It’s a complicated ChinaI find， like all westerners， that most Chinese communication is ‘complicated’. I think this comes from the strong Chinese preference for indirect communication. Often in business， the real picture would only become clear after many hours of around-the-houses discussion， which doesn’t even stop when the contract is agreed and signed. Patience and cross-checking are vital， but laborious. No requirement is either straightforward or direct， even if the customer is in a hurry. They want to explore all the options， and understand the three ‘C’s’; Control， Cost and Confidence. Every Chinese customer is naturally cautious， having previously been disappointed with poor service， or inflexibility from arrogant foreign suppliers. This requirement for flexibility must not be ignored.During my 3 years working with Chinese customers， I never once was able to deliver what was originally requested and agreed. Every time， the client would change the scope of work part-way though the job. Such is the dynamic state of the market， and the necessary economic and technical compromises that reality forces on their business concepts. Fortunately， they readily accept that life isn’t perfect， and expect that changes are a natural part of life. Conceding this point is one of the most fundamental ‘rules’ of any business relationship in China.Trust or notThe value of information is difficult to calculate. Today’s world relies on it. To make a good decision we need facts. This is then evaluated against experience， risk and gut-feeling. The only other option is guessing. Wise men know that there is as much 1 information on the internet， as there are true facts. Many so called experts make their living from providing opinions， identifying trends， sharing their wisdom. But who and what should we trust? In the end， nothing is guaranteed， so everyone accepts the random nature of life， and tries their best.Everyone recognizes the value of good information; after all， knowledge is powerful and can be traded as a guanxi commodity. If I tell you something useful， then you owe me a favour， which can be banked， and claimed at a later date.Question: Do you trust the information supplied?Answer: It depends.Judgment on who has written it， why it was shared， even when it was written， can all affect this choice. And it isn’t always logical. I remember some advice I was given when I first arrived in China. In order to attract customers， and prove that I could provide a useful service， I was required to share some knowledge and experience “upfront free”， before any contract was signed. I was concerned that sharing this information devalued my negotiating position， and， if the customer didn’t cooperate in a business deal， this valuable information was already with the lost client， without any reward or compensation. Don’t worry， said my cynical friend， they won’t read it. Any information given for free isn’t valued in China. It was obtained too freely， and they only believe the reports that they have fought hard to acquire， or have paid for. I never found out if that was true.Sorry， no bad newsA popular western song from the 1960’s “Silence is Golden”， took a new perspective when I moved to China. Nobody in China likes to communicate bad news. Partly this is due to loss of face， and partly that harmony is temporarily lost. Many times I was told by the workers that there were ‘difficulties’. But none of this was shared ‘upwards’， with the leaders. They live in hope that a work-around will be found， and the boss can remain ignorant. Mistakes and poor performance are covered up or ignored， or the blame shifted outside the group.“Don’t upset the apple cart” is a common English expression. When information is hidden， it is natural for both individuals and groups to ask; Who will benefit from hiding this? Maintaining harmony is commendable， but wasteful and can make the end result worse. In many cases， to ignore a problem， or hide a fault， can cause delays， additional expense and increase the risk of personal injury or environmental damage. Any problem can be solved， but only when the root cause in established and a proper solution is implemented.When I became aware of this cultural for silence， I told my Chinese team “Please tell me ALL bad news immediately. I guarantee I will be angrier if I find out that you kept silent， even for a few hours， instead of telling me immediately. Everyone makes mistakes， share them and we will work on a solution together.”But sharing information can be a double-edges sword. The benefit is that everyone in the team is driving in the same direction， or towards the same goal. Knowing the full picture can motivate individuals and focus everyone to perform to their best ability. Conversely， as and when changes are necessary， is causes chaos and disappointment， raising questions on the leaders’ strategy.
