The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1352-7606.htm
CCM
13,4
330
Managing international business
communication problems at
work: a pilot study in foreign
companies in Thailand
Roong Sriussadaporn
Department of Speech Communication and Performing Arts,
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Abstract
Purpose – To provide information regarding international/intercultural communication problems,
along with management tactics for coping and handling such problems occurring in the international
business work setting in foreign companies operating in Thailand.
Design/methodology/approach – Exclusive 14 in-depth interviews with expatriate executives
and Thai senior employees were conducted in four Japanese, two German, and two multinational
companies in Thailand. Both expatriates and Thai employees were asked to identify communication
problems and describe how they managed such problems with international/intercultural partners,
supervisors, or subordinates.
Research limitations/implications – The sample was quite small. The subjects reacted to the
interview protocol based upon their own personal experience working in eight foreign companies in
Thailand, which might not represent the entire intercultural/international viewpoints.
Practical implications – This study provides guidelines for prospective expatriates who will be
assigned to work in the Thai host country and for Thai newcomers who are interested in working in
foreign companies and must prepare to cope with the problems they may have in working with
foreign managers.
Originality/value – It is hoped to be beneficial for both expatriates and Thai employees to perceive
and learn each other’s understandings, needs, and expectations. Also, it is hoped that information
presented in this paper can trigger more thoughts and generate further discussions in international/
intercultural business communication classrooms. The study also provides a framework for further
investigation of commonalities and differences in tactics for dealing with international/intercultural
communication problems at work in other countries compared with those found in Thailand.
Keywords Communication management, International business, Foreign relations, Thailand
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Knowledge about managing international business communication problems has
emerged gradually over the past two decades. Most business communication textbooks
(e.g. Hanna and Wilson, 1998; Chaney and Martin, 2000; Locker, 2000; Thill and Bovee,
2002; Adler and Elmhorst, 2005) suggest that to communicate more effectively in
global business environments, international business communicators need to
understand basic features about culture and subculture. Communicators also need to
recognize cultural diversity and differences and develop intercultural sensitivity
toward such differences within and across nations. Specifically, appropriate and
inappropriate kinds of communicative ‘‘dos and donots’’ in various countries have been
Cross Cultural Management: An
International Journal
Vol. 13 No. 4, 2006
pp. 330-344
# Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1352-7606
DOI 10.1108/13527600610713422
This paper was earlier presented at the ABC 5th Asia Pacific Conference, Chuo University,
Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan, 28-29 March 2005. The author would like to thank Chulalongkorn
University and Chuo University for funding supports in conducting this pilot project and
presenting this paper at the conference.
identified underlying the general and specific assumptions associated with national
cultural beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms of the interpersonal, group,
organizational, and social settings in which international business communicators are
involved. In addition, extensive practical knowledge of how to cope with problems has
been directed toward international business communicators, revolving around such
issues as verbal (oral and written) and nonverbal communication patterns, business
etiquette, business and social customs, and intercultural negotiation process in
different countries (see e.g. Harris and Moran, 1996).
A critical fact, however, is that culture is a complex phenomenon. Understanding
cultural differences and only following ‘‘do and do not’’ communication guidelines for
conducting business in various countries may not be sufficient to guarantee success in
managing international business communication problems, especially for those who
cannot overcome ethnocentrism (i.e. the conscious or subconscious belief that one’s
own culture is better than the others). As Walker et al. (2003) suggest, international
business communicators should ‘‘reject the simplistic popular understanding of culture
as a static state or set of characteristics defining the population of a given country.’’
(p. 42). They also assert that ‘‘culture is the complex pattern of ideas, emotions, and
observable/symbolic manifestations (including behaviors, practices, institutions, and
artifacts) that tends to be expected, reinforced, and rewarded by and within a particular
group.’’ (p. 42); as a consequence, ‘‘it is important to understand the programming
language of culture (i.e. norms and values) and develop a distinguishable cultural
group which can be characterized by a distinct set of behavioral norms, practices, and
institutions that reflect a distinct set of value orientations. These value orientations
critically define what it means to be a member of that group. Within each group,
however, there will be significant variations around the dominant set of values,
variations that are necessary if the group is to be able to adapt and change.’’ (pp. 42-43).
In accordance with the aforementioned contentions, it is worthwhile to investigate
how shared multicultural norms and values can be developed and acted upon among
people who work in organizations in which business structures and cultural
environments are characterized as multinational, global, or transnational corporations.
As we know, individuals who work in such diverse cultural environments carry their
own programming language (i.e. norms and values) with their own cultural
background. Certainly, recognizing and understanding the elements of cultural
differences among one another is very crucial, but may not be adequate. The author set
out to further investigate how a new cultural norm and value system in international
business settings can be developed and managed into appropriate work-related
communication behaviors without creating intercultural resentment among partners.
In this study, foreign companies in Thailand are the context to be addressed. The
main purpose for this study is to provide insightful information regarding
international/intercultural communication problems, along with management tactics
for coping and handling such problems occurring in the international business work
setting in foreign companies operating in Thailand. Contents of the article should be
beneficial for both expatriates and Thai employees to perceive and learn each other’s
understandings, needs, and expectations.
The objective is to provide a clear picture and elaborate a better understanding of
how expatriate managers can gain sincere willingness and full cooperation in dealing
with dissenters when working with Thai local employees. Information presented in this
paper is supported by the exclusive interview data collected from a three-week period
conducted in Bangkok, Thailand.
Business
communication
problems
331
CCM
13,4
332
The interview protocol
To acquire information representative of expatriates and Thai employees who work in
foreign companies in Thailand, the author conducted 14 in-depth interviews in eight
foreign companies (four Japanese, two German, two multinational firms). The
industries represented by these companies included trading, legal consulting, electrical
appliance, telecommunications, automobile, and healthcare products.
Qualitative data were collected from eight Thai employees who worked in the
supervisory and managerial levels and had experiences working with foreign
superiors or partners for 3 to 20 years. Data were also collected from six expatriate
executives (i.e. two Japanese, one American, two Germans, and one Hungarian). These
expatriates had been working in Thailand for four months to ten years and each had
total work experience of more than ten years.
Almost all interview participants were male, except for one female Thai General
Manager working in a Japanese company. Thai interviewees ranged in age from 27 to 45
while expatriate interviewees ranged in age from 30 to 52. With respect to educational
backgrounds of the interview participants, all had at least an undergraduate college
degree, seven had a graduate degree, and four Thai participants were working on a
graduate degree in MBA.
Each interview participant was asked to provide some personal information such as
age, educational background, current position, length of work experience, and length
of stay in Thailand (for expatriates). Then the interviewees were asked to briefly
describe the nature of their company’s business, the nature of their job responsibilities
and workgroup. Such information would help to understand the nature of work and
communication relationships among managers and employees. Since the researcher
expected to acquire information about specific actions of how both expatriates
and Thai employees manage their communication problems with international/
intercultural partners, supervisors, or subordinates, whenever possible, the researcher
asked both expatriate and Thai subjects who worked in the same workgroup in the
same company to participate in separate interviews. Members of the sample, however,
were invited to participate in the study on the voluntary basis. As a consequence, three
expatriates were not available to participate in the interviews during the time the study
was conducted due to conflicting business schedules. One Thai employee refused to
participate in the study because he felt reluctant to reveal information to others about
the communication relationship with his expatriate superior.
To acquire information about Thai employees’ perspectives toward how they
manage communication problems with their expatriate supervisors, Thai subjects
were asked to identify the problems and give comments on Thais’ and expatriates’
communicative behaviors which made them feel uncomfortable, dissatisfied, or
disappointed when interacting with each other. Then, they were asked to explain how
they dealt with the problems or how they adjusted themselves to work better in the
international/intercultural environment. In addition, they were asked to give some
guidelines for Thai newcomers who are interested in working in foreign companies to
prepare for coping with the problems they may have in working with foreign
managers. Finally, to acquire some information regarding how expatriate managers
can gain acceptance from Thai local employees, Thai subjects were asked to indicate
how they would like expatriates to communicate with them at work.
To acquire information about the expatriates’ perspectives toward how they
manage communication problems with Thai local employees, expatriate subjects were
asked questions along the same line as those asked of Thai employees. That is,
expatriate interviewees were asked to identify the problems and give comments on
Thais’ and expatriates’ communicative behaviors which made them feel
uncomfortable, dissatisfied, or disappointed when interacting with each other. Then,
they were asked to explain how they dealt with the problems or how they adjusted
themselves to work better with Thai local employees. In addition, they were asked to
give some guidelines or indicate some areas of communication skills which Thai
prospective employees should develop in working more effectively and efficiently in
the international business environment. Lastly, expatriate subjects were asked to
provide some guidelines for prospective expatriates who will be assigned to work in
the Thai host country and were also asked to describe their personal communication
strategies in attempts to gain acceptance from Thai local employees.
All data were examined and categorized into two major groups, corresponding to
responses from Thai and expatriate subjects. The data were then examined for
common themes in responses to the questions asked in the interview protocols. More
specifically, the researcher attempted to scrutinize and check for commonalities and
differences of Thai and expatriate responses in four topical issues:
(1) International/intercultural communication problems at work.
(2) Management tactics in dealing with the communication problems occurring in
the international business setting.
(3) Guidelines for new expatriates in working to gain acceptance and cooperation
from local employees in the Thai host country.
(4) Guidelines for Thai prospective employees in preparation for working in
foreign companies in Thailand.
Limitation of the study
Prior to discussion of the study results, it should be noted that the sample for this study
is quite small (eight Thais and six expatriates). The subjects for this study reacted to
the interview protocol based upon their own personal experience working in eight
foreign companies in Thailand, which might not represent the entire intercultural/
international viewpoints. However, the researcher sought as much consistency in
responses as possible from both Thai and expatriates in all eight foreign companies to
ensure that the results of this study would provide initial insights to stimulate
discussion and guide general practices in Thai-foreign business communication
management.
Communication problems at work in foreign companies in Thailand
Aspects of intercultural communication problems in the workplace of eight foreign
companies in Thailand were found to be related to:
(1) mentality and accountability,
(2) task assignments,
(3) time management,
(4) language deficiency, and
(5) personal/work relationships.
Each of these problems can be described with the following details provided by Thai
employees and expatriate executives participating in this study.
Business
communication
problems
333
CCM
13,4
334
Problems related to mentality and accountability
Expatriate interviewees (German, Hungarian, and American) commented on Thai
employees’ work-related mentality. They felt that Thais lack accountability due to an
inability to think proactively, analytically, and systematically. As a consequence, Thai
subordinates could not express themselves well. Particularly, Thais had problems in
communicating main ideas when writing memos or reports and when making oral
presentations. The American supervisor commented that the Thai educational system
may not adequately encourage Thai people to think analytically and critically in
classrooms. In addition, the American supervisor felt that although Thai employees
tended to be motivated to learn rapidly on the job, it took him a lot of time to coach
them to be analytical and self-managed in planning and making decisions. To achieve
these qualities, such skills may need to be taught to Thai children in their homes and
schools.
Moreover, some expatriates (German, Hungarian, and American) felt that Thai
subordinates did not express true feelings when they were asked for comments in the
meetings. Expatriate managers reported that Thai employees tended to say what they
thought their bosses wanted to hear and rarely argued even though they had different
opinions. Sometimes, expatriates (German and Hungarian) were not confident that
they were really accepted by their Thai staff because they felt that Thais tended to hide
their true feelings.
In addition, expatriate participants (German and Hungarian) reported that Thai
staff sometimes held some important personal information privately, especially if such
information could negatively affect their jobs. For example, one German manager was
unhappy when one of his Thai staff did not speak the truth about why he always came
to work late. Instead of telling what problems he had, he always made nonsense
excuses such as attributing his tardiness to traffic jams. The Hungarian manager
reported that when one of his Thai staff had a major car accident, he thought he should
have been informed of it, and he did not understand why he had not been told. When he
asked for the reasons, his Thai subordinate told him that he did not think it was such a
big deal.
As suggested in such comments, the problem of accountability seems to be the most
uncomfortable issue that most expatriates encountered. How Thais reacted to that
problem was reported by Thai employees who had been working with foreign
managers for more than ten years. Senior Thai employees admitted that it was true
that Thais were often unable to express themselves well and often were seen as
irresponsible for not saying or doing things that should be said or done. However, the
senior Thai employees thought this probably happened only among the junior Thai
employees during their first years of working experience. Admittedly, average Thai
new graduates had no work experience and were not trained to behave in an assertive
manner. Most average Thais held strongly Thai cultural communicative norms and
values (such as conflict avoidance, emotional control, display of respect, tactfulness,
modesty, and politeness)[1]. Initially, they did not attempt to develop sensitivity toward
cultural diversities and differences when working in multinational organizations.
However, Thai employees who wanted to pursue their careers in the international
business workplace usually would try very hard to adjust themselves to work with
foreign managers and to develop more contextual and intercultural sensitivity;
subsequently, they could perform better in their careers. Interestingly, two Thai senior
supervisors reported that it would be difficult for them now to go back and work in the
Thai organizational system since they felt that they had been trained and become
accustomed to working in a fast-track, aggressive, competitive, and accountable kind
of environment in foreign companies.
One significant comment from several Thai managers was that Thai employees and
foreign managers tended to judge on the importance of and prioritize issues differently.
This difference might be called ‘‘big deal versus small deal circumstance’’. That is, what
Thais see as big problems, expatriates often see as small problems and vice versa. For
example, one German manager and one Japanese manager said that any documentary
procedure needed to be repeatedly checked with great care and must be perfectly correct.
Meanwhile, Thai employees felt that it was a routine procedure in which any mistake
might occur from time to time; when it happened, they just had to correct it. Another
example is that the Thai female manager reported to her Japanese boss that female
workers voiced to the head office that they did not receive treatment equal to that
received by Thai male workers from Japanese supervisors. Whereas, her Japanese boss
had seen this incident as simple interpersonal conflict or jealousy at work, the Thai
female manager expected that her boss should have taken this complaint seriously and
should have taken some actions to avoid destroying female workers’ morale.
Problems related to task assignments
Expatriate subjects (Japanese, German, Hungarian, and American) complained that
some Thai employees did not show a strong commitment to the task assignment. Thai
employees never said they could not do the work when it was assigned and never
asked for help when they had problems; but often expatriate managers were informed
at the last minute that their Thai staff could not do the work or could not finish it
within the time expected. Expatriates reported that their Thai staff rarely committed to
tell when they could get the job done.
Thai subjects admitted that those situations occurred very often especially with the
new or junior staff. Thai managers commented that the actual problem had to do with
Thai personality traits. That is, neither did they not commit to the work nor were they
unwilling to do the job. According to the Thai cultural value of ‘‘kreng jai’’[2], Thai
employees rarely refuse when their bosses ask them to do something even though they
are not sure whether or not they can do it. They probably commit to the work but not to
the timeline unless they are clearly notified. Thai managers reported that a majority of
Thais were not confident about clearly expressing themselves or speaking up in front
of their bosses, but they wholeheartedly wanted to do good work if their foreign bosses
tried to understand and be patient with them.
Expatriate respondents (Hungarian and American) reported that they would like to
see their Thai staff make their own decisions and get some jobs done without having to
be told every time. Expatriates felt that they were too busy to make decisions on every
issue. Therefore, they would expect their Thai staff to be more decisive; they were
happy to empower their staff to make decisions particularly on routine task-related
issues.
Interestingly, with respect to the degree of empowerment, Thai subjects reported
their observations about different working styles among their different foreign bosses.
German supervisors liked to get into details, followed up every step of assigned tasks,
and spent a lot of time explaining procedures and making instructions as clear as
possible. American supervisors, on the other hand, only cared about the job outcomes,
never wanted to get enmeshed in the details and expected their Thai staff to make
their own decisions, solve their own problems, and not ask questions. Working with
American managers, Thais felt that ‘‘sufficiency is more effective than completeness’’.
Business
communication
problems
335
CCM
13,4
336
With respect to the Japanese working style, Thai subjects reported inconsistent
results[3]. According to Thai subjects’ observations, some Japanese managers got
caught up with small details, but some did not. Thai staff tended to prefer the latter. In
other words, although Thais preferred to work with the outcome-oriented working
style, they would never express their true feelings or show resentment when being
followed up with many details. In some cases, some Thai employees may react by
keeping quiet and having a ‘‘just do it’’ attitude toward the work. However, it is possible
that some Thai employees with inconfident, indecisive, and submissive personalities
were reluctant to make their own decisions. They would appreciate when German or
Japanese managers spent time explaining instructions, discussing problems, or
following up with work details to ensure that they would get their job done accurately.
Problems related to time management
All expatriate subjects reported that they expected Thai staff to be more
self-disciplined in time management. Punctuality seemed to be a big problem for Thais.
They did not understand why Thai employees showed little eagerness and made no
commitment to meet deadlines, appointment times, or schedules for work, meetings,
parties, ceremonies, outings, and so on.
Japanese executives reported that they expected Thai staff to be more enthusiastic
to work in order to complete assigned tasks prior to the deadlines. One Japanese
manager who had worked in Thailand for only four months reported that he was very
embarrassed when his Thai staff did not show up on time for the meeting with the
President of the company. Some Thai employees felt no guilt, acted like nothing had
happened, and made no apology when they showed up late for the meeting.
Thai managers made no excuses for that kind of behavior; they actually responded
that not only foreign managers but also Thais themselves were upset when some
business transactions were jeopardized because of Thai employees’ lack of discipline in
time management. Interestingly, European managers (i.e. German and Hungarian)
reported that unlike the European working style, Thai work pace is slow, gradually
ongoing, and timeless. Western expatriates who had been working with Thai
employees for a while would begin to understand, calm down, and be more patient with
Thais when work procedures did not go as planned and the job outcomes did not come
out as expected.
Problems related to language deficiency
Expatriate managers felt that Thai local employees were not willing to communicate
in English when they felt they could not speak English well. Some Thai staff had
interesting ideas, but had difficulty in expressing themselves in English and
organizing ideas in their oral and written English presentations. Often, expatriate
managers found that Thais did not honestly provide information about their actual
language competency in the initial job application. Thai senior supervisors complained
about their Thai staff’s English writing. They often had to help their staff edit or
rewrite the reports and memos before passing them on to their expatriate manager
because their staff’s English was not understandable. Possibly, Thai employees’
language deficiency might have inhibited to some extent their ability to demonstrate
effective problem solving and accountability.
One Thai supervisor working in a Japanese manufacturing company reported that
he could make an impressive presentation in Thai language. However, when making a
presentation to and discussing work-related technical issues with his Japanese boss in
English, the Thai supervisor had difficulty expressing his ideas completely to his boss.
Another Thai junior employee reported that since he was able to speak Japanese
with his Japanese boss, he felt more privileged and more advantaged than other Thai
employees who could not speak Japanese. Japanese managers made inconsistent
responses regarding this issue. One Japanese manager indicated that English is the
most important language; however, it would be great if his staff could speak Japanese.
Another Japanese manager said that he expected his staff to find some time learning
more about the Japanese language and he himself would like to learn more about
Thai as well.
Problems related to personal/work relationships
Some expatriates (German and Hungarian) were not confident that they were really
accepted by their Thai staff. When trying to develop interpersonal relationships with
the Thai staff, one German partner reported that he took his Thai female colleagues
for lunch one by one. While it was usual to take such an approach in developing
interpersonal relationships at work in Germany, he found out later that it was not
appropriate to act in this manner among Thai employees and doing so could jeopardize
his reputation. The well-meant act could be interpreted as flirting around with Thai
girls in the office. He was advised to go out as a group instead of one-on-one.
Expatriate participants (Japanese and German) reported that personal conflicts
among Thai local staff were also a critical problem, especially when working as a team.
One Japanese manager reported that he had to be careful in speaking with his staff in
an equal manner. He felt irritated at work when hearing gossip that he favored one
person over another. Often, expatriate supervisors felt that they needed to be careful in
making public comments about their Thai staff’s performance, which could make the
employee lose face. ‘‘Losing face’’ would affect the employee’s willingness to work and
the manager’s ability to communicate openly with the Thai staff.
Both expatriate and Thai respondents also reported their dissatisfaction when
Thai local employees did not get along with each other and played politics among
themselves. Thai subjects reported that Thai workers tended to show resistance when
expatriate bosses issued orders in a harsh tone of voice rather than asking for work
cooperation with a gentle manner. Difficult Thai employees might feign ignorance or
refuse to work by making excuses that they did not understand what to do or how to do
the work. Obedient Thai employees usually followed through on the orders, but
worked with no clear understanding, having questions and making guesses about the
task. Consequently, expatriate bosses would not get what they really wanted even from
their obedient Thai workers.
On the other hand, Thai junior supervisors would challenge their foreign boss’s
authority when they felt that their expatriate manager had little business sense and
was not competent enough, was highly ethnocentric, and complained about picky
details. Thai employees were not happy when their foreign bosses were concerned only
with work-related issues, whereas expatriate subjects were dissatisfied with Thai staff
who paid more attention to personal-related than work-related problems.
Thai employees felt unhappy when their expatriate managers treated Thai staff
unequally. Thai junior supervisors working in Japanese companies also reported that
Thai employees felt dissatisfaction when they saw that their Japanese manager treated
male employees better than female employees, Japanese better than Thais, Thais who
could speak Japanese better than those who could not, Thais who graduated from
Japanese universities better than those who graduated from Thai universities, and
Business
communication
problems
337
CCM
13,4
338
Thais who graduated from prestigious Thai universities better than those who
graduated from less prestigious Thai universities. When Japanese managers were
asked about this issue, their replies indicated that all they cared about was whether
their staff could work for the most profit to the company. One interesting response
came from a Japanese manager. He was sure that he was very careful about managing
fairly; however, he admitted that he had to treat Japanese differently (not better) than
Thais. He elaborated that he had to treat Japanese with a Japanese working style and
treat Thais with a combination of Thai and Japanese styles. He reasoned that treating
Japanese with Thai or Thai-Japanese styles could cause difficulties for his Japanese
staff when they return to work in Japan.
Summary of findings
All international/intercultural communication problems described in this study can be
explained by the fact that both expatriates and Thai employees possess different
mindsets about work-related communication expectations, different expectations about
development of personal and work relationships, and different understandings of the
meaning of verbal and nonverbal actions. In addition, communication problems can
occur when both parties lack mutual language capabilities, lack mutual trust and
openness in communication with each other, and importantly, lack intercultural
sensitivity to each party’s own cultural communication norms and values.
