Ep 24: The Top Five Cross-Cultural Tips for Doing Business in Asia

With Craig Shim

“The temptation in Western cultures to quickly move from relationship building, to securing and then close the deal. However, from an Asian perspective, the emphasis is on establishing a quality and a long-term relationship first, and I call this the 20-year rule. So, here's what I mean, if I don't get the impression from you that we will continue having a solid relationship in 20 years’ time, I'm less likely to invest in the relationship right now. Now, this emphasis on relationship building is a prerequisite for building trust and negotiating a fair deal in Asia. And that's not the same, in a lot of other countries are certainly not to the same degree. So, I guess what I'm trying to say to warn here in a way is that if you appear too preoccupied with just the short-term contracts at hand, this could cause alarm for your Asian partner, who in turn may decide to choose a competitor whose values align more closely with theirs.”

Top Five Cross-Cultural Tips for Doing Business in Asia

1.    Understand differences in the Asian business mindset

2.    Avoid setting unrealistic timeframes

3.    Pre-empt the need for flexibility

4.    Beware of communication gaps and loss of face

5.    Cultural curiosity: suspend your common sense!

Time Stamp Summary

01:10 Understanding it is a different playing field

08:06 Experiencing the culture difference in real time

14:58 Maintaining group harmony with relationships

23:05 A quiz on cross cultural relatability

Where to find Craig?

Website                               https://alphacrane.com.au/

LinkedIn                               https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigshim

Who is Craig Shim?

Craig Shim is a qualified intercultural business consultant who owns two companies dedicated to helping people hone their cross-cultural business and relational skills.

He is the Director of Alphacrane Intercultural Specialists, and the co-founder of Project Global Citizen.

Previously based in Asia for 14 years (China, Singapore, Myanmar, and Indonesia), Craig was an intercultural advisor to multinational corporations, foreign embassies, and various agencies of the United Nations.

Since returning to Australia in 2015, Craig provides cross-cultural advice and intercultural executive coaching to organisations including Air New Zealand, Biogen, Boeing, BP, Nike, PepsiCo and Mastercard.