Against the yellow background. Zero tolerance

Chapter 4. Employment

In this chapter I will switch from general to specific. I hope you already have a general idea about communication in Asia and now we can start looking into practical application of some recommendations that will help you get the maximum profit.

Imagine you work in an Asian company. You’re lucky if this is a large international company with a lot of foreign employees. In this case you can skip this chapter. But if you’re one of the few foreign specialists under the direction of Asian executives, it makes everything different. In this case you will have to work hard, both literally and metaphorically.

First, you should know about the basic approach that Asian companies apply to the cooperation with foreign experts and partners. The whole idea of such cooperation is getting the unique information and learning about technologies in order to use them independently in the future. In short, as soon as they see that their employees are able to do what you do your cooperation is over. Or they will decrease your salary because you aren’t unique anymore. It regards every single kind of activity.

That’s why your most important aim (besides performing your primary duties) is to stay unique and irreplaceable as long as possible.

Now let’s talk about the motivation of people who work in your company. For those how have hired you, you are an expensive resource, a source of information. This information should be “extracted” from you for the shortest possible time and conveyed to the local employees.

For your immediate superiors and colleagues in Asia you are a person who occupies someone else’s position. You are also a person with a salary a few times bigger than theirs. You’ll never be forgiven for that. For example, if you’re not a top manager, your immediate superior could have 2—4 people of his own for this position (for your salary alone). But here you are – incomprehensible, expensive and more efficient. Your prospects are vague and complicated. However, nobody will prevent them from claiming your results as their owns. This is a basic principle of middle management in Asia. That’s why you are a resource here.

For your subordinates you are something extremely obscure, and it scares them. At the same time you can be a good opportunity for them to work their way up and gain some new skills and knowledge.

Briefly, this is what it looks like. Later on we will see who exactly you are for different “characters”. Now let’s have a look at your strategic goals and how to navigate towards them.

To be a success, you will have to do something else before you immerse yourself in the daily routine. You will also have to repeat it occasionally, when you feel it’s high time to do it. I’m talking about total formalization of all your relationships and arrangements with your employer.

In local companies all communication is based upon traditions in the society. It means that an immediate superior dominates in everything. Any orders are acceptable. His opinion is always the right one. He can punish or show mercy from his own perspective of the situation. Personal interaction with a superior official upon an initiative of a subordinate is something unthinkable. It can seriously damage their self-esteem. Keeping it in mind, you will have to become an “oasis of freedom” that doesn’t yield to dictation and obeys only to the international law. For this reason you should have a maximum amount of all possible documents regulating your rights and duties. These documents should be signed by a top manager or even by the company owner. In addition to the standard contract you will have to prepare and sign a few more documents. Ideally, you’d better have a full job description (a realistic one), motivation and demotivation regulations, intrinsic standards for evaluation of your work performance, frequency of performance control, working schedule, overtime working, vacation and conditions of payment for vacation etc. You should basically have everything regarding your professional activity here. Besides, it is vital to reserve the right of unlimited access to the top executives, as top as possible. Ideally, try to get their mobile numbers.

I venture to suggest that the companies you used to work for had all these aspects more or less formalized. You might have even read it but didn’t pay much attention to it because you were “just like anyone else”. But being “just like anyone else” in Asia means the following: they will gradually start to underpay you; if you are supposed to have some bonuses beyond your fixed salary you will never actually know how they calculate them; the payment schedule will also be very obscure; they will give you more and more tasks for the same money; the results you get will be passed off as someone else’s achievements. After a short time you’ll be regarded almost as an ordinary local employee which will mean that you have lost your uniqueness and now they have all the reasons for paying you the same salary as they pay to any local or for firing you. So please, make every single action strictly formal. Asians have some respect for documents signed by their bosses, so if you get their signatures by yourself and have a right to reach them when you need them, it’s really an advantage. Don’t be afraid to “go overboard” with the amount of papers and conditions. The worst thing that can happen is that they will point out to you that some things are unacceptable. The more papers you have the higher the fence around your “oasis of freedom” is. The more documents are signed the more unique your territory is and seen even at a distance.

