The importance of cultural training for doing business in China
Monday, 25th January 2010
The Chinese New Year in February is a time that always highlights the culture of this fascinating nation, and never before has it been so important for us to learn about it.
China is a country that continues to grow economically and that is fast emerging as one of the world’s great superpowers.
To many Westerners, China has traditionally represented a truly foreign land and culture, with traditions and ways of life that are completely removed from our own. As more and more business is conducted with and within China though, more people are visiting the country, or communicating regularly with people who live there.
It could be argued that the existence of Chinese communities and areas in so many of the world’s major cities already gives us some insight into the culture, and this certainly, has made us familiar with the food and the eating rituals of the Chinese, but that’s pretty much where it ends.
A good awareness of foreign business culture and etiquette in particular demands much more than a knowledge of what food to choose and how to eat it. This may help in social situations, granted, but the path to ‘cultural enlightenment’ in a business sense can involve many other aspects, including the study of:
• your target destination’s core values
• their business practices
• their time-keeping and working hours
• hierarchies in and outside of the workplace
• gender roles and perceptions in their workplace
• greetings, farewells and how to address your counterparts without causing offence
Cultural training courses exist to provide help with, and instruction on, these very things. The courses are particularly helpful for employees who are looking to relocate to, or spend a prolonged period of time in a particular country, as they also provide strategies for coping with culture shock, and offer useful profiles of the country that you are going to so that you are as prepared as you can be when you arrive.
Cultural training courses can be undertaken in small group courses and on a one-to-one basis, and can also be taken in conjunction with some hours of language training.
If you are thinking of doing business in China or with Chinese partners, get in touch to find out how we can help you succeed.
Tags: english, culture, learning, new year, tailor-made, language, china, course, chinese, business, cultural training
Posted by Laura Harrison under Experience Cultures,
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