What do companies need to know about doing business in China?
Michael begins by discussing some of the cultural differences that organizations need to be aware of when doing business in China: 1- Group Decision-Making: Decision-making and information sharing are considerably more consensus based and group-oriented, which can be a source of conflict when coming in contact with more individualistic cultures, such as the U.S. 2- Saving Face: The importance of saving face in a group and not putting someone in the position where they have to make a decision in front of others is important. There is a Chinese saying, “A person needs face like a tree needs bark.” 3- Demonstrating Humility: Humility is highly valued in China, particularly when talking about yourself or your family. Conflict can arise with the U.S. culture where much value is placed on self-promotion: this is seen as boastful in China. 4- Universal Knowledge: The Daoist tradition says that knowledge is universal: everyone is entitled to knowledge and wisdom. The cultural conflict shows up
