October 29, 2007

Bangkok Post - I was interviewed recently by Sake Slootweg, a student intern working with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. ...

He was doing research on crosscultural management between Thais and the Dutch.

Q: What are the main misconceptions that expats have toward working with Thais?
A: It depends. Each group has its own ways of perception. But mostly, here are some common comments:

Loı¨c Tardy, the CEO of Unilever Thailand, told me that the boss is really the boss here. Thais respect seniority, which includes position and age. The implication is that we have a tendency to wait for the boss’s instruction instead of taking initiative.

It’s difficult to know what Thais are thinking. We do not express our comments, either positive or negative, particularly in meetings where lots of people attend. We worry about saying something that will make us lose face or create an unnecessary conflict or make other people embarrassed.

Q: What are Thai reactions to working with expats? Do Thais overestimate or underestimate cross-cultural issues?
A: Usually, Thais observe how the new boss works. They try to accommodate their style to the new boss.

Thais start by working on relationships first then go to the task. So if the new boss is patient in the beginning and tries to learn how to work with Thais, usually things are okay.

However, if the new boss is not patient enough and perceives that Thais are too slow (because Thais are observing or busy developing relationships), he may start giving instructions. That’s a problem. Because Thais will say, ‘Okay boss, you’re good, let’s do it your way.’ They are kind of complying. Compliance will not yield the same accountability as commitment. Inevitably, commitment needs involvement.

Q: What kind of coaching do you provide for expats?
A: There are two segments. The first group comprises new expats who have come to work with Thais. The second group are those who already work with Thais for quite sometime and face challenges.

Usually, the business was jeopardised or several key Thai executives resigned. The second group is usually easier for me because the expats follow my advice.

On the other hand, the first group has a tendency to ignore my coaching. They think they know it all. They think Thais are easy to manage. Unfortunately, people learn the hard way. And I don’t like it because the relationship has already been damaged. It’s like a broken glass that still leaves a mark after it’s glued back together.

Q: What do you think about cross-cultural issues in a Thai joint-venture company?
A: Some organisations take one or two years in order to integrate the cultures. As Jack Welch said in his book Winning, one of the problems of mergers and acquisitions is mismatched cultures on both sides. I would say that you will not get maximum productivity in the first six months.

Q: I know one Dutch-Thai joint-venture company that has been here more than 35 years. An executive told me that there are two cultures there. When Thai management deals with Dutch management, there is one style and when Thai management deals with Thai staff there is another approach. What do you think?
A: It’s not cross-cultural between Thais and foreigners. All organisations have there own subcultures.

Q: There are two schools of thought about cross-cultural management in Thailand. One notion is it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. The other notion says that it’s not a critical issue here. What is your view?
A: It depends. The more I work with people the more I realise that people are complex. I would rather suggest a situational approach. You have to evaluate each organisation and each situation carefully. If you work with a conservative organisation you might face one challenge and if you work with a newly establish organisation you will have another challenge.

On the other hand, if you work with Thais who are young, well-educated or have overseas exposure, you’ll have different opinion on how they approach things.

Q: I heard when a Thai manager leaves the organisation, many Thais will follow him due to loyalty. What do you think?
A: It’s true if you are a good Thai manager. However, I have seen lot of people regardless of nationality also bring along people that they used to work with before. It’s not about culture. I think it’s about individuals and not all Thai managers do that.

Usually, a good Thai boss will take good care of his people. Hence, there is a strong bond between the boss and subordinates. There is a term called pradej pra-khun. It means that the boss takes good care of his people, both at work and at home. Once the bond is established, it’s hard to break. When you get a new boss who does not have the same kind of relationship with old staff, it’s easy for them to join the former one who seems to understand them much better.

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