Results of this study are consistent with findings of a previous survey on
intercultural communication problems in 136 multinational corporations in Thailand.
Wiwattananukul (1993) found that critical intercultural communication problems
between Thais and expatriates from 31 countries were:
(1) lack of mutual understanding of language (i.e. Thai and English),
(2) attitude and prejudice problems due to receiving inaccurate information about
cultural and work-related values,
(3) different perceptions and misinterpretation of verbal and nonverbal cues, and
(4) lack of trust and openness in communication among each other.
These problems led to inabilities to express well what they really wanted from each
other to achieve their individual and company goals. Although Wiwattananukul
attempted to provide theoretical explanation of how such problems occurred, she did
not clearly suggest how to deal with the addressed problems.
The following section examines how to manage international/intercultural
communication problems at work in foreign companies in Thailand.
Managing communication problems at work in foreign companies
in Thailand
This section presents several management tactics to deal with the aforementioned
international communication problems in foreign companies in Thailand. The section
also includes findings of the study by Niratpattannasai (2004)[4], Bridging the Gap.
This book provides some interesting and practical information for expatriates who
work in Thailand. The author hopes that the following practical guidelines for both
expatriates and Thai employees will contribute to the creation of a more pleasant
intercultural work environment.
Guidelines for expatriates
It is important to develop initial awareness of intercultural differences by
demonstrating such positive attitudes as willingness to understand and adjust to the
host country culture, openness in communicating different opinions, willingness to
accommodate the differences, showing respects for the local employees and being a
good role model. The expatriate should also show positive personal attributes such as
being hard-working, polite, open-minded, honest, friendly, and patient. These
characteristics are typically perceived as globally acceptable to most international
businesspeople.
Thai local employees felt that expatriates tended to stereotype all Thais as being
lazy, to underestimate local staff’s work ability, and to act as though they knew
everything even through the fact that they had been in Thailand for only a short period
of time. Moreover, Thais commented that expatriates tended to be bossy and
sometimes jumped to conclusions without thinking about the local cultural and
environmental differences.
Overcoming ethnocentrism is one good way to manage problems. Expatriates
should discard the belief that their own cultural norms and values are superior to those
of the host country. To be practical for expatriates, they should learn to open their mind
by first getting to know all Thai local staff and learn each person’s personal
characteristics, area of work interest and expertise, personal problems, previous work
problems, and so on. Expatriates should spend time in the beginning of their term
assignment figuring out ‘‘who is who’’, ‘‘who knows who’’, and ‘‘who knows what’’ in the
office. Perhaps, it is even better to get to know ‘‘who knows who knows who’’, and ‘‘who
knows who knows what’’. Results of this study suggest that gaining connection and
referent powers is one of the best ways to gain acceptance from Thai local staff and
could contribute to the expatriates’ business practices.
Niratpattannasai proposed that expatriates who can work successfully with Thai
local staff should develop a clear understanding of and exercise some important
Thai cultural values associated with the word ‘‘jai’’ (i.e. heart[5] ); these values include
‘‘kreng jai’’ (see note 1), ‘‘nam jai’’ (i.e. kindness, generosity, or consideration toward
other people), ‘‘jai yen’’ (i.e. being mentally calm and cool or having presence of mind). It
is also important to understand the significance of the face-saving value. Face saving
may be achieved by asking for cooperation in a gentle tone of voice rather than making
a command in a harsh tone of voice.
Also importantly, expatriates should learn to accurately read the true meaning of
such nonverbal actions as smiling, nodding the head, and being silent. For example,
when an expatriate supervisor assigned a task to a Thai local employee, the Thai
employee smiled, nodded his head, and said nothing. The expatriate supervisor
thought that his assignment would be accomplished by his Thai subordinate without
any problem while his Thai subordinate had made no commitment. In fact, he only
acknowledged that he would try his best and keep working with no deadline unless he
was clearly notified.
Hence, when assigning tasks to Thai employees, expatriates should not depend only
on the words when Thai employees say ‘‘yes’’ or say nothing. That does not mean for
sure that they can do it or will do it. Expatriates should be sure to check for the
employee’s willingness, ability, and availability to do the tasks. In addition, the manager
should know employees well enough to be able to put the right person on the right job.
Culturally speaking, Thais usually do not refuse someone immediately when they are
Business
communication
problems
339
CCM
13,4
340
asked to do something. Thai employees rarely voice refusal to work, especially with
their superiors even though they feel unwilling, unable, or unavailable.
Some Thai employees tend to complain behind their bosses’ backs rather than to
speak in front of their faces. Later, they may indirectly excuse themselves from doing
the tasks with polite and gentle manners. One Japanese manager reported that when
one of his male staff refused to do the assigned work without a good reason, he
immediately reassigned the task to other employees. The Japanese manager, then,
intended to make the employee feel ashamed of himself by assigning much less
important tasks to him. Later, the employee came back and asked for another chance to
redo the work. In an attempt to teach the staff a lesson about timely completion of
work, expatriates should follow up on the task well in advance of the deadlines to avoid
damages which could cause more work problems. In addition, when following up on
the assignment, expatriates should not rely only on formal, written reports, but should
also allow the staff to conduct informal, oral reports particularly on complicated issues
that need to be clarified and elaborated for better mutual understanding.
With respect to language deficiency, not only do Thai employees have to improve
their English language skills, but expatriates should also spend more time learning the
host country language (i.e. Thai). Showing an attempt to communicate in Thai could
impress Thai employees especially in the manufacturing plant, where most Thai
workers cannot speak English. One Thai senior manager working in a Japanese company
proposed that the company should set a policy to encourage Thai employees to take
language lessons early in their careers. In his case, it was a bit too late for language
training in Japan because he has been promoted to a position of great responsibilities.
It would be difficult for him to leave his work for language skill training.
In managing problems related to developing personal/work relationships with
Thai employees, expatriates should learn more about what personal and work problems
are going on in the office. By doing this, expatriates should conduct corporate
communication surveys or workshops, asking the local staff to report how they feel
about their foreign bosses, colleagues, work problems, suggestions for the management
and the like. To ensure that expatriate managers acquire candid opinions from their local
staff, the survey should be conducted without identifying names or affiliation to any
department. If a staff communication workshop is used, it should be facilitated by an
outside professional communication consultant. It is recommended that expatriate
managers not physically appear in the workshop during their staff’s discussion so that
the local staff can speak frankly about their own feelings toward the job.
Moreover, to alleviate personal conflicts in the office, some team-building
workshops should be conducted from time to time. Through team-building activities,
local staff can learn more about each other, develop common interests, and hopefully
create shared personal and group objectives to achieve the company’s goals.
Another interesting tactic was suggested by a German manager. Expatriate
managers should hire or find a local employee who can be ‘‘their ears and eyes’’ to
monitor what goes on around the office. This person is perceived as a liaison or a
mediator who can be trusted, is ethical, and is competent enough to bridge the gaps
between the expatriate boss and the local employees.
Interestingly, Thai subjects reported that to develop better work relationships with
Thai local staff, expatriate managers should first develop positive personal
relationship by gaining acceptance from the local staff. Essentially, Thai staff would be
willing to fully cooperate and display respect to supervisors who can initially prove
that they are competent superiors. Specifically, it is important for expatriates to show
their ability to conduct business practices properly, articulate a clear vision of company
goals, and be good decision makers and negotiators.
Moreover, Thai employees expected their bosses to possess positive personal
characters such as being friendly, generous, polite, and fair. Importantly, expatriates
should be concerned with the face-saving value which is extremely important to Thais.
In this regard, expatriates should never shout at or reprimand Thai employees in front
of others with a loud and harsh tone of voice. On the other hand, giving public
compliments for doing good work would be much appreciated by Thais. In addition,
Thais really appreciate when expatriates put a lot of effort into providing knowledge
through technical training, coaching on the job, and teaching how to conduct business
in a professional manner. In return, Thai employees usually attempt to work hard and
intend to do good work. However, expatriates should note that being nice and friendly
is always a good strategy to gain Thai employees’ acceptance, but at the same time
expatriates should keep a small distance to maintain a degree of respect and prevent
some Thais from crossing the line between supervisor and supervisee.
When Thai employees worked hard and felt that they deserved rewards or
promotions, they wanted their bosses to observe their efforts and reward result without
requiring the employees to ask for what they thought they had deserved. Thais felt too
awkward to mention their own accomplishments. They were also afraid that if their
bosses did not think likewise, they would lose face. Consequently, they usually ended
up keeping quiet and feeling discouraged. However, Thai subjects working in Japanese
companies reported that if they did not dare to ask for recognition, they probably
would not get it. Therefore, if expatriates would be more sensitive to this issue, they
could gain wholehearted loyalty from Thai employees.
Usually, it was expatriates on their first term of overseas assignment who reported
having difficulties in adjusting to the host country culture. Those who had worked
abroad before reported fewer difficulties in dealing with local employees. One German
expatriate reported that during the past ten years he had worked in Japan and
Thailand and spent a lot of time getting acquainted with Asian culture. Not
surprisingly, for this assignment to Thailand he reported no critical problems in
dealing with the Thai employees. One Japanese executive reported fewer difficulties
with employees while working on his Thai assignment than on his first assignment in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Similar conditions are true for Thai employees. Those who had previous experience
working only in Thai organizations reported more communication problems with their
expatriate bosses than those who had experience working in other multinational
corporations. Two Thai senior supervisors who had experience in the beginning of
their careers working in Thai organizations and later spent most of their time working
in foreign companies refused to go back and work in the Thai system. Interestingly, all
Thai subjects reported satisfaction in being trained on the jobs in the international
work environment. They felt that multinational companies were like a big training
school for their work life.
Consistent with that observation, according to a survey conducted by Mercer
Human Resource Consulting Firm (2004), today Thai graduates from Thai and
overseas prestigious universities prefer being employed by Western than Japanese or
Thai firms because of better pay, more learning opportunities, more openness in
communication, more participation and rapidity in decision-making, and higher
possibility of becoming executives in the companies. With increasing desires to work in
foreign companies, Thais need to be proactive in learning how to work with foreign
Business
communication
problems
341
CCM
13,4
342
managers efficiently and effectively. The final part of this paper provides guides to
Thai employees and especially to new graduates who have high potential to become
employees working in foreign companies.
Guidelines for prospective Thai employees
One of the Thai employees’ weakest areas has to do with language deficiency.
Thai employees should develop English proficiency and should try to get better
acquainted with international colleagues and visitors. Interaction with internationals
will help them improve their English skills and learn about other cultures. In addition,
it is essential for Thai employees to learn how to write English business reports and
make professional English business presentations. Obviously, beginning with
competent English business communication skills can be a passport to success in
working internationally.
It is also important to keep in mind that expatriates come and go according to their
term assignments. Therefore, Thai employees need to develop abilities to be flexible
with each expatriate’s working style, learn to develop self-dependency, and learn to
recognize individual and cultural differences among different expatriates. When
dealing with foreign managers, Thai employees need to be more open about their
feelings and concerns, more direct, more rational, and more accountable not only for
what to do but also what not to do. Learning to say ‘‘no’’ or informing in advance when
they cannot do the assigned task and committing to say ‘‘yes’’ when they can do it
would be much appreciated by expatriate managers. Moreover, being confident,
creative, and assertive enough to propose new ideas and show disagreements when
things go wrong are personal qualities to demonstrate to expatriate managers.
An interesting principle for working in Japanese companies was suggested by a Thai
female manager: when receiving a task assignment, Thai employees should develop
abilities to think analytically and critically in an attempt to change ‘‘task orders or
commands’’ into ‘‘company profits’’.
Along these lines, to gain acceptability and trustworthiness from expatriate
managers, Thais must demonstrate intellectual capacity, a high sense of responsibility,
and self-motivation. To impress expatriate bosses, subordinates should think first of
their bosses’ needs and expectations, not their own. When proposing ideas, discussing
conflicting issues, or explaining complicated matters, subordinates should be prepared
to answer when asked questions. Importantly, employees should never speak without
providing hard evidences: facts, statistics, relevant documents, and so on. When
expatriate managers seem not to listen, subordinates should keep evidence of the
proposed ideas, comments, observations, or notification in written memos for their own
records. Once having gained acceptability and trustworthiness from expatriate
managers, Thai employees will likely work more enjoyably, become more confident,
and have opportunities for more challenging and meaningful tasks.
In addition, when dealing with difficult expatriates who place a strong emphasis on
task performance, Thai employees should consistently report to them on the work
progress. However, copies of all details about task orders and reports should be made
for self-record and self-protection. It is also critical that the employee not make
repeated mistakes. That is the way to easily lose one’s credibility. In mission-critical
business presentations, if any one presentation fails, there may be no second chance to
make a good impression (Weissman, 2003). Certainly, individuals cannot avoid making
mistakes, but once is enough.
Last but not least, Thai employees need to be more responsible for their own actions
particularly in time management. Punctuality will be most appreciated by expatriates.
To expatriates, saying that it is the ‘‘Thai way of life’’ to not pay much attention to time
sounds irrational and unprofessional. Being punctual, to expatriates, is perceived as a
way to display respect. Expatriates make an interesting observation on different
cultural ways of showing respect. For Thais, showing respect for superiors focuses on
communicative behaviors such as deference, politeness, non-argumentativeness, and
the like. In contrast, expatriate bosses expect their staff to show respect for them by
being punctual and being straightforward and honest.
Conclusions
This paper provides insights regarding intercultural communication problems and
guidelines for both expatriates and Thais for coping and handling problems occurring
in the work setting in foreign companies operating in Thailand. The contents of this
paper are mainly based on the exclusive 14 in-depth interview study conducted in eight
foreign companies (four Japