由格雷戈・ Bissky

Confucius是活在中國亞洲(並且在日本、韓國和越南)。 證明強比馬克思或Lenin (歐洲人)想法，他的道德和社會哲學在中國容易地克服了中國共產黨的被共同安排的努力「趕走了國家[他的]封建教學」。 從上海向臺北向香港向新加坡，他的影響在中國社會，特別是中國企業通信的所有方面能看。

中國報告經常充滿禮貌，但無意義的詞; 商業函件和電傳採取一和經常二或者三，段有點。 中國會議描繪的是為一般並且/或者表面討論： 保證那沒人 丟失面孔 比清楚地審查觀點的整個範圍重要。 什麼從中國通信是缺掉的是很好辯解的論據、強的結論、清楚的推薦、難題、直率的意見和坦率的分歧。 所有要求一個人是確定的，清楚地說 這是什麼我認為和因而損害與不同意的那些人的所有風險一個關係(特別是在等級關係)。

成功的企業通信取決於冒險的人。 例如，如果先生。 A. 相信有一些嚴重的問題與先生的部分。 B.的計劃他必須做先生。 B. 清楚地 understand this, even if it means risking hurting Mr. B.’s feelings. Anything less than total un¬derstanding by Mr. B. is unacceptable in business. Yet if Mr. A. were Chinese he would likely consider being clear about his disagreement as being impolite, and would normally speak the message in an indirect way in order to preserve harmony and good relations. Face or politeness—no risk—would be more important to Mr. A. than clear communication.

It all comes down to attitude. A Chinese may work in an office, wear a business suit and have advanced degrees but he will still communicate in the way his mother taught him. He will worry more about being polite than being clear, more about not hurting his relations with others than arguing to find the right answer. No matter what his education or experience, he will tend to follow the Rules of Communication laid down by Confucius. Why? He believes in these Rules, believes that being polite is more important than being clear.

Beliefs are among the most powerful influences on human behavior. Stronger than ideas from the brain, beliefs just are. Few Chinese can explain why politeness is most important: they just know it is. Very few Westerners can explain why clarity is the most important either. Changing how people communicate begins by and depends on changing the why. Your challenge in developing relations with Chinese partners or coworkers is to stop insisting on following Western rules, and, as much and as often as possible, finding a compromise between two very different ways of looking at reality.

Greg Bissky, www.treasuremountain.com

This is the fourth and last part of the article “Communication in Chinese Offices”.