Diversity Corner Virtual Communication with the Chinese

By Jian Li, PhD.
Copyright © 2006, We Connected 2 China

Communication with the Chinese is becoming increasingly important as the two countries are brought closer by trade, immigration and increasing globalization. Today, China is the third largest trading partner of the United States. China also remains top trading partner with over $13.6 billion in total trade in 2005 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

To many people, the term “inscrutable Chinese” still rings true. Chinese don’t seem to respond to our questions promptly as we would expect them to. This can be especially frustrating for HR professionals who try to figure out why no one has responded to their emails and phone calls.

Learning some Chinese cultural values will help us to understand reasons behind the communication styles. Three important Chinese cultural values pertinent to communication are: hierarchy and harmony, collectivism and face, time and patience.

Hierarchy and Harmony

In Chinese traditional culture, social harmony is valued above individual freedom and autonomy. One way to achieve harmony is for employees to adhere to their proper roles and never question the authority figures.

Collectivism and Face

China is high on the collectivism spectrum. Individual Chinese may seem hesitant and uncomfortable in making decisions. Face is an important element in daily lives and professional settings. Chinese go to great lengths to save face. If an employee makes a mistake, he shames not only himself, but also the whole company.

Time and Patience

While Westerners pride themselves in meeting deadlines, Chinese are more concerned with soliciting consensus from the group and weighing benefits and losses on a long-term basis.

Strategies for Communicating With the Chinese

When you don't hear timely responses from your Chinese colleagues, here are some possible reasons:

1. If a decision needs to be made by top management, an employee who receives the request might feel obliged not to say anything until he has received instructions from his boss. It's safer to take no action than to respond inappropriately.
2. A negative response to your request may be considered or decided. Since a negative response might cause someone to lose face, some Chinese prefer to use silence to convey a disagreement or respond to a tough question.
3. A week or two may seem to be a long time for you, but it may be too short of a time for the Chinese to make a response that involves layers of bureaucracy both inside and outside of the company.

Learning a few simple strategies will help you to facilitate a more productive communication with the Chinese: First, properly identify yourself by title and position in the company and state clearly the reasons and expectations for the inquiry. Second, if you don't hear from the Chinese side in a week, you may send another inquiry just to ask if they have received your previous email. Avoid long emails with pressure. You may put them into defensive mode. Lastly, patience is regarded as a great virtue in Chinese culture. Remind yourself of being patient, polite and persistent in working with the Chinese.

Jian Li, PhD. Cultural anthropologist, is the founder of We Connect 2 China. www.connecttochina.net. She specializes in Chinese - American, cross-cultural consulting and training.

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