Mia Doucet, founder and CEO of Asia Mastery, says
American companies have to be willing to modify their
behavior when operating in China. ‘‘We have been so
successful doing business our way that we’re not as
aware as we should be that other cultures have a way
of doing business that has served them well for millennia,’’
Doucet, an international training consultant who specializes
in Asia, told BNA. ‘‘When we choose to adapt our behavior
out of respect for cultural differences, we start the process
of building the deep human connection that Asians crave.

That emphasis on relationship will build trust and assure
loyalty to your organization long into the future.’’ The Chinese
also have a deep need for acknowledgement, she said. ‘‘We
all need to be acknowledged, but the Chinese crave it,’’ she
said. This need governs all business communication, not just
negotiations, and includes communications by fax, phone,
and e-mail. The Chinese also do not work well in teams
because they have a profound respect for hierarchy and will
wait for someone else to make decisions, Doucet said.

Challenging superiors or making mistakes can lead to loss
of face, which is critically important in Chinese culture. If you
force Chinese colleagues into situations where they experience
loss of face, ‘‘they can’t ever trust you in the future,’’ Doucet said,
and once you’ve lost their trust, a Chinese workforce will retreat
to passive resistance. ‘‘No one will challenge you directly,
because that would be rude,’’ Doucet said. ‘‘They will go quiet,
submissive, and outwardly non-resistant when you place them
in an impossible position. This is the underlying cause of costly
delays and production errors.’’

Chinese employees need training to make them more comfort-
able taking risks and to learn that ‘‘it’s OK to look smarter than
your boss,’’ she said. But any insensitivity in trying to change a
five-thousand-year-old culture will backfire, she warned.

‘‘Turnover in China is huge,’’ she said. ‘‘They will leave for
pennies.’’ And they will jump ship without hesitation if ‘‘they
never feel at home and we never respect their culture.’’ The
key change American managers must make is to slow down
and build the critical personal relationship with Chinese
employees. ‘‘Take a personal interest, ask about their families,
spend time with them outside of work,’’ Doucet advised.

‘‘That’s when you’ll see the humor. That’s when you can build
the trust so they’ll feel safer in taking risks.’’ Doucet advises
Western managers in China to:
 Slow down. Make sure that all parties receive the same
detailed in-formation. Keep everyone in the loop.
 Avoid brainstorming. Problem solve logically. Allow one
person to speak at a time. Defer to the person in authority.
Start from the beginning and work through to a solution in a
logical, step-by-step fashion.
 Avoid presenting incomplete, fragmented information.
Break re-quests for information into small, discrete segments.
 Prepare for every interaction. Do not present ideas that have
not been fully researched, proven, or studied beforehand. Do
not risk losing face by appearing unprepared.
 Document in writing and in detail. Make sure your facts are
100 percent accurate in every detail. Mistakes will result in loss
of credibility and trust.

‘‘Fortunately, small changes in behavior can have a major impact
on results,’’ Doucet said. ‘‘The Chinese are highly adaptable,
anxious to do business, and willing to over-look minor indiscretions.’’

COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY THE BUREAU OF NATIONAL AFFAIRS, INC., WASHINGTON, D.C. 20037 ISSN 1062-8991 Workforce Strategies A BNA, INC. A SUPPLEMENT TO HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT

Reproduced with permission from Workforce Strategies
Newsletter, Vol. 24, No. 7, 8/1/2006, pp. 27-28.
Copyright  2006 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
(800-372-1033) http://www.bna.com