Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleLearning About Asia to

Succeed in Asia: Culture as a Risk factor

© UGM Consulting 2015

Beyond 2020 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia20th May 2015

Dr Margaret ByrneUGM Consulting

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleFocus of this session

Cultural Competence

B

C

Behavioural

A

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleCultural differences make business more complicated

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleCultural risks in many common business activities

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title style

Good /neutral relationsBehaviour wrongly

explained Negative evaluation

Stereotypesactivated

Trust eroded

Motivation falls

Intolerance of small errors

Relationships, reputation and

results all jeopardised

Low cultural competence damages trust

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleChallenge and opportunity

Culture adds complexity and risk.

Competence manages complexity and reduces

risk.

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleUGM Cultural Risk Mitigation Tool

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleFor business success, you need to …

Understand Australian cultural

preferences

Understand ASEAN cultural

preferencesBridge the gap

between the two

8

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleIceberg analogyvisible

values

communicationpreferences

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleIndividual……Group

0

20

40

60

80

100

Individualism

90

20 1426 32

20 20 20 2743

Aus China Indonesia Malaysia PhilippinesSingapore Thailand Vietnam Asian Avg. Global Avg.

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleEquality……Hierarchy

020406080

100120

Hierarchy

36

80 78

10494

7464 70 73

55

Aus China Indonesia Malaysia PhilippinesSingapore Thailand Vietnam Asian Avg. Global Avg.

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleAustralian thinking: anti-deference

12

• Direct, familiar language even to senior people

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleAustralian English reflects the culture

13

• Australian English

• Use of abbreviations

• Australian humour

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title stylePart of the cultural legacy

14

Behaviour fairly similar across most situations

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleBeing indirect can serve useful purposes

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title stylePutting options forward

START START

END END

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleProblem-solving approach

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleAnger, annoyance

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleDifferent perspectives, different strengths

Australian approach Asian approach

Direct Indirect

Truth Harmony

Independent Reciprocal

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleDefining cultural competence

Success = making

adjustments that are:

practical

realistic

appropriate

effective (even

partially)20

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title styleSome common challenges for Australians

What is NOT said

Implying and inferring

Absence of ‘yes’ and the ‘casual yes’

Avoiding questions

Click to edit Master title styleClick to edit Master title style6 practical things you can do

1 • Listen more

2 • Practise picking up hints, inferences

3 • Focus on rapport and trust

4 • Clarify meaning

5 • Share intentions

6 • Strike a balance: be yourself & adjust!

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margaret@ugmconsulting.com