Humans and human activities cannot and do not exist in a vacuum. Rather, they are impacted upon by several variables like the culture of the immediate environment, technological advancements, history, morals, disposition, and so on. For the Chinese, their culture is reflected in almost every aspect of their lives, and the business sector is not an exception. There are several advantages to understanding the business etiquette of other people and places- it helps you nurture better business relationships as you approach your business partners from the position of understanding. There is much more to business dealings than finance and customer service, and with the highly digitalized world, businesses like Moneyspire and others might be able to ease your business interactions across the globe.
The Chinese culture generally, and business etiquette specifically, is impacted by two ancient ideologies, Confucianism and Taoism, and understanding these two are basic steps to understanding why the Chinese act the way they do in and out of business environments. The pillars that uphold business transactions are mutual respect, hierarchical relations, and the concept of saving face. For instance, the Chinese are highly sensitive to the receiver of their message, and therefore ensure that their words are subtle and sensitive, while the Western culture is more interested in themselves as the subject of the message. This means that a Chinese man will give you room to save face even if he is intent on rejecting your offer in a business transaction, for example. A lack of understanding of this core philosophy will make a western business negotiator confused, terming the subtility and the refusal to yield as mixed signals. For information about how to negotiate and/or conduct business with people of other cultures, you can research or readother finance companies’ reviews through the internet.
In the resolution of conflict, a Chinese is generally predisposed to the maintenance of order preservation of harmony and would prefer mediation through third parties than headlong confrontations. People in the Western world might find it strange to not sort out issues through lawyers and courts, but the Chinese are careful to maintain interpersonal relations, and therefore try to give their adversaries or opponents the leeway to save face, hence the resort to mediation practices.
Another thing to pay attention to in the business philosophy of the Chinese is that meanings are usually implied in communication, which means that much more than the words that are said are variables like how it was said, who said it, where it was said, and to whom it was said. You should understand the art of indirect language patterns if you have to deal with the Chinese, or you wish to employ the Chinese business philosophy in your business.
But perhaps one of the most important is the Chinese orientation to winning and losing. In the Western world, you either win or you lose, and this holds across activities like negotiation, business deals, sports, etc. In the Chinese business philosophy, attention is usually to make a situation a Win-Win. When that is impossible, then there is the option of ‘losing to win’, that is, reaching a compromise for the promise of a future gain. You see, business relationships in the
West are usually just that, business relationships, which means that they can be quickly established and not particularly long-lasting. In the Orient, however, it takes a longer time for relationships to blossom, but when they do, they last sometimes beyond immediate generations.
In sum, you can incorporate some elements of business interactions from the Orients into your business and see the difference it will make. Pay more attention to your business relationships, for instance, and nurture them even if it seems that no immediate gain is insight. You will surely reap the benefit sometime. Also, allow your adversaries to save face when possible. Try third party mediation before court settlement when you can. You might not be able to incorporate all these elements of Chinese Business Philosophy, but knowing them will help you relate better with your business partners from the Orient.