The Cross-Cultural Challenge - Part 2
Having now completed the Cross-Cultural Management course, and being presented with a certificate to prove this, I am obviously totally proficient expat manager in Thailand. I no longer make cataclysmic errors in how I talk to people that result in blank stares and a wall of silence, and I have been able to influence my team’s thinking so that they anticipate issues and plan!
Well maybe not, but the course did throw up a few interesting points.
After an intense, yet unusually productive two days at work, it was nice to have a change of scenery in the form of a swanky central Bangkok hotel, endless coffee and a seemingly never-ending array of deliciously tempting food.
I felt quite nervous about the course, slightly afraid of how I might uncover previously unregistered, heinous crimes against Thai culture and feel truly mortified. But I was also excited to gain some knowledge and hopefully some useful techniques to make me a whole lot more effective in my job.
The title of the course being ‘Cross-Cultural Management’, it was aimed at both expatriate managers working in Thailand, and Thai managers working for multinational companies. There are many multinational companies in Bangkok who may choose to roll out concepts and initiatives derived from the West, and may also post Western managers in Thailand, so it makes sense to prepare the Thai managers for this. Also, the typical ‘old school’ Thai way of doing things isn’t seen as particularly prosperous, especially outside of Thailand so expats can add value.
There were two Thais on the course and ten expats, although one of the expats was, in fact, Japanese so cannot be counted as ‘farang’ - they actually sit somewhere else in the overall hierarchy of Thai society. I imagine this wasn’t exactly the mix of expatriates and Thais that the organisers were going for, but better than no Thais at all.
On the first day, it seemed that the facilitators were trying to foster an open environment, with lots of sharing and discussion. By the second day, it was quite clear that they were pretty fed up with everyone talking about all the funerals and ‘make merit’ ceremonies they’d had to take part in, and the endless questions about why Thai people do not want to discuss politics. They really just wanted us to shut up and listen to why Thai culture is so different and difficult to truly adjust to. This, unfortunately, did make the second day a little strained, but overall it was a worthwhile two days.
If anything, sharing experiences with other expats was useful. I don’t mean chatting about whichever Thai lady some farang bloke befriended down Nana Plaza, more talking about professional challenges in the workplace. I’m sure other expats in other countries will recognise this, but it’s very easy to connect with people who are in a similar situation as you just have so much in common. I’m not sure what happens when you exhaust all the discussion on working and living in a different country, maybe you never do!
I think there were three key points that I really took away from the course and feel I can apply in my working life. The first, and it’s quite shocking that I hadn’t really grasped this in 6 months, was the correct use of the ‘wai’. This is the gesture where you bring your hands together and bow your head slightly, used to greet people and say thank you. Now, I’d learnt that it’s not always necessary to do this, particularly in restaurants and shops a polite nod is fine. What I hadn’t realised was that as the more senior person in a lot of work situations, I really shouldn’t be initiating a ‘wai’. I should wait for the more junior person to do it and then respond. I don’t think any real harm has been done but I am potentially not showing my seniority which may result in a lack of respect. This might explain why nobody does anything I say!
The second point was more of an understanding of some of the differences in the Thai language. Although there are equivalent words, they don’t always mean exactly the same thing, and because you can’t use different tones in the same way, you can’t get the meaning across even if you’re speaking English. The most useful example of this for me was the word ‘why’. There is a Thai equivalent of ‘why’, but it always has a very negative connotation. So, when I’m patiently enquiring into ‘why’ my team have done something (or not), I might as well be saying ‘You’ve clearly done something wrong and I do not trust you in the slightest’. I am incredibly guilty of overuse of the word ‘why’, in large meetings and as a prefix to many questions, one after another. In my mind, I am simply trying to understand the issue so I can support the solution, but to my Thai colleagues, I am just accusing them of doing a bad job. The more effective way of getting a response in this scenario would be to say something like ‘can you help me understand this problem?’.
The third and final point was gaining a deeper understanding of why Thai people behave like this, even when they know they are probably causing frustration to their expat managers, and not really getting the job done effectively. The pre-reading for the course alluded to this, but essentially Thailand has been so recently and rapidly industrialised that they just haven’t had time for their culture and mindset to adjust. In the West, we’ve had hundreds of years for society to adjust to these changes but in Thailand, it’s been less than one hundred years. I am probably over-simplifying it, but essentially deep down everyone is still an agricultural worker where their lives are ultimately quite simple, and things like being on time, for instance, are just not important.
