3. On the agenda
• China‟s Cultural Background
• Values and Authority
• Nonverbal behaviour
• Negotiation styles
4. The importance of Cultural Awareness
“Without awareness of the nature of differences
between cultures, we tend to measure others
against our own cultural standards. “(181)
5. Cultural differences
The way people from the USA write a letter is totally different to the
structure Korean people would use.
Conversation rules differ between European countries.
The Japanese use common sense methods in management more
than in North America where they use more quantification in
management.
http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/study/humanities/globalisation
6. Different, cultures- Different meanings
The employees from the local
area in China, would use the
word “please” less and less as
they communicate more often
with the same people.
They do this because the word is
seen as formal and distant.
British employees, could
perceive this as rude.
Using this workshop to inform
the participants of these
differences, creates a mutual
understanding
10. Differences
US China
¤ Individualistic ¤ Collectivist
¤ Gender equality ¤ Masculine
¤ Liberal ¤ Conservative
11. Chinese behaviour
NOT a touch-orientated
society
NO apologies are
usually offered
Greet bowing
Shaking hands is used
only between socially
equal people
12. Tips
“OK” sign = Thank You
Winking is considered rude in China
Asian people may smile when they
feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or sad
The Chinese point with their whole hand (
finger pointing is rude)
13. The Chinese Don't show
beckon with their emotion when you
palms downward. are angry or mad.
14. Barriers to intercultural communication
Geert Hofstede – 5 dimensions of cross culture
model
US and China are each others contradistinction
China is one of the four BRIC economies and is
predicted to be the largest economy in the world by
2020.
15. Cultural barriers
Differences between China and US
High power distance – China
Low power distance – US
Masculinity values versus femininity values
16. Strategy for Fluffy Orange
How to avoid the cultural barriers?
To be aware of the cultural differences – which
cover everything from the starting approach to
expressions during the workshop
To respect the chines communication culture
17. Values
Success Face
Materialism Loyalty
Equality Hierarchy
Trustworthy Modesty
19. Leaders
Percentage:
Impact on employee behaviour
Leadership
Infrastructure
Formal Media
20. Cultural Differences
America China
Low power High power
distance distance
Individualistic Collectivism
Feministic Masculinity
Low un- High un-
certainty certainty
avoidance avoidance
Short-term Long-term
orientation orientation
23. The negotiation elements
Personal The Intermediary Social Status
Connections
“Face” or Capital Endurance Interpersonal
Social Harmony
Holistic thinking Thrift
23
24. Do not be in too much of a hurry to get things
done. Do not see only petty gains. If a man
hurries too much, things will be done well or
thoroughly. If he sees only minor advantages,
nothing great is achieved.
(Confucius)
24
26. How they approach the negotiation process
Quick meetings Long courting process
Informal Formal
Make cold calls Draw on intermediaries
Aggressive Questioning
Impatient Enduring
Forging „ a good deal‟ Forging a long-term relationship 26
Welcome to this workshop. The rising importance of the international business environment is reflected by the multitude of branches that multinationals corporations have worldwide. However, deciding to do business in a country where people have a different culture than yours demands for thorough research and preparation. The information that we aim to provide to you today concerns cross-cultural awareness in China.The cultural differences in China are considered to be true barriers to effective communication. Whether a corporation is able to be a consistent and strong presence on the Chinese market depends on how well its employees are trained to behave towards the welfare of the company.
Today we will take a look at :....
A main cultural difference that managers have to be aware of, is that each and every culture had their own way of assessing a situation and that logic behind it. Informing the US management team and potential employees about ‘cultural imprisonment’ and ‘miscommunication’ will help build a team cohesion and a combined culture within the branch. (Talk about miscommunication, and how being culturally aware helps)
Many people across various cultures are unaware about other cultural norms. Helping the team in China learn about some initial differences can be beneficial when it comes to working alongside colleagues of varying cultures. As globalisation is becoming more important, it is important we work hard on the workshop on encouraging the multicultural employees to remove cultural barriers.Activities within the workshop will help this (include a activity here)
Making the participants aware of some of these differences, can avoid cultural barriers and missunderstandings.Within western countries, when an agreement and mutual understanding is met a cultural signal at the end, is shaking of hands.Throughout middle eastern countries a lot of negotiation happens. The shaking of hands is a symbol that the serious negotiation has now begun.
GeertHofstede developed the cultural dimensions theory to help explain the values of different cultures and why they act the way they do, in government, work and social life.Making the team in China aware of this theory can help avoid cultural barriers(Give a hand out briefly identifying the different dimensions.)
Four thick threads of culture have bound the Chinese people together for some 5,000 years. (pdf)The first one relates to the fact that two-thirds of the Chinese still live in rural areas, where they cultivate the land, which is a communal activity; survival depends on group cooperation and harmony. The second thread is morality. The writings of Confucius served as the foundation of Chinese education for over 2,000. He stated that the ruled-wives, children, and younger brothers-are to be counselled to trade obedience and loyalty for the benevolence of their rulers-husbands, parents, and older brothers.The third thread is the Chinese pictographic language. Chinese children learn to memorize thousands of pictorial characters, so the Chinese way of thinking tends to be a more holistic processing of information.The wariness of foreigners relates to the fact that along the history, their people have been attacked from all points of the compass. It can be said that the Chinese trust in only two things: their families and their bank accounts.
When it comes to Non-verbal communication you should be aware of certain things before considering sending a message to a completely different culture in comparison to yours. Details about the chinese body language and customs will be furtherlly discussed within the workshop. As you all know when we are talking about non-verbal communication there are certain factors we should take into consideration and pay attention to:Facial expressionsGesturesEye contactPhysical touchesSymbols Etc.
(public displays of affection are very rare)(when pushing or shoving in public spaces)(e.g. friends or businessmen)
The “OK” sign in parts of China means Thank You
The western nonverbal communication style of palms up is used only for animals. In Chinese tradition, only lower class people cannot control their emotion.
Trustworthy: They easily trust others in business, and can sometimes be described as naïve. Equality: Americans strive for equality between genders, there is no superior gender. Success: They believe that time is money, and that work equates to success.Individualism: The American Dream is something close to their hearts, Americans are all about working individually to achieve materialistic goals, and to be the best. Optimism: They can always see the positives, and are focused towards the future.Materialism: Success is shown through material value, it could be said to be at the centre of their beliefs.Opportunism: It is all about grabbing the opportunities whilst they are there, and sealing the deal as soon as possible. They tend to agree a deal and think about the risks later.Persistence: They will do what it takes to get what they want when they want it.Toughness: They may appear to be the toughest in business but actually they are the easiest to deal with.
Danwei refers directly to a work relationship. There is not just one face to maintain, but many. Confucius lays down social obligations which they have to follow. It is all about networking and building a certain kind of relationship with the people in that particular group. For the Chinese, their pride is all about not loosing face. This relationship is all about persistent hard work and making sacrifices of your own in order to keep face.
This graph underlines the importance of leaders, they have an enormous impact on employee behaviour. And play a key part in the workplace.
As America has a low power distance inequality is minimised, decisions are shared compared with China who has a high power distance meaning that they accept power so therefore there is importance place on hierarchy and rank. For authority this means that the American managers maybe overwhelmed with respect from the Chinese who accept their power, but may struggle to see why they don’t disagree with ideas in business meetings. Due to their individualistic culture Americans like to voice their opinions, and act as an individual rather than working as part of a group. This is the opposite of the Chinese who feel they owe their loyalty to the group; and co-operate with each other rather than working against each other in competition. This may cause confusion amongst American managers who may be expecting the Chinese to work alone, each contribute equally and be opinionated. America encourages gender equality, and sees that it is okay to have a nurturing nature upon some roles which for the Chinese need to be assertive particularly males. As in China males are expected to be ambitious, with defined gender roles being paramount. Americas low uncertainty avoidance may be confusing for the Chinese who are not used to the relaxing attitude of the Americans. Who like to take risks, accept un-certainty, flexible, and not constrained by social protocol. On the other hand the Chinese are very much used to being resistant to change, avoid un-certainty, and are bound by strict social protocols. America has short-term orientation which means they are focused on short-term results with a low priority on status, but at the same time postponing old age. China takes their working life very seriously with a strong work ethic, long range goals which look at all the risks and consequences. They have a great deal of respect for status differences, valuing social order and they believe that the older you are the wiser you are.
This seems to be the policy that Chinese people guide themselves after in their personal lives as well as in their careers, when negotiation businesses.
Pics with people partyingPrior to the negotiation process the Chinese like to get to know the person they are doing business with.‘A contract is a formal moment in the development of a relationship’ (Browaeys and Price, 2008:278) Small talk before business.There is another emphasis on banquets, as they want to extend hospitality in order to demonstrate their respect for others and their own appreciation of the finer things in life (eating and drinking).
The Fluffy Orange PR Agency thanks you all for participating at this workshop and wishes you good luck in achieving your business goals or as the Chinese would call it “hau-i-en-tzi”.
