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Yes is one of the most simple words to understand in the English language. Or is it?
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Yes is generally perceived as a positive response, and when you’re asking for something in business it’s normally the answer you’re hoping for. My father thought this when he started an importing company in China. On his first few trips to the country he returned having already mentally calculated the profits he was set to make from the customized, high quality parts they had supposedly agreed to put together within weeks for him. The only problem was he didn’t understand the word ‘yes’ like the Chinese did.
Fast forward to now, years later, and he knows that ‘yes’ means something very different in China. When saying ‘yes’, Chinese colleagues only mean that they are listening to you, rather than that your request will be fulfilled or that you have been completely understood. Many problems stemmed from this simple misunderstanding and while now there is a good business relationship between my father and his suppliers, much time was wasted getting to such a point. Artist Yang Liu summed up many of the big differences between Chinese and German cultures in her artwork of the two against one another, from little things like attitudes to standing in a line to how the counterparts view their bosses.
As an inhouse business English trainer in Stuttgart I provide on-the-job support to my client, a department of global purchasers. During the last months , I have come across many participants having to learn the hard way how to get around countless misunderstandings. From our sessions on cultural competence in China, my purchasing participants have shared experiences and identified five common lessons which speed up the process of making a business relationship with a Chinese colleague prosperous.
The group comes first
Chinese colleagues are not interested in individual gains nearly as much as helping the community around them. It’s what the culture is built on and giving individual gains for doing work will not be as effective as creating a positive and motivating team.
The importance of the leader
The boss is highly valued in China, much more so than in Germany. When a problem is getting to a point where it doesn’t seem possible to solve it, get your superior involved a lot earlier than if you were dealing with a colleague from the same culture or at least bring up the possibility in discussions.
They don’t solve problems like you
Whether it’s struggling to say no when they can’t do something, or insisting that everything is ok when it’s not, the Chinese don’t like to directly discuss and deal with a problem or talk about their shortcomings. Learning some ways to politely ask what the problem is, or getting them to take you through their schedule and deciding for yourself if there is a problem, will give better results than simply asking ‘is everything ok?’.
They don’t challenge, they listen
Chinese colleagues will often treat meetings as more of a lecture than a chance to swap ideas and air their grievances, particularly if the boss is present. On a recent trip to China, a translator summed it up well for me in her comparison of our school systems. “For us, we are told what to know and we don’t question it. For you, discussion is encouraged and you are taught to challenge.” Push them to express themselves and know that they’re not entirely comfortable doing it.
They value pleasantries
The Germans are known for seeing small talk as inefficient, but if you want a Chinese colleague to do you a favour you would be a lot better off adding some polite phrasing and extra niceties. It makes them feel as if the workplace is more harmonious and while being direct is more efficient, when they give excuses rather than results such efficiency is out the window.
Phrases for dealing with the Chinese culture
| Direct English |
English that is better for Chinese dealings |
| I think you did this wrong. | Perhaps next time we could try it like this instead? |
| You need to do this by Wednesday. | If you could do this by next Wednesday, the team can achieve their results. |
| I will have to get the boss involved if you don’t agree to a solution. | Is this a problem that we can solve ourselves or do you think our superiors should give us assistance? |
| Do you understand? | Could you summarise for me what you need to do (to make sure we’re on the same page)? |
| Are there any problems with this? | Please let me know if there are any ways that you can do this more efficiently, because that would really help the team. |
| Did you get everything finished today? | What did you finish today? |
Do you want to learn more about the Chinese culture?
- A frank and funny look at what makes the Chinese Chinese
- Germany vs. China: A visualization of cultural differences
If you have any tips or comments on dealing with the Chinese, I'd love to hear them (and so would my participants). Please leave your comments below.