This is a difficult concept for western expats to comprehend. I tried explaining it to some friends in the pub on Friday night and the immediate question is 'if they know they’re doing it, why don’t they just change?' Unfortunately, it’s just not simple.
Well maybe not, but the course did throw up a few interesting points.
Nervous Anticipation
After an intense, yet unusually productive two days at work, it was nice to have a change of scenery in the form of a swanky central Bangkok hotel, endless coffee and a seemingly never-ending array of deliciously tempting food.
I felt quite nervous about the course, slightly afraid of how I might uncover previously unregistered, heinous crimes against Thai culture and feel truly mortified. But I was also excited to gain some knowledge and hopefully some useful techniques to make me a whole lot more effective in my job.
The title of the course being ‘Cross-Cultural Management’, it was aimed at both expatriate managers working in Thailand, and Thai managers working for multinational companies. There are many multinational companies in Bangkok who may choose to roll out concepts and initiatives derived from the West, and may also post Western managers in Thailand, so it makes sense to prepare the Thai managers for this. Also, the typical ‘old school’ Thai way of doing things isn’t seen as particularly prosperous, especially outside of Thailand so expats can add value.
There were two Thais on the course and ten expats, although one of the expats was, in fact, Japanese so cannot be counted as ‘farang’ - they actually sit somewhere else in the overall hierarchy of Thai society. I imagine this wasn’t exactly the mix of expatriates and Thais that the organisers were going for, but better than no Thais at all.
Sharing is Caring
On the first day, it seemed that the facilitators were trying to foster an open environment, with lots of sharing and discussion. By the second day, it was quite clear that they were pretty fed up with everyone talking about all the funerals and ‘make merit’ ceremonies they’d had to take part in, and the endless questions about why Thai people do not want to discuss politics. They really just wanted us to shut up and listen to why Thai culture is so different and difficult to truly adjust to. This, unfortunately, did make the second day a little strained, but overall it was a worthwhile two days.
If anything, sharing experiences with other expats was useful. I don’t mean chatting about whichever Thai lady some farang bloke befriended down Nana Plaza, more talking about professional challenges in the workplace. I’m sure other expats in other countries will recognise this, but it’s very easy to connect with people who are in a similar situation as you just have so much in common. I’m not sure what happens when you exhaust all the discussion on working and living in a different country, maybe you never do!
What Did I Learn?
I think there were three key points that I really took away from the course and feel I can apply in my working life. The first, and it’s quite shocking that I hadn’t really grasped this in 6 months, was the correct use of the ‘wai’. This is the gesture where you bring your hands together and bow your head slightly, used to greet people and say thank you. Now, I’d learnt that it’s not always necessary to do this, particularly in restaurants and shops a polite nod is fine. What I hadn’t realised was that as the more senior person in a lot of work situations, I really shouldn’t be initiating a ‘wai’. I should wait for the more junior person to do it and then respond. I don’t think any real harm has been done but I am potentially not showing my seniority which may result in a lack of respect. This might explain why nobody does anything I say!
The second point was more of an understanding of some of the differences in the Thai language. Although there are equivalent words, they don’t always mean exactly the same thing, and because you can’t use different tones in the same way, you can’t get the meaning across even if you’re speaking English. The most useful example of this for me was the word ‘why’. There is a Thai equivalent of ‘why’, but it always has a very negative connotation. So, when I’m patiently enquiring into ‘why’ my team have done something (or not), I might as well be saying ‘You’ve clearly done something wrong and I do not trust you in the slightest’. I am incredibly guilty of overuse of the word ‘why’, in large meetings and as a prefix to many questions, one after another. In my mind, I am simply trying to understand the issue so I can support the solution, but to my Thai colleagues, I am just accusing them of doing a bad job. The more effective way of getting a response in this scenario would be to say something like ‘can you help me understand this problem?’.
The third and final point was gaining a deeper understanding of why Thai people behave like this, even when they know they are probably causing frustration to their expat managers, and not really getting the job done effectively. The pre-reading for the course alluded to this, but essentially Thailand has been so recently and rapidly industrialised that they just haven’t had time for their culture and mindset to adjust. In the West, we’ve had hundreds of years for society to adjust to these changes but in Thailand, it’s been less than one hundred years. I am probably over-simplifying it, but essentially deep down everyone is still an agricultural worker where their lives are ultimately quite simple, and things like being on time, for instance, are just not important.
It's Just Not That Simple
This is a difficult concept for western expats to comprehend. I tried explaining it to some friends in the pub on Friday night and the immediate question is 'if they know they’re doing it, why don’t they just change?' Unfortunately, it’s just not simple.
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