We live in an exceedingly casual society. We believe that
addressing strangers by their first names makes them feel like part of the
family. In the global marketplace, however, this presumption of instant
friendship may be a liability.
It is important to master the art of awareness, the singular and crucial tool in
building alliances, overcoming obstacles, and achieving objectives. It is
necessary to be aware of the cultural values, standards of behavior, and modus
operandi of the arenas in which you wish to succeed. It is necessary to be
aware of the importance of finesse, consideration, appropriateness and tact. By
adopting the appropriate behavior, you will be perceived as respectful and worthy of a relationship. You will become an asset, not a liability.
In the sensitive cross-cultural arena, awareness on the part of companies and their
executives is of special importance. A Silicon Valley corporate chief and some of his aides recently went to Asia to meet with a number of foreign officials. “We decided to show them the real us and go the way we show up in our offices every day – baseball caps and T-shirts,” he said.
Invariably, the boys from Silicon Valley were ushered into offices that looked more like
galleries in art museums, where Asian gentlemen in Saville Row attire would rise to greet them.
“Being American, I got right into it,” the chief said, recalling his remarks at one luncheon. In his opening statement he said the host country’s President and Cabinet ministers were inept. Upon reflection, he understood that his modus operandi caused a loss of face for his Asian hosts. Hardly a basis for a harmonious relationship.
Building successful, fruitful alliances requires finesse and
must be regarded as courtship. Patient, courteous wooing is the key.
One senior vice president at a Fortune 500 company had spent several months
gathering figures for a presentation in Tokyo. (Her luggage for the trip also showed that she meant business: a wardrobe of $3,000 suits and an attaché case with an identifiable logo.) At the presentation, she thought she was delivering an offer the Japanese couldn’t refuse. But refuse they did.
Clearly she hadn’t considered local traditions. She looked very young and was not aware
that her very presence negotiating as a peer with three older male executives had caused them to lose face in their colleagues’ eyes. (The businessmen felt that they were being betted by a low-level employee on behalf of a senior executive – a man, of course – who would arrive later for serious talks. To compound the problem, she knew nothing about East Asian rituals of respect including the exchange of business cards.
Of course, Asia is big, and generalizations can be tricky. Women have been heads of state in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. But in Japan, it is difficult to find a woman executive of senior-level prominence.
sending...