Q: What are the major differences between Asian and Western Cultures that my organization should prepare for?

A: I had the opportunity to meet a Professor, Ng Aik Kwang, at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore earlier this year who clarified the differences between Asian and Western Cultures in a very eloquent and though provoking manner. I feel this best clarifies the differences between the cultures so that you can position your organization for the best results possible.

Professor Kwang states that the Asian culture is based on collectivism that is tightly organized and focuses on the social "face" of things. There is a strong emphasis on social order and harmony and there is a negative view of conflict. The Asian business culture is based on an adaptive style that focuses on improving mouse traps and doing things better. A typical Asian worker is one who is a loyal follower who fits readily into the "system", is a team player who conforms to the workgroup and is efficient and disciplined. The outgrowth of the Asian culture and business person is Groupthink, which is a concurrence-seeking tendency in a strongly cohesive group. This can lead to the group not making the right decision in a crisis situation. This is caused by an overestimation of the group, closed-mindedness and pressures toward uniformity.

Western culture is more individualistic and loosely-organized that focuses on the personal self. There is an emphasis on democratic & open exchange of ideas and view conflict in a positive light. The Western business culture is innovative in style and looks ot devise another mouse trap and do things differently. The Western business person is a radical reformer who wants to transform the "system" and can be seen sometimes as a creative loner who defies the workgroup, comes up with a lot of impractical ideas but is charismatic and inspiring and is seen by adaptors as trouble-makers.

Professor Kwang is studying these differences in order to assist Asian organizations to become more "Westernized". But I think a Western organization can learn much from his research as a "reverse-engineering" of his work can assist Western organizations that wish to work in Asia. Some initial findings of Dr. Kwang's research suggests that Asian organizations should adopt an open, consultative style of leadership and encourage diverse views in the group. He goes onto suggest that Asian organizations should solicit the opinions of experts from outside and appoint a Devil's Advocate in the group. These are interesting viewpoints that your Western organization can learn from.

Thanks to Paul Doherty, AIA. He is the managing director of General Land Corp. a full-service, global real estate development firm with a focus on the Asia Pacific market. Paul is a thought leader, strategist and integrator of technology and business. He is an author, educator, analyst and consultant to Fortune 500 organizations, global government agencies and prominent institutions and is on the board of directors of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). He can be contacted at pdoherty@general-land.com.

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