Our Chinese friends are celebrating the New Year, which is the Year of the Rooster. Warmest regards, best wishes for success, and all the best! And there are gifts for those of us interested in China—a post by our friend Lily Lue, an intercultural trainer.
Problems and Solutions in German-Chinese Communication
Explained using examples from an intercultural perspective
By Lily Lue
At the management meeting of a German-Chinese joint venture, the CEO would announce the following rule at the beginning of every meeting: Please do not talk among yourselves while someone is speaking.
Both German and Chinese managers attended this meeting, which is why interpreters were used. However, while a German colleague was speaking, the Chinese colleagues were talking among themselves. The German CEO reacted angrily, as he believed the Chinese colleagues were exchanging information among themselves. Therefore, he emphatically reiterated this meeting rule.
Our Chinese colleagues reacted with displeasure and silently thought to themselves: “We’re talking among ourselves because we need to share certain background information to better understand the whole situation. The CEO’s speech has to be translated anyway. You guys also often talk among yourselves in German for ages, and we didn’t say anything about it to save face for you.”
A meeting rule—even small things like this can trigger negative feelings on both sides. The German CEO believes that the Chinese are sharing information among themselves without sharing it with everyone. The Chinese colleagues, in turn, think that the German CEO doesn’t trust them, since he keeps repeating this meeting rule. Mutual distrust is growing.
Trust is the cornerstone of interpersonal relationships. Misunderstandings lead to mistrust. Trust influences an individual’s performance, interpersonal relationships, and physical and mental health, as well as an organization’s productivity.
Research by the renowned intercultural communication scholar Geert Hofstede shows that Chinese culture places greater emphasis on relationships, whereas German culture tends to be dominated by the subject matter or the task at hand. This is referred to as task orientation and relationship orientation.
Let’s take a closer look at three aspects that influence intercultural communication between Germans and Chinese:
Task-Orientation vs. Relationship-Orientation
In our example, the German CEO was unaware that repeatedly announcing the seating rule made his Chinese colleagues feel very uncomfortable.
The relationship-oriented Chinese colleagues did not want to disrupt the atmosphere and therefore did not point out that they, too, felt uncomfortable when the Germans spoke to each other in German. The Germans, however, were completely unaware that their Chinese colleagues were tacitly tolerating their behavior.
“You don’t know what you don’t know.”
In a multicultural team, members communicate and behave in very different ways; each follows their own cultural norms, which consist of values, beliefs, rules, and emotions.
We behave according to our cultural norms and expect others to follow those norms as well. However, if others do not behave as we would like them to, we often become annoyed and suspicious.
Chinese colleagues, who have grown up in a culture characterized by reserve and conflict avoidance, face a major challenge when it comes to communication and problem-solving in their interactions with people from German-speaking cultures.
Many people are already aware of this, but what can be done about it? Changing behavior is a long process. Just as a patient cannot cure their own illness by reading medical textbooks, it is best to work with experienced and professional counselors when resolving intercultural conflicts.
High- and Low-Context Cultures
In a high-context culture, what is said is often unclear and must be inferred from the context. You have to interpret what the speaker really meant.
A Chinese proverb says, “What is said can only be perceived, but not explained in words.”
Germans, on the other hand, who tend toward a low-context style, say very directly (compared to the Chinese) what they really think. The listener doesn’t have to guess what is meant, because what is said is exactly what is meant.
Here’s an example: If a Chinese manager who has only ever worked for Chinese state-owned enterprises says that the proposal needs further consideration, this often amounts to an indirect rejection.
However, when a German manager says the same thing, it usually means that the matter does indeed still need to be considered. Often, a specific time frame or an exact date is also given by which a decision is expected to be made.
High- and low-context cultures—which also refer to direct and indirect communication—often lead to frustration. How can I understand the person I’m talking to? How can I adapt and help them understand the norms of my culture? This ability, along with the awareness and knowledge that go with it, are integral parts of lifelong learning.
Power Distance—Low and High Hierarchical Thinking
As Hofstede explains, the concept of power distance describes the extent to which power is not consistent with equality, and the extent to which this inequality is accepted.
Once, I asked a German manager at Citibank what his biggest challenge was in managing Chinese employees. He said the biggest challenge was that tasks weren’t completed on time and the reason wasn’t often communicated directly. But his employees spoke fluent English and had studied abroad, so he actually assumed they would be familiar with such rules.
His words give me pause: Apparently, the Chinese employees did not meet his expectations, even though they “studied abroad and speak English fluently.” In the eyes of a German boss, it’s taken for granted that employees will speak up when they’re having trouble with their work or even when they disagree with the boss.
However, this is not something that comes naturally to most Chinese employees. Chinese culture places great emphasis on hierarchy—employees rarely question their supervisor’s views or behavior. Even if they have doubts, they would not voice them, because at home the parents are in charge, at school the teacher is in charge, and at work, of course, the supervisor is in charge. The result: They’d rather not complete their tasks on time than express opposing opinions or inform their supervisor about the problems they’re facing while doing their work. Therefore, studying abroad and the ability to speak English fluently do not automatically mean that one can understand the values and expectations of a German boss, because the necessary awareness is lacking.
Some say that generations in China born after 1980 behave differently from previous ones. It’s important to note, however, that as long as the Chinese education system remains unchanged and the prevailing passive learning model continues to be applied, “critical thinking” will never truly take root. What German employees learned in school as children—namely, critical analysis and questioning—is not taught in Chinese schools in this way. Instead, passive learning prevails: what the teacher says is correct, and grades are awarded based on the standard answer. As long as the Chinese education system does not change, the behavior of Chinese students will also change very little.
In German schools, on the other hand, as already mentioned, critical thinking is highly valued. Students are allowed to question their teachers’ opinions, and discussions are encouraged and facilitated in various ways. This habit carries over automatically into the workplace, so that students later express their own opinions to their superiors quite naturally.
In a culture that emphasizes hierarchy, the boss’s word is law. Little attention is paid to employees’ opinions. In a flat-hierarchy culture, on the other hand, employees can express their opinions. They are involved in the process and their opinions are heard, allowing them to take more initiative in shaping their work.
Behavioral changes are based on a change in beliefs. If Chinese employees truly understand that their German supervisors welcome constructive suggestions—rather than feeling offended or disrespected by them—and if the employee also feels secure in this context, they will behave in the way their German supervisor expects them to.
As a company, one faces many challenges in this regard. Only those companies whose managers are well-prepared in this area can keep pace with the process of globalization in the long run.
Lily Lue, General Manager of SML Business Consulting
Master of Business Administration, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. Master of German Studies, Shanghai International Study University. Certified international professional managers trainer with over 20 years of experience in Sino-German cooperation. Trainer and consultant in intercultural communication, leadership, and team building. Email: lily.lue@smltranslation.com | www.smltranslation.com
