When West meets East
Hot water in a glass and weekend work are something Björn Vöhl has had to get used to as he has exchanged his address in Germany for one in Hong Kong.
Managing director Björn Vöhl was first introduced to the Chinese work culture when Egmont’s new company, Egmont Sourcing, was established in Hong Kong.
“Corporate culture in Hong Kong combines features we recognize from Danish and German company cultures. In Denmark, it is common for people to feel that their company is almost like family, and social aspects are a high priority. Corporate culture in Germany follows a stricter approach and has more goal-oriented qualities,” says Björn Vöhl, adding:
“Here in Hong Kong, the company is the employee’s second home and must provide a genuine family feeling. For example it would not be unusual for a manager to visit a sick employee in hospital. As long as you appreciate your staff, offer them continuing education and make them feel at home, they will remain loyal to you. That said, employees will nonetheless always have their own career opportunities at heart.”
“Yes we can”
One of the characteristics of the Chinese work culture that Björn Vöhl values most is their positive outlook.
“The Chinese are very hard-working, sometimes a little too industrious, so unfortunately weekends can also count as work days. Their attitude is that nothing is impossible, just like Barack Obama’s ’Yes we can’, and they also have an extremely optimistic view of the future,” Björn Vöhl explains.
The Chinese “yes we can” can occasionally lead to misunderstandings. For example if employees or business partners do not understand or even disagree aboutmethods or recommendations, they prefer to say “yes” and then do something completely different rather than start a discussion. This is why you sometimes have to repeat yourself over again before they do what you want, says Björn Vöhl. When handling situations like this, you must be polite at all times and never raise your voice.
“The absolutely worst thing you can do is make your business partner lose face. So, in any form of communication, you must always be friendly and firm if you want to get your message across,” says Björn.
A warm welcome
While working in Western and Eastern cultures, Björn Vöhl has been in situations where the differences between Asian andWestern thought processes were very clear.
“I was at a meeting in Hong Kong where the air-conditioning system had broken down. It was very hot and I was sweating. We were offered drinks and I asked for water. When I lifted my glass, I could feel it was full of hot water! As a Westerner, I expected a glass of refreshing iced water in that sort of situation. Afterwards I found out that the hot water symbolized a warmwelcome,” Björn explains.
Although on the face of it the two cultures seem very different, Björn Vöhl points out, with a wry smile, that taxi drivers are the same the world over. They speak terrible English when the trip is short and cheap, but become fluent when you pay and say “keep the change”.
“Corporate culture in Hong Kong combines features we recognize from Danish and German company cultures. In Denmark, it is common for people to feel that their company is almost like family, and social aspects are a high priority. Corporate culture in Germany follows a stricter approach and has more goal-oriented qualities,” says Björn Vöhl, adding:
“Here in Hong Kong, the company is the employee’s second home and must provide a genuine family feeling. For example it would not be unusual for a manager to visit a sick employee in hospital. As long as you appreciate your staff, offer them continuing education and make them feel at home, they will remain loyal to you. That said, employees will nonetheless always have their own career opportunities at heart.”
“Yes we can”
One of the characteristics of the Chinese work culture that Björn Vöhl values most is their positive outlook.
“The Chinese are very hard-working, sometimes a little too industrious, so unfortunately weekends can also count as work days. Their attitude is that nothing is impossible, just like Barack Obama’s ’Yes we can’, and they also have an extremely optimistic view of the future,” Björn Vöhl explains.
The Chinese “yes we can” can occasionally lead to misunderstandings. For example if employees or business partners do not understand or even disagree aboutmethods or recommendations, they prefer to say “yes” and then do something completely different rather than start a discussion. This is why you sometimes have to repeat yourself over again before they do what you want, says Björn Vöhl. When handling situations like this, you must be polite at all times and never raise your voice.
“The absolutely worst thing you can do is make your business partner lose face. So, in any form of communication, you must always be friendly and firm if you want to get your message across,” says Björn.
A warm welcome
While working in Western and Eastern cultures, Björn Vöhl has been in situations where the differences between Asian andWestern thought processes were very clear.
“I was at a meeting in Hong Kong where the air-conditioning system had broken down. It was very hot and I was sweating. We were offered drinks and I asked for water. When I lifted my glass, I could feel it was full of hot water! As a Westerner, I expected a glass of refreshing iced water in that sort of situation. Afterwards I found out that the hot water symbolized a warmwelcome,” Björn explains.
Although on the face of it the two cultures seem very different, Björn Vöhl points out, with a wry smile, that taxi drivers are the same the world over. They speak terrible English when the trip is short and cheap, but become fluent when you pay and say “keep the change”.
