ask an asian: working with asians

Dear Jitthip,

I’m about to start working for an Asian company – what insight can you give me that might help me be successful in my new job?

Asians are collectivists by nature. The need to become part of a group, for many of us, is one of the many essentials that make life more ‘complete’.

Maybe this is why: a) establishing connections and b) networking play such important roles in determining the level of success and happiness in our lives.

And we are trained to do so from very young age…

As far back as I can remember my parents have always encouraged me to interact with people.  The majority of my time as a kid would often involve sharing and playing with other children (the neighbor’s kids, cousins, kids from the nursery, etc.) whom I was always told to play nice with. 

In grade school, emphasis was put on learning and working together as a group, where students were herded around by teachers who should’ve spent more time caring about our progresses as individuals (instead of trying to come up with creative ways to punish us as a group). After a few years of this, we couldn’t help but just kind of feel unimportant, like tiny nuts and bolts in a large machine, unable to function without the rest of the parts.

I guess this is where networking comes into play. When a person feels like nothing can be achieved with just individual effort, he’d start seeking out the right parts and pieces to assemble his own machine.

This machine represents a collective effort, which has long been a unifying theme to Asians’ success. And networking is a tool used to round up the ‘right’ people for your group.

With the right connections, businesses will prosper, a regular Joe can become famous overnight, and a simple idea can turn into profits. In other words, you will feel an instant ‘upgrade’ once you surround yourself with the right people, both in business and at home. 

And that, is the key to success in Asian societies.

Comments

[expat1]

Hi,
ok for the most part they are Collectivists.
Because of this..most cannot make a firm individualistic decision and will tiptoe around your back.
From very early on they establish this Kiasu, face-saving/losing/putting on a face,etc.

Also this so called machine theory is established to maximize exploitation, which most asians business minded people excel at.

be prepared to work extra hard and get alot of the blame if things go wrong. And not getting much appreciation if things go right, thats expected.

hardcore Networking for asians is usually within their "own". But you will get surface-level networking. ie, exchanging cards, small talk