Comments on: Chinese work style differences and their cultural origin http://tofflerann.com/2007/02/03/chinese-work-style-differences-and-their-cultural-origin/ Cultural & Business Insights, Experiences, Observations Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:23:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: midi http://tofflerann.com/2007/02/03/chinese-work-style-differences-and-their-cultural-origin/comment-page-1/#comment-83 midi Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:33:33 +0000 http://tofflerann.com/2007/02/03/chinese-work-style-differences-and-their-cultural-origin/#comment-83 yes, as a Chinese I am totally agree with Mr. D( well this is the best appellation I can think of). Group thinking happens everywhere. Several years ago IBM launched a slogan "service on demand". for Chinese people in our daily life it's "strategies on demand". There is a Chinese idiom "审时度势" , which means you observe, you measure and then you act. The guy,for example, shows no requirement from the sales man. But you will be surprised to find such a demanding person he really is when he is decorating HIS OWN house. Here the situation is "who is gonna pay". I guess I am not 100% right. but it might be an other way for you to understand China. @midi yes, as a Chinese I am totally agree with Mr. D( well this is the best appellation I can think of). Group thinking happens everywhere.

Several years ago IBM launched a slogan “service on demand”. for Chinese people in our daily life it’s “strategies on demand”. There is a Chinese idiom “审时度势” , which means you observe, you measure and then you act.

The guy,for example, shows no requirement from the sales man. But you will be surprised to find such a demanding person he really is when he is decorating HIS OWN house. Here the situation is “who is gonna pay”.

I guess I am not 100% right. but it might be an other way for you to understand China.

@midi

]]> By: Dad http://tofflerann.com/2007/02/03/chinese-work-style-differences-and-their-cultural-origin/comment-page-1/#comment-81 Dad Tue, 06 Feb 2007 03:43:20 +0000 http://tofflerann.com/2007/02/03/chinese-work-style-differences-and-their-cultural-origin/#comment-81 Toffler: You may find this surprising, but there is a great deal of group thinking and decision making in Canada. I have often heard Canadians scoff at American individualism. Europeans also exhibit much less individualism than Americans (i.e., U.S, residents); incredibly, I have heard senior management personnel say that they do not at all mind the high taxes they pay and prefer to have their governments make many of their spending decisions. Individualism, which we cherish, is not currently, in my experience, a globally revered birth right. Dad Toffler:
You may find this surprising, but there is a great deal of group thinking and decision making in Canada. I have often heard Canadians scoff at American individualism. Europeans also exhibit much less individualism than Americans (i.e., U.S, residents); incredibly, I have heard senior management personnel say that they do not at all mind the high taxes they pay and prefer to have their governments make many of their spending decisions. Individualism, which we cherish, is not currently, in my experience, a globally revered birth right.
Dad

]]> By: Irene http://tofflerann.com/2007/02/03/chinese-work-style-differences-and-their-cultural-origin/comment-page-1/#comment-80 Irene Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:08:22 +0000 http://tofflerann.com/2007/02/03/chinese-work-style-differences-and-their-cultural-origin/#comment-80 on the other hand, imagine this: - every customer wants to express his/her own needs and desires, - every employee needs to say his/her ideas and plans, - every student needs to raise a question or make a comment to the professor, - every person needs to weigh and judge 50 different products to choose the best fitting one, - every government needs to hear each individual person in its country, - every..... I totally agree that there is indeed a crack, the size of Grand Canyon, between the thinking of a Westerner, and the mind-set of a Chinese. However, does limited choice not also free up you life? With less choice, you need less trouble thinking about trivial things, like whether you want a hotel room with a view on the swimming pool, the terras, the restaurant or the golf court........, you need less trouble thinking of whether to buy the low-fat candy, the candy with no fat or the sugerless candy........ My examples are simple, but my meaning is also simple. I think that you can have too much choice and options that you cannot see the tree through the woods. (*as we put it in the Netherlands). ^_^ People nowadays spend statistically speaking two minutes on making simple decisions, from buying bread to choosing a tv channel. It is only through conditioning that we can save time and effort in making the same decision repetitively. But, hey, does that nog mean that you naturally limit the amount of choices you have to one? You might say that you yourself chose this choice, but to what extent did you. To what extent did you choose the products that are on a shelve, that the employee chose to stock, that what the manager chose to put in the assortiment, that the company chose to include in its products, that the producer chose to manufacture? Most of the things are already decided for us, intentionally or unintentionally and subconscious. Choices gives us freedom, but at the same time chains us. icic, how ironic. Nevertheless, I must admit, it is always nice to have choices. At least, the fact that I CAN choose, makes my life seem more in the control of my own hands. It is nice to think that I CAN choose something else. In the end I think choices should exist, but those choices should be over matters not materialistic, but personal matters: a son able to choose its own career or a daughter able to choose someone she trully loves. Let's make things simple. Irene on the other hand, imagine this:
- every customer wants to express his/her own needs and desires,
- every employee needs to say his/her ideas and plans,
- every student needs to raise a question or make a comment to the professor,
- every person needs to weigh and judge 50 different products to choose the best fitting one,
- every government needs to hear each individual person in its country,
- every…..

I totally agree that there is indeed a crack, the size of Grand Canyon, between the thinking of a Westerner, and the mind-set of a Chinese. However, does limited choice not also free up you life? With less choice, you need less trouble thinking about trivial things, like whether you want a hotel room with a view on the swimming pool, the terras, the restaurant or the golf court……..,
you need less trouble thinking of whether to buy the low-fat candy, the candy with no fat or the sugerless candy……..

My examples are simple, but my meaning is also simple. I think that you can have too much choice and options that you cannot see the tree through the woods. (*as we put it in the Netherlands). ^_^ People nowadays spend statistically speaking two minutes on making simple decisions, from buying bread to choosing a tv channel. It is only through conditioning that we can save time and effort in making the same decision repetitively. But, hey, does that nog mean that you naturally limit the amount of choices you have to one? You might say that you yourself chose this choice, but to what extent did you. To what extent did you choose the products that are on a shelve, that the employee chose to stock, that what the manager chose to put in the assortiment, that the company chose to include in its products, that the producer chose to manufacture?

Most of the things are already decided for us, intentionally or unintentionally and subconscious. Choices gives us freedom, but at the same time chains us. icic, how ironic.

Nevertheless, I must admit, it is always nice to have choices. At least, the fact that I CAN choose, makes my life seem more in the control of my own hands. It is nice to think that I CAN choose something else.
In the end I think choices should exist, but those choices should be over matters not materialistic, but personal matters: a son able to choose its own career or a daughter able to choose someone she trully loves.

Let’s make things simple.

Irene

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