China and Cultural
Differences
 When
"Yes"
is better than "No"
or . .
.
How you can get very confused!
China isn't your
country. How people behave and respond can be quite
different.
Western-style
assertiveness is not so common in the rest of the
world. A story to illustrate: In the summer of 1993,
the webmaster was teaching at a university's summer
program (socking away a little extra cash while on paid
vacation from my college!). The weather was very hot
and sweaty - and the classrooms had no air
conditioning. And I mean HOT and SWEATY - we were
soaking with sweat.
A
Coffee Shop
The students
suggested that we have our class across the street in an
air-conditioned coffee shop - a great idea! Only about
eight students in the class, so we would easily fit in a
big corner booth. I asked the supervisor if it was okay
- and he said, "Yes." A few minutes later he said, "So
you are not having class today?" I replied, "Of course
we are, we are going to meet in the coffee shop - as the
students requested. That's okay, isn't it?" He said,
"Yes."
A few minutes
later he - again - said,
"So you are not having class today?"
Well . . . we
went through this cycle several times before I got a bit
upset and told the supervisor, "If you don't want us to
meet at the coffee shop - just SAY 'NO'!" Needless to
say, everyone was upset. But, it didn't need to be that
way - I really should have picked up on it the first
time - or at least the second time the supervisor asked
if I was not having class.
Get it?
Many cultures,
including China, are not as direct as our own. You'll
need to pay attention and listen for underlying content
- all the time! You can make your coworkers and
supervisor very uncomfortable if you make them confront
you, or if you become confrontational. It can really
stress your relationships and sour your work situation.
Be careful, listen, interpret.
If you
really don't understand . . .
Ask your
supervisor in the context of a culture question. You
can say, "I am a bit confused here. In my culture my
boss would say '[fill in the blank]' - are you wanting
me to '[do or not do something]?' Please help me
understand." This kind of a statement takes the heat
off the situation - and saves "face" for everyone
involved. You can even have a good laugh about it -
instead of everyone being upset.
Develop
a little finesse
in dealing with
cross cultural communications - and your life will go
much smoother overseas! It's all part of learning to be
a skilled expatriate.
|
"Twenty
years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the
ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the
trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover." -- Mark Twain |
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