I was grooming a group of Thai managers to become "effective team-players across cultures and functions", and I asked them to describe the behaviour of the Westerners with whom they were working.
As points of positive behaviour, they said they were professional, they didn't let personal issues interfere with professional issues, they were responsible and punctual. Behavioural patterns they regarded as negative included aggressiveness, shouting, bluntness, difficulty in understanding, the assertion that they are always right and stressfulness.
Then I asked: "Please list your own behaviour patterns that may not be easy for Westerners to deal with".
The Thai managers suggested over politeness, fear of giving critical feedback, too willing to compromise, never saying 'no' (but meaning 'no') , too much collectivism or group-thinking, fear of standing out as individuals, remaining in the Thai comfort zone, difficulty in mingling with other nationalities, lack of punctuality (observing "Thai time") and being too humble.
If all of that is correct, then it is no surprise that it takes - on average - 13 months for foreigners to become fully effective in Thailand, according to a survey by 1-2-WIN Executive Coaching and the Dutch and French Chambers of Commerce.
The good news, though, is that when expatriates find their keys to success, rewards can surpass their expectations. Alan Miu and Hanno Kroemer, country general manager and former finance director respectively for TNT in Thailand, say: "Thai employees in general are very hard-working, willing to contribute and do the best they can". "When you have them on board, basically everything is possible; you can make tremendous speed and achieve what you want a lot faster than in the West".
Other foreigners add: "Thais can be incredibly loyal", [they are] "eager to learn", "good fun to work with", "have a 'can-do' attitude" and "don't hesitate to make occasional sacrifices [holidays for example]".
To identify key success-factors in management here, Westerners must first understand how the distinct Thai and Western core-value systems and traditional leadership models influence expectations from hierarchy, preferred behaviour patterns, modes of communication and conflict-management.
Simplifying abusively (to make it memorable), one may say that short-term achievement is a priority for expatriates who are in Thailand for a limited time. To succeed, Westerners will tightly focus on goals and value accountability, analytical and critical skills, straightforward and assertive communication and initiative.
In contrast, nurturing good relationships is what Thais care for the most. This does not mean they will achieve any less than expatriates, but their ways will be different. They will normally give priority to caring for group members, giving face, avoiding conflict, remaining humble and composed (keeping bad feelings inside), showing respect (especially to hierarchy and 'seniors'), and will value a workplace offering the feeling of an extended family.
Differences between Thai and Western leadership models yield dissimilar expectations from hierarchy. In yet another simplification, one could describe the typical Western leader as being mostly participative, well regarded for vision, knowledge and results, and exercising authority on the basis of rules and regulations. In comparison, the traditional Thai boss is usually depicted as rather directive and truly caring, exercising a mix of phradet (authority and decision-making) and prakhun (rewarding and ensuring the well-being of employees' families), with an authority based on relationships and seniority.
When a good Western-style leader gets respect, a good traditional Thai leader gets loyalty for his or her power and care. Hence a word of advice to Westerners, shared with me by Microsoft Thailand director Patara Yongvanich: "In Thailand, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care".
Communications-wise, many Westerners are surprised by how reserved Thais can be in meetings. This may be because the foreigners involved have not established a 'safe space' for open-communication. It can also be because Thais face several more barriers to expressing themselves than most foreigners: respect for seniority, the importance of appearing humble, English fluency and the risk of embarrassing someone. Therefore, "to speak out or not to speak" can be quite a quandary for a Thai professional.
For expatriates, their first 100 days in "Amazing Thailand" can be quite a maze. And most at risk are those of 'high-achiever, self-reliant' profile. ING Life's former president and chief executive Rajesh Sethi confirms: "a lot of high-flyers who have achieved a lot in the West come here with a different attitude of 'let's-get-things-done-fast', and they usually hit a wall".
Philips chairman and chief executive Prakorn Makjumroen suggests: "when you start your new job here, have one-on-one sessions with your direct reports - not so much on work, but rather to understand each person, what their background is, what they like, what they don't like, what they find interesting in their job and what they think the company should do. After a week, you will understand your team much better and will be able to set your priorities for the first 100 days".
Patara Yongvanich adds: "understand the true core-value system of Thais, how [they] are motivated, raised as individuals, how [they] are taught to behave as adults. Most of your team members will have a strong concept of family, so you really have to emphasise relationships at work".
In my next column, I will offer further insights and practical tips for expatriates and Thais, gathered from outstanding business leaders in Bangkok, which should help them to work together more effectively. Meanwhile, you might like to download and read our survey results: "Toolbox for Foreigners and Thais" at HYPERLINK "":// HYPERLINK "". HYPERLINK ""- HYPERLINK ""- HYPERLINK "". HYPERLINK ""/ HYPERLINK ""- HYPERLINK ""/ HYPERLINK ""_ HYPERLINK ""/9- HYPERLINK ""- HYPERLINK ""- HYPERLINK ""- HYPERLINK ""- HYPERLINK ""..
And here is a fun learning experience for expatriates:
1. Invite your Thai colleagues to explain sam ruam, nam jai, krengjai, hai kiat and bunkun.
2. Ask them to teach you the different wais.
3. Complete your free self-assessment check-list for foreigners at the website above.
4. Plan at least one really happy time per week with your team.
Jean-Francois Cousin is an accredited executive coach and former managing director of a Fortune-500 company in Thailand. He may be contacted at www.1-2-win.net. Follow his articles in Hi! Managers on every fourth Wednesday of the month.
