Home » Opinion » Book review
Bearing a chicken and keeping an open attitude
By Ni Tao |
January 16, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
BEING told by your boss to pack up and board the first flight the next morning to head a company branch in an unfamiliar country is no longer an outlandish adventure on a TV soap opera.
To some people, this is one of the thrills about working for global firms. To others, however, it may bring unpleasant disruptions to well-planned work schedules and family projects.
Like it or not, as companies scour the globe for relatively low labor cost and big market potential, more businesspeople will be shipped to these far-off places, though most get some notice.
The trickiest part of this flow of human capital is often not whether employees are elated or reluctant to move, but how they can fit into a new environment as fast and smoothly as possible. This can be difficult if they know next to nothing about the destination countries -- and their many taboos and different cultural mores.
Cultural adjustment is the topic of many books and abundant literature, and there would seem to be no lacuna in the help of getting newcomers up to speed in a new setting.
That's not what Bruce Alan Johnson and R. William Ayres think. In their oddly titled book, "Carry a Chicken in Your Lap," they reiterate the importance of thinking in local terms in globalizing a business, and warn about the all-too-common mistakes that get a foreign assignment to get off on the wrong foot.
Johnson and Ayres argue that filling overseas jobs with the wrong people has cost US companies dearly in terms of investment in staff training. This situation can be improved by changing the criteria usually used to select individuals for overseas assignments.
There is no solid basis for assuming that employees who do well domestically will also ace an overseas assignment. Yet too often managers are hard-wired to think this way, the authors note.
Employees who are cut out for working abroad should, first and foremost, be flexible.
Despite the tendency to be a nail that sticks out, they'll have to respect local culture and conform to its conventions, rather than being foolish enough to try to swim against local tides or even dictate terms to the very people with whom they are supposed to cooperate.
Arrogance (or aloofness mistaken for arrogance) on the part of a new arrival can easily alienate new colleagues, undermine fundamental business cooperation and cause bitter conflicts that threaten to derail ties forged through years of efforts.
The world is a complex place with myriad potential cultural pitfalls. Treading with ease and grace entails great sensitivity and care. Even in a matter as simple as being on time, different societies have different expectations.
Being punctual is an unwritten law for business occasions in some cultures but it can be an offense in others.
Showing up unexpectedly early might result in cancellation of a meeting and a door slammed in one's face. But it might also be interpreted as politeness. It all depends on the host society.
The more one gets to know a place, and preferably speak its language, the stronger foothold one acquires.
As the authors observe, "Business really isn't a blind date -- you've got to know whom you're working with." For a foreigner immersed in a completely strange culture, many efforts short of total assimilation can be made to avoid being considered an alien.
Deference to local custom is not a sign of inferiority. Those who respect the custom will win trust over time and also points in negotiating favorable terms for a deal.
Overseas workers who harbor a missionary mentality of various kinds stir unnecessary trouble for their companies.
Also problematic are those biased against a gender, race, ethnicity or religion. Human resources departments therefore should carefully screen applicants for potential problems in overseas postings. This can be difficult, since people often disguise or don't recognize their own biases.
It is also incorrect to assume that business success in a foreign country requires doing whatever it takes, including betraying one's moral principles and widely accepted business ethics.
Toward the end of their book, the authors say bribery should be banned outright but argue that "facilitation" is acceptable. Disappointingly, they fail to define "facilitation" or discuss how to draw the "fine line" between bribery and "facilitation."
And no matter how swiftly the global business landscape changes, some qualities that are cherished universally will continue to be valued: mutual respect and tenacity, to name but a few.
Remain true to these principles, for they really are the "chicken in your lap" that will lay golden eggs.
To some people, this is one of the thrills about working for global firms. To others, however, it may bring unpleasant disruptions to well-planned work schedules and family projects.
Like it or not, as companies scour the globe for relatively low labor cost and big market potential, more businesspeople will be shipped to these far-off places, though most get some notice.
The trickiest part of this flow of human capital is often not whether employees are elated or reluctant to move, but how they can fit into a new environment as fast and smoothly as possible. This can be difficult if they know next to nothing about the destination countries -- and their many taboos and different cultural mores.
Cultural adjustment is the topic of many books and abundant literature, and there would seem to be no lacuna in the help of getting newcomers up to speed in a new setting.
That's not what Bruce Alan Johnson and R. William Ayres think. In their oddly titled book, "Carry a Chicken in Your Lap," they reiterate the importance of thinking in local terms in globalizing a business, and warn about the all-too-common mistakes that get a foreign assignment to get off on the wrong foot.
Johnson and Ayres argue that filling overseas jobs with the wrong people has cost US companies dearly in terms of investment in staff training. This situation can be improved by changing the criteria usually used to select individuals for overseas assignments.
There is no solid basis for assuming that employees who do well domestically will also ace an overseas assignment. Yet too often managers are hard-wired to think this way, the authors note.
Employees who are cut out for working abroad should, first and foremost, be flexible.
Despite the tendency to be a nail that sticks out, they'll have to respect local culture and conform to its conventions, rather than being foolish enough to try to swim against local tides or even dictate terms to the very people with whom they are supposed to cooperate.
Arrogance (or aloofness mistaken for arrogance) on the part of a new arrival can easily alienate new colleagues, undermine fundamental business cooperation and cause bitter conflicts that threaten to derail ties forged through years of efforts.
The world is a complex place with myriad potential cultural pitfalls. Treading with ease and grace entails great sensitivity and care. Even in a matter as simple as being on time, different societies have different expectations.
Being punctual is an unwritten law for business occasions in some cultures but it can be an offense in others.
Showing up unexpectedly early might result in cancellation of a meeting and a door slammed in one's face. But it might also be interpreted as politeness. It all depends on the host society.
The more one gets to know a place, and preferably speak its language, the stronger foothold one acquires.
As the authors observe, "Business really isn't a blind date -- you've got to know whom you're working with." For a foreigner immersed in a completely strange culture, many efforts short of total assimilation can be made to avoid being considered an alien.
Deference to local custom is not a sign of inferiority. Those who respect the custom will win trust over time and also points in negotiating favorable terms for a deal.
Overseas workers who harbor a missionary mentality of various kinds stir unnecessary trouble for their companies.
Also problematic are those biased against a gender, race, ethnicity or religion. Human resources departments therefore should carefully screen applicants for potential problems in overseas postings. This can be difficult, since people often disguise or don't recognize their own biases.
It is also incorrect to assume that business success in a foreign country requires doing whatever it takes, including betraying one's moral principles and widely accepted business ethics.
Toward the end of their book, the authors say bribery should be banned outright but argue that "facilitation" is acceptable. Disappointingly, they fail to define "facilitation" or discuss how to draw the "fine line" between bribery and "facilitation."
And no matter how swiftly the global business landscape changes, some qualities that are cherished universally will continue to be valued: mutual respect and tenacity, to name but a few.
Remain true to these principles, for they really are the "chicken in your lap" that will lay golden eggs.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
