Culture Clash
Culture Clash
Chu Jin, from Beijing, had traveled to Boston for the purpose of examining joint venture possibilities in the manufacturing of component parts for computers. His counterpart in Boston was Jim Allen. About a month into his stay, Chu Jin found that he needed some paperwork to complete a report that he wanted to send back to his home office in Beijing. He needed one tax form for claims on depreciation of inventory, and he also needed application forms for English as a Second Language classes at a local public school. Democratic bureaucracies
have their attractionsChu Jin asked Jim if he knew some people who could get these forms for him. Jim said, "No, but I can call the tax office and the local school and talk to people who can send these materials to you." Jim got on the phone, made two calls, and 15 minutes later said the tax and school forms should be in the mail by the end of the workday. Chu Jin looked stunned and did not know how to respond to Jim's news.
The cultural difference is that in China, people obtain information and official paperwork through their personal connections or through the connections of others whom they know. These connections are called one's "guanxi." People spend large amounts of time nurturing their guanxi, and those without it have a very difficult time achieving their goals. In the United States, people have insisted on a responsive bureaucracy whose employees are expected to be efficient in the distribution of basic information and paperwork. Americans do not have to know the person at the other end of the phone when they make a request. If the person in the bureaucracy is responsible for dispensing information and paperwork, then this is likely to happen.
I once asked a colleague from Shanghai how she would contact a government official for a basic tax form. She replied, "I wouldn't even try. I would have to ask around and find a friend who knows the government official."
This incident and analysis developed from conversations with Cynthia Ning from the Center for Chinese Studies, University of Hawaii. She recommends that long-term Chinese visitors be introduced and integrated into a supportive group after they arrive in the United States. Even though these visitors could get on the phone and obtain information and various documents, they are more comfortable doing this through interactions with people they know rather than with strangers in an unseen bureaucracy.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Special attention will be given to miscommunications caused by cultural differences. Each column will start with a short example of such confusion. Possible explanations will be offered to encourage thought about these issues.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu