Is it possible to trust across cultures? It’s an important question because much of what happens in business is based on trust. In the article at this link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14871319/site/newsweek/) you will find a really thought-provoking article about the image of China. A friend sent me the link; Thanks, Lisa.
Much of this article explores the question of trust. It asks the question; Can the world trust China? I quote (“But the split between how citizens and foreigners see China is still dangerous. Chinese, for instance, consider theirs among the most trustworthy nations on earth; foreigners rate China as among the least trustworthy.”).
It seems to me that the question is really whether trust is possible across cultures. When you trust someone, it means that you can predict their responsive actions.
You trust them to be loyal because you know that their culture (and their value system) says to be loyal and they will conform to their culture. You trust them not to cheat because you know that their culture says not to cheat. You trust them them to work hard because you know that their culture says to work hard.
China’s culture is based, according to some researchers, on loyalty. Loyalty trumps everything else. According to the same researchers, western culture is much less based on loyalty and much more on love and fear of well defined hierarchical figures (love of god, for example has a significant fear component in it). If loyalty is the main underpinning of Chinese culture, is it possible for a westerner to understand that well enough to trust it. If loyalty really trumps contractual relationships, which one do you trust?
As a western manager, can you understand the culture of your employees well enough to predict how they will respond in trying business circumstances. Or, do you have to become “Chinese enough” to be able to trust them? Can you trust your business partners, who have loyalties that run deep and long to other organizations? Or do you have to build really, really long-term relationships to engender trust.
In the west, we trust the contract and the dispute resolution mechanism (the court, arbitration, mediation, et.al.). What replaces these in China (for westerners) as trustable mechanisms for predicting behavior between now and the complete rule of law in China?
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