Successful business in China - Inside the Chinese Mind

Inside the Chinese Mind - A Cultural Competency Masterclass for Executives

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, in a hundred battles you will never be in any peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning and losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, in every battle you are certain to be in peril!" Sun Tzu

The Challenge of China

China is a dynamic and fast-growing market. But it is also littered with short-lived success stories and long-term failures. Early optimism can be dashed in the face of the seemingly endless challenge of how to get things done in this huge and very different economy. In the midst of cultural complexity, even the simplest things can become hard, causing frustration, disappointment and failure. Gaining access to this vast market turns out to be only the first step on your journey inside the Chinese mind! By understanding how the Chinese think – including how they think about you – you can start to build the skills that will deliver enduring success in your relationships with the Chinese, both in China and here in Australia.

This one day masterclass draws on the latest research from international business and cultural neuroscience to explore:

  • What does the West looks like through Chinese eyes?
  • What is it about us and how we do business that frustrates Chinese clients and counterparts?
  • What is unique about Chinese thinking and how the Chinese make sense of the world? What are the predictable areas of communication clash between East and West that you will need to tackle?
  • How can you build trust and rapport in the face of these deep seated and often subtle differences?
  • What do you need to do in order to shift from mere 'cultural awareness' to the skilled and sophisticated platform of 'cultural intelligence'?

Program Overview

Session 1

Developing the insight and objectivity that will help you look at Australia through Chinese eyes

  • The personal qualities and attributes that make us culturally adaptable and successful in China
  • The vital importance of being conscious of our own cultural assumptions and expectations
  • Realising that our behaviours – while normal for us – can seem odd or confusing from the Chinese perspective
  • Insight into the way the English language expresses the history and culture of a people – it is its identity The key concepts we take for granted in Australia such as 'fair', 'reasonable', 'compromise', opportunity', 'challenge' and 'efficiency'. These have no equivalents in other languages. They are fraught with hidden assumptions and cultural risk when we collaborate with Chinese counterparts

Session 2

Building a cognitive map to help you navigate the key differences in thinking between China and Australia

  • The distinctive features of Mandarin as a language system and the implication for thinking and behaving that neuroscientists are discovering
  • The present day impact of key cultural traditions drawn from Confucius, Daoism and the Law of Yin and Yang
  • The concept of 'midstream living' and how it affects managing a Chinese team. Constructs of the 'self' and the complexity of 'face'.
  • The 'shadow side' of working with Chinese counterparts: the 36 stratagems and how to subdue your enemy without fighting
  • Using this knowledge map to accurately interpret Chinese behaviour in common business situations

Session 3

Decoding the Chinese way of communicating, relating and behaving

  • The cultural ideals that influence Chinese communication style
  • Why our Australian need to 'argue a case' or 'analyse the facts' can leave the Chinese cold
  • How Chinese are taught to organise and link their ideas – a very different system!
  • Chinese ideas about the purpose of talk and how interactions should be designed, for instance in meetings and negotiations
  • The vexed question of politeness (and rudeness!) in Australia and China

Session 4

Bringing it all together into a practical action plan that will reduce cultural risk and deliver sustained results

  • The role of trust and rapport in building and keeping your key relationships – differences between China and Australia and how to bridge the gap
  • How to clarify meaning and repair misunderstanding in an ongoing way
  • Adjusting your typical style of leading and managing to suit Chinese preferences – yet still be authentic as an Australian
  • The core skills in your toolkit: information structuring; establishing shared meaning; decoding what's really going on; emotion regulating and building a shared platform for action.
  • Drawing up your personal action plan for long term success in China

INSIDE THE CHINESE MIND - Program OUTCOMES

  • Understand how the Chinese communicate with business partners
  • Build credibility. mutual respect and trust for long-term business success with Chinese partners
  • Analyse the strategies used by the Chinese and how they negotiate
  • Explore the differences in the way information is processed and interpreted
  • Assess the behaviours or communication styles that may confuse the Chinese
  • Understand the business landscape and factors that influence business success with Chinese business partners

Some of the feedback from our last masterclass series

"Must attend!" (Jack Curtis, International Managing Partner, Freehills)

"This program is extremely valuable to anyone who wants to go beyond the superficial in developing a rather deep understanding of just what makes the Chinese mind tick. Highly recommended." (Mark Lobo, Team Leader - Market Development Asia, Department of Business and Innovation, Victoria)

"Essential for any professional seeking to engage with the Asian mindset, both domestically and internationally." (Sam Nathan, Director, Charter Keck Cramer)

"You can gain insights into yourself and how you might be perceived by the Chinese. The knowledge - and there is a lot of knowledge in this day - is imparted very well indeed. This was excellent." (Jonathan Darby, Asst. Director Protocol, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria)

"Excellent introduction to experienced executives looking to be more successful in their dealings with Chinese organisations, teams and stakeholders." (Con Brakatselos, Head of Investment Management and Strategy, AMP Capital Investors)

"Valuable insights that continue my journey to perform better in China." (Justin Breheny, CEO Asia, IAG)

This program is available as a public program and also as an in-house management development program.

Call us on +61 9964 9861 if you would like to run a similar program in your organisation