I hope now even the most vigorous critics of formalities are convinced to follow these rules after reading this. Logically, all the current working activity also should be formally regulated. Asian people adore all sorts of meetings, conferences and other “collectivization”. Of course, sometimes they will discuss something regarding your direct duties and ask you questions. If you consider the question important enough, prepare a document about it for the next time. Describe the question, methods, possible solutions, employees in charge, timing, and stages of control. Do it every time even if it is not customary in this company. When your immediate superior approves something always ask for documented confirmation and signatures of every participant. Don’t be afraid to seem a formalist and a pedant. I’ll explain to you why you need it. Most probably if an Asian company hires a foreigner, a foreign employee will be responsible for issues concerning at least a few departments’ activity. Oops! “Horizontal” interactions in Asian companies are not exactly what you are used to. Tough break! Every structural division is a territory with a personality cult of its boss. It’s his personal satrapy. So if you need a specialist from another department to give you a verbal promise about meeting the deadline it’s like you’re going to do the lottery. For example, this young girl, the economist won’t send you the statistics you need urgently even if she swore by all that is holy, just because she was serving tea at the mini-briefing for the chief of her department and his deputy or going out to buy fresh flowers for her boss’s study. When a boss asks to do something personally, even if in passing, even if it’s some insignificant trifle, not urgent at all, a subordinate can never refuse referring to something more urgent to be done for another department. An employee from another department will do something for you on only three occasions: 1) if they have a document signed by his immediate superior, 2) if his immediate superior asked them to do it personally – this is what really happens, and 3) if they decide to help you by themselves – which is almost science fiction. I advise you from all my heart – rely on the first two occasions only. Remember this once and for all – “horizontal” interactions without any formal documents don’t work. You will never achieve your purpose if you expect something from such relationships. If you really need to get something from other departments – once or on a regular basis – try to make it in the most formal way possible. Try to inform heads of these departments personally and ask them to control every employee who will fulfill the tasks for you. Only then you can be sure – at least to some extent – that you will have everything accomplished properly. If you are not sure (especially in the beginning) you can manage it by yourself, try and persuade your superior to arrange it with superiors of the departments you need. Chances are they will gather a meeting and have a long discussion, but, normally, questions are satisfactorily dealt with and you will get what you want. However, don’t be surprised when it will be presented as something necessary for your whole department and thereby initiated by the head of your department. It’s your responsibility but since he is a very wise chief he decided to get this process started. Here we can draw a conclusion – every time you involve your immediate superior in accomplishing tasks you’re responsible for you’re actually losing a bit of your uniqueness and value as an expert. Try to use this method as a last resort only. The less “dangerous” way is to bring up an issue at meetings. As I mentioned before, it’s hard to overestimate the importance of various meetings and conferences in Asian companies. It’s a “holy cow” in Asia. The format of these meetings has one main difference from the events we’re used to – Asian meetings lack real discussion and group decision-making. They are mostly about listening to the opinions of certain executives involved in the process whose views are already known. After everyone speaks out the senior executive expresses his opinion that is also not unknown for every single participant of the process. I strongly recommend you not to really look for a solution at a meeting by discussing all possible pros and cons. Why? It’s another feature of Asian ways of communication, very traditional for this society. Any doubt is regarded as lack of confidence. If you have a few possible solutions and want to choose between them you are timid and unable to make decisions by yourself. If you don’t have a strong opinion about an issue and you bring it up at a meeting then you want the seniors to tell you what to do. I hope you understand their logic now. My advice is to have a clearly articulated position and precisely formulated proposals if you are going to say something at meetings. Don’t change your opinion in public unless you have some new external information that affects the situation or a direct order from your superior. These are the only rational reasons for changing your opinion, and there will be no severe reputational consequences for you. If you change your point of view for some other reason – you lose. Don’t be shy to demonstrate the level of your abilities in public. Your professionalism is the best proof-point in any arguments with your colleagues. Prove it in public a few times even if you feel like you’re boasting or trying to dominate. Actually only this behaviour will help you to avoid numerous useless discussions and arguments in the future. If you don’t show your superiority and status in public or you do it rarely and not very convincingly, be ready that somebody will try to discredit you and explode your reputation in public. All your colleagues should be aware that if they try to “bully” you regarding your professional area, they would sincerely regret about it because the backstroke will too hard for them to stand. Let them know you can also destroy their reputation if you want. Only your immediate superior is the exception. Avoid any public discussion, no matter how contradictory the matter is. If you have any discordance of opinion it should be discussed privately. This is how to survive and maintain relationships with your superior even if you are much more professional than him. In this case put your ambitions on hold.

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