Personal Coach or Chief in Command?
By Ron Cune
Many Western Managers have difficulties with the low pro-activity level of their Chinese co-workers. The ‘lack of initiative’ frustrates them. This passive attitude is not related to motivation, it roots in the Chinese educational system.
Western education is focused on values like independence and creativity. Exchanging ideas and discussing advantages and disadvantages of certain solutions are important parts of our education system(s). Taking initiative and asking questions are encouraged.
The Chinese educational system is based on centuries-old traditions which still have an impact on today’s society. Facts are more important than questions. Questioning facts is seen as questioning the masters’ knowledge. A discussion of any sort between pupil and teacher is not-done.
The level of perfectionism is measured by the accurateness of ‘imitating’ the master.
The Chinese students are educated in a fact based program, while in Europe pupils are educated to approach a problem from different angles with different solutions.
Needless to say this difference of education will have its influence in the working environment, especially in the relation between employer and employee. The Chinese employee will be dedicated on the job when instructions are given, deadlines are mentioned and expected results are set.
This way of leadership could be highly offensive to any European trained employee.
However, most of your Chinese employees won’t feel at ease with this Western style of ‘freedom leadership’. Your employee will not ask for instructions but waits for instructions. When no clear instructions follow from your side, you will be seen as a weak person without focus.
In addition, Chinese co-workers might consider that doing nothing equals avoiding mistakes.
Our advice is to instruct in a crystal clear way what should be done and avoid “learning by doing” leadership.
Ron Cune, DragonDancers
June 10th, 2008 at 3:59 am
Bleh bleh bleh Chinese employee don’t behave like Western employees. Instead of expecting your big environment to change, everyone to change, educational system to change etc etc, how about management and managers themselves adapt to the Chinese employees?
Japanese, Taiwanese and Koreans have the same style of education and have companies that are globally competitive.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:26 am
Falen, I wonder if you actually read the article.
This is about Western managers to adopt to their environment and not the other way around.
Ron
June 14th, 2008 at 7:25 am
I agree with Ron,
As western managers you have to change you expectations for chinese employees. We also miss lack of creativity (besides pro-activity), however with so many overseas Chinese working here and new co-operations between overseas and Chinese universities we see this behaviour changing positively in our view!.
June 14th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Ron
Knowing why these small cultural aspects make such a big impact, and their roots, makes the manager adaptation much easier.
Thanks for your precious advice.
June 17th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Given either way of completely changing working and managerial culture and methodology is hard and either way (western and East Asia based) of management has its merits validated by their global business success, then maybe is not about one having to adapt to another, rather it is about achieving a balance with a strong focus on one’s unique strength and outcome.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:07 am
I’d question whether this difference in approach is really about education? Could it also be about the corporate culture that people are exposed to in the first few years of their working lives?
I’ve managed teams in the UK and US for years, and China is new to me. The level of proactivity I see in new graduates seems about the same everywhere. However, I see a more striking difference in more experienced staff.
The seasoned managers I’ve worked with in the US are all very proactive. In the UK, they’re mostly proactive (with a few exceptions). In China, I’ve found only a few.
Doesn’t change the challenge, though!
June 19th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I believe that this lack of pro-activity is as much about the horrific manhunts of the Cultural Revolution as it is about the educational system. At that time those who spoke up would be punished. I am pretty sure that this still is still echoing in China.
Furthermore, my experience is that if you allow for you Chinese employees to sit in smaller groups and discuss and issue prior to any instructions from management regarding the issue you will see another kind of creativity and free thinking. Allow them to spend some time on thinking up a possible solution on their own and let them present it to you afterwards.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 am
Interesting points by all and I agree with most of them. I would like to point out that the younger employee; the more open they are to making decisions on their own, which results in training them to be proactive. I learned to manage employees in this fashion from a Singaporean manager who found that Chinese employees are ready for Western style management in small doses. As long as you do not try to teach them to make decisions that go against management above them or question management’s decisions, you are in the clear. But teaching them to make decisions on their own and be proactive is a positive step in making them more productive.