Working in China 233Western style. When speaking, you should be clear in the
points that you are making but non-confrontational. If you
need to deal with confrontational issues, it is best to float
subject points in advance of the meeting to understand
positioning and begin initial negotiations, rather than to
spring it on meeting attendees for the first time in a public
forum where they could suffer a loss of ‘ face’.
One other important courtesy to be extended is offering
drinks. Chinese will view it as a slight if they are invited to be
seated for a meeting and are not politely offered a beverage.
The usual preference is green tea or hot water. Ideally guests
are offered drinks by the person that brings them into the
room and seats them. You must also pay attention to refilling
water in glasses throughout the meeting.
Finally, it is important to accompany guests when leaving
the building. At a minimum, take them to the elevator bank
or door. If they are very important or very senior, accompany
them to the car.
Building a Solid Team
The expectation that local employees will have of you
is that you will provide adequate support in their career
development. The single most important way to assure
solid team performance is to create a clear path to success
and provide the tools needed to travel that path. An often
overlooked factor mentioned in China CEO: Voices of
Experience from 20 International Business Leaders is the degree
to which loyalty assures retention. Loyalty is built by acting
as guide and mentor to Chinese within your organisation,
creating the success for them that enables them to improve
their quality of life, and that of their extended family.
A consistent finding in Hudson’s quarterly survey (http://
china.hudson.com) is that limited career advancement is one
of the primary reasons that Chinese consider changing jobs.
Personal reasons such as taking a career break, furthering
education, caring for family or starting a private business
are also often cited for reasons to leave a job. Salary is
often a third or fourth reason that someone would consider
changing jobs.