends first
Karaoke/massage parlor/golf
Then it’s down to business
Thai's don't like to write
anything down
Commitment is relative
Don't too pushy on the contract
side
Never show up to negotiation
with a lawyer
Thai's can't lose face
Dan, 10 years in Thailand
Professional trainer
Thais love added value
Negotiate over a meal
Show Thai customers
how they can benefit
first
Kittima (Thai/Indian)
Business Owner

16. Negotiating
• Successful negotiation:
- Players
o Decision maker
o Key influencers

17. Functions
• Contrast the assignee’s
professional function(s)
in the home and host
cultures.
– Tasks related to
specific function of
assignee
– Fit of assignee’s
function within
overall organization

18. Networking in Bangkok
Associations/Groups
o Business chambers
o BNOW.org
Online event listings
o Siam2nite
o Bangkok scene
o www.citynetevents.com
o www.sukhumvitscene.com
Listing publications
oGuru/Bangkok Post
oBK magazines
oAsia Life
oBangkok 101
Online (connect with groups relating to
Bangkok and Thailand)
www.linkedin.com
www.meetup.com
www.facebook.com

19. Suggested Reading
• Working With the Thais: A Guide to
Managing in Thailand by Henry Holmes
• Culture Shock! Thailand: A Survival
Guide to Customs and Etiquette by
Robert Coopers
• The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert
B. Cialdini
• The Thai & I Successful Living in
Thailand by Roger Welty and
Community Services of Bangkok

20. Thank you