Cultural differences, even more than language barriers, can make
talking shop in Chinese offices tricky business. For Leanne
Krinker, international department project manager for Beijing June
First Middle School, this has meant minimal contact with her boss,
who doesn't speak English.
Although she studied Mandarin for two years, Krinker admits she
lacks fluency and doesn't know the language's nuances well enough
to properly address a Chinese superior.
Tomas Gustafsson, managing director and trainer of
cross-cultural management firm Conchius (Shanghai), said a strong
top-down hierarchy is ingrained in Chinese company culture and
shapes every relationship in an office.
Instead of speaking directly, Krinker and her boss usually
communicate through colleagues who serve as "middlemen" by relaying
messages between them.
"The biggest change for me was the information flow, as far as
what I know and don't know. It's a hierarchical system, which makes
it more difficult to know what's going on around you," Krinker
said. "It's frustrating to not know what's going on."
Like many other expatriates working in China, Krinker said the
slower information-flow in her office meant she received less
feedback than Western bosses offered back home.
"I just assume I'm doing a good job, and if I wasn't, they'd say
something. But I don't know," she said.
Asking for this feedback might not be appropriate.
Peter Karlsson, managing director and trainer of Conchius, said
it was usually improper to ask a Chinese boss too many
questions.
"A Western employee who does not confirm understanding with his
boss by asking, 'why, what and when' will be perceived to be
lacking common sense or not caring for the outcome," he explained.
"A Chinese employee, on the other hand, will be considered lacking
common sense and questioning the manager's authority."
Abinash Gongadin, of Mauritius, said his Chinese colleagues at
Beijing's Yifeng Clinic didn't understand this when he became the
clinic's administrative assistant in 2006.
"They asked me, 'why do Europeans always ask, why, why, why,'
because Chinese don't," said Abinash, who is the only foreigner on
a team of six.
Australian Lindsey Furness, who has worked on and off in China
for a decade as an advisor for city and county water resource
bureaus, was baffled when a senior manager invited him to dinner.
He said this was usually only a courteous formality, and the
employee should decline with a polite excuse.
"At the beginning, about 95 percent of the time, it's just being
friendly. But after some time, it's not. I don't think a foreigner
can pick up on that at first," he said.
What is being said is often as telling as how it is said,
Karlsson explained.
"There is confusion, because most Chinese don't want to say
something negative," said Bronwyn Broekmann, director of academic
recruitment and administration at the private education firm
English First.
"If something was wrong, I can't imagine a Chinese employee
telling me."
When Broekmann came to Beijing a year ago, she found she had to
adjust the way she spoke to her Chinese officemates, who make up
about two-thirds of the staff.
"With Western people, it's, 'You should do this and this'. It is
A, B and C. But with Chinese people, it's more diplomatic, more
polite," said the 30-year-old South African.
She could tell a Western employee directly, whereas she would
wait until the right moment to tell a Chinese employee privately
and indirectly.
Although miscommunication can be frustrating, she constantly
reminded herself to be respectful of the culture in which she
worked and was a "guest".
The key, she believes, is cultural understanding. "It's only for
a good reason, because they want to be polite and respectful. You
have to keep that in mind," Broekmann said.
And that respect, she said, is one of her favorite things about
working with Chinese.
The willingness of Chinese to forgive cross-cultural
miscommunications offers a ray of hope for foreigners struggling to
get along in Chinese workplaces.
"In most countries like this, you're taken to be a foreigner,
you're presumed to be rude and ignorant, and other things. And you
are well and truly excused for making an error, because you are a
foreigner; you are an exception to the rule," Furness said.
Abinash said that while Chinese will often forgive communicative
faux pas, it's still important to be sensitive but not too
sensitive. "You have to put forth a conscious effort to understand,
or not offend them. It's quite hard at times, but you have to," he
said. "I try to understand, but there are so many differences, you
can't understand them all, so you have to just go along."
Krinker said that she and other expatriates adjusting to Chinese
office culture must subscribe to cultural understanding.
"Especially in this global world we're living in, it's
especially important to understand what differences make things
frustrating," she said. "Obviously, they do these things for a
reason."
According to Connie Baques, regional academic manager at English
First, the company uses training and stages social events such as
monthly staff birthday parties and KTV nights to reduce
cross-cultural confusion.
"When people get to know one another, you see their approach to
problems and frustrations at work changes," Baques said.
However, as Furness pointed out, becoming comfortable with each
other can take time.
"I think that often, the Chinese we work with are comfortable
with foreigners at the banquet level, but are often uncomfortable
with foreigners when it comes to, say, inviting them back home,"
Furness said. "There's a social structure that foreigners don't fit
into that well. The Chinese might not be so comfortable with
dealing with someone who doesn't have a status."
Consequently, he said, some Chinese will often either put
foreigners on a pedestal, "which is more than you'd want" or "sort
of dismiss" them.
Abinash said while miscommunications are inevitable, working in
a cross-cultural workplace is rewarding.
"Chinese are becoming more open to having foreigners around, and
it's getting to a point where Chinese and foreigners will blend,
and foreigners will become part of the crowd."
(China Daily May 11, 2007)