OntoSomething

Note to self: Don't say what you're NOT going to do

In indirect cultures, a standard piece of advice is to not be too direct or risk the possiblity of damaging a relationship. This week, here in China, I was reminded just how sensitive this point can be.

I was teeing up a kick off presentation to the mostly Chinese leadership team, and described to my Chinese counterpart a few of the introductory remarks I would make. One of these remarks was to state that my coaching and observing was not to JUDGE them but to find ways to support them in their leadership capacity.

My counterpart reminded me that saying I would NOT be judging them would likely put the idea in their mind that I was there to judge, and it would be preferable to simply state that my role was to find ways to support them.

So in the spirit of being clear and direct, I would easily have missed this point. Assuming that this audience would jump to "judging" is perhaps built in my own cultural frame of reference. By doing so, I pollute this audience with an interpretation that they may have not even considered.

Seems like such a subtle nuance, and yet these sorts of cultural sensitivities can and do make a palpable difference in the outcomes we achieve.

Pondering in China: The one-child family rule and its implications

An interesting fact I learned today, per the human resource director of my client here in China:

If you were born during the 1-child/family rule in China, and you marry someone who is also an only child, you are allowed two children. But if you come from a family where one of the parents is not the only child, you are permitted only one child.

With these rules in place for China, projections show that India will have a larger population by 2014, since they have no such restrictions. Currently, India already has more people between the ages of 18-35 than does China.

The Chinese government will have to grapple with how to pay for its aging population and how the young will take care of its older people.

I wonder the psychological impact of a nation of people without brothers and sisters. How does that change family dynamics and cultural preferences over time? As the H.R. director pointed out, "Can you imagine the consequences that every child has 6 people taking care of each child?" (2 sets of grandparents and the 2 parents)

From a cultural perspective, I also wonder about the collectivist orientation that is so strong in Chinese culture. A collectivist culture focuses on social affiliation, with value placed on dependence; where the "we" predominates over the "I". Could it be that the Chinese become more individualistic, valuing independence and focusing on "self" over time? How would that show up in the workplace? What are the implications?

These questions, among others, to be pondered as I'm here near Shanghai this week.