Being culturally sensitive in Asia is backfiring! Help!

Dear Aunty B,

I could scream! We moved into Asia about a year ago and while we have had some successes, we have had a few difficult clients that have made our life hell. But there is one in particular that has actually cost us money.

We were working with the firm to implement a new software system and it is now six months late. The problem is the people in the firm, while telling us everything is okay, just drag their heels. If something is wrong, they won’t tell us. Instead they pretend everything is right but don’t do anything they say they will. Then when we do find out what is wrong, they seem embarrassed.

The other day I tried to force the issue and one of the managers got really mad and shouted at me, which was frankly shocking as they never raise their voices. It was really weird because it was also being done through interpreters as the Thai people we are dealing with only know a little bit of English. I know that “yes” can mean “no” in Asia and we have been sensitive about cultural difference. But is our desire to be culturally sensitive getting us ripped off? We are now way over time and this is delaying our pipeline of projects. The situation has not been helped by a change of managers half way through the project.

Fed up,
Thailand

Dear Fed up in Thailand,

Good on you for making the leap into Asia! I am sure you realise that forcing the issue was completely the wrong approach, especially with Thai people. When they lose face they can act aggressively.

Look, sometimes in Asia you can run up against a host of problems. You are consultants. Right? That means you are high up in the hierarchy because as consultant, you are experts and experts know best. That then means they can feel uncomfortable telling you that something isn’t working well. You might also have a problem with the Asian desire to do things the way that everyone else is doing them. They call it best practice, but we call it following the leader.

They also hate failure and can delay switching the on button because it might not work. You have also had a change of management which means the new managers may not be on board and are dragging their heels. Have you implemented the systems anywhere else successfully? Can you show them how it is working well elsewhere? What can you do to make them feel more confident that the system will work? And if I were you, I would personally stay out of it and instead use the staff that get on well with them. Don’t just walk away as you won’t finish the job and get that last payment!

Look, I know you feel you have bent over backwards being culturally sensitive. And it would be easy just to dismiss them as a bad client. But I think you need to do a lot more work on the cultural differences of operating in Asia.

For a start, you could find some great Thai graduates here or who have studied in Australia to join the team. There are also consultants who can do deep training with you on how to operate in Asia.

Now I know you are very frustrated. But take a deep breath and see it as a long-term project that will pay off.

Good luck!
Your Aunty B

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