Empowering Asian mindsets through coaching

What is the Asian mentality?

Asian Culture: Religion and Philosophy The roots of Asian culture and practices are heavily influenced by the great religious teachers and philosophers of the East. For China, Japan, and Korea, people were influenced by the teachings of Confucius and Lao Tzu, Muslims by the Prophet Muhammad, and Indians to some extent by Buddha.

“The societies of China and Japan are based on Confucian principles that advocate order, respect, hierarchy, good manners, and the sacrifice of the individual for the greater good of the family or community.” Robert George noted in his book The East-West Pendulum.

The Judeo-Christian tradition of the West places great value on every human life, while in the Asian tradition, the life of the community, the corporation and the family is of greater importance. Many things follow from this difference. On the one hand, Asians emphasize social harmony and consensus. Individual initiative and individual creativity are of less importance than the will to merge one’s identity into the life of a company, family or community.

Muslims tend to be more pragmatic due to the geographical balance influences from East and West. This culture spreads strategically between the Chinese in the east and the Romans in the west, so you also tend to find a mix of Eastern values ​​of respect, social order, and good manners in Muslim society.

I am aware that these generalized statements may not be true in many situations. The intention is to bring these points up for discussion. One of the fundamental Asian traits lies in the focus on communal values. Eastern society places greater value on collective achievements.

As a result of this key cultural value, various behaviors can be identified with Asian society. Is it so:

1. The desire to preserve harmony. by: a Indicate a “Yes” which does not necessarily mean agreement b. Avoid confronting problems even when they affect performance. vs. Inability to be completely honest about how one feels. d. Being pretentious to be polite and courteous despite differences.

two. respecting the elders preserve order and hierarchy by: a. Withhold personal opinions when ideas differ. b. Avoid challenging elders even when they disagree. against Giving the benefit of the doubt to the elderly. While these earlier cultural values ​​are also found in Western societies, in Asia it is even more apparent.

However, the differences in values ​​are becoming less and less clear as people in Asia become more Westernized and assimilate Western values. The western form of the educational system has also played an important role in reducing these cultural differences. The lifestyles and work practices of Western multinational companies have influenced the management styles and leadership practices of Asian managers.

Despite the East-West convergence, some of the cultural differences that are still obvious include things like:

1. More emphasis on “We” and less on “I, I” in social interaction.
2. Respect the elderly and older people by behaving in a polite and courteous manner.
3. Avoid giving honest feedback to preserve relationship and harmony.
4. Saying “Yes” or nodding your head doesn’t necessarily mean you agree.
5. Give importance to collective effort instead of individual heroism.
6. Value more work and earn money instead of social pleasures.
7. Be less expressive and more reflective in behavior.
8. Superior-subordinate relationships tend to mirror the traditional parent-child relationship.

Asian Leadership and Management Style Susan Curtis and Lu, in their research paper “The Impact of Western Education on Future Chinese Asian Managers,” found that problems in Taiwanese companies were often related to attempts at excessive control. . This is also true of many other companies founded by entrepreneurs in Asia, no matter how big they are.

According to Littrell (2002), employees working in a Chinese Asian management environment tend to experience a higher level of dissatisfaction compared to working in a Western multinational work environment. Although one might expect Asian capitalist countries to have different leadership styles compared to mainland China, this research indicates that Taiwan and Malaysia have a similar approach in developing their management and leadership style.

So for Asian organizations, there are two types of challenges, namely:
1. Get managers to lead and coach more instead of manage and control
2. Encourage employees to express themselves more openly

Some progressive Asian managers are already leading and coaching their team members effectively, and many Asian employees, who have had a college education, are more likely to speak out.

Watson Wyatt Asian Survey In August 2001, Watson Wyatt surveyed 115,000 respondents at more than 500 companies in 11 Asian countries. The study included multinationals and large local companies. Interestingly, the survey reveals that many Asian employees have a low level of trust in their senior managers and business leaders.

Consider these survey findings:

1. Less than a third of salaried workers surveyed in 11 Asian countries had a favorable impression of the level of trust between senior management and employees.

2. Only 37% of Asian workers believe that their senior managers behaved in accordance with company values.

3. Only 38% gave their top management high marks for their ability to make the decisions or changes necessary for their companies to compete effectively.

4. Asian managers and supervisors have very strong technical knowledge, but poor managerial and leadership skills.

“We have a generation of leaders and supervisors who grew up with strong technical backgrounds but don’t really have managerial skills; the softer side of managing people, coaching, mentoring and mentoring, isn’t there.” Conservative cultural influences in many Asian countries also tend to widen the gap between employees and managers. It is said that American managers are often quick to praise or point out mistakes, but in Asia, managers may not provide clear and timely feedback often enough.

In Asia, “Yes” doesn’t always mean agree and “No” doesn’t always mean no. Someone might think he’s doing a great job, but heard his boss complain to someone else that he dropped the ball. There is a cultural dimension that makes it very difficult for leaders to give their employees feedback,” says Mr. Orbeta of Watson Wyatt. The result of the survey is consistent with my experiences. Many Asian managers have not received adequate training in providing feedback. in a way that is least embarrassing and effective for the recipient.

1. Seek more effective leadership.
2. Disappointed with the level of supervision.

D. Quinn Mills, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School shares this thought:

Summary Considering Asian cultural values ​​and their importance in influencing Asian leadership styles and behaviors such as those described, it is crucial for Asian managers to explore and consider new possibilities for leadership approaches that can improve their effectiveness. We need to find more effective ways to be more open and courageous in providing honest feedback in a timely manner without adversarial relationships. We need to discover new ways to develop others without them becoming too connected to us as leaders. We need to learn ways to help others open up and feel safe to share their thoughts and ideas. Here I suggest that we consider the coaching approach as a tool to help us become more effective leaders and to develop a coaching mindset for ourselves as a vehicle for learning and growing with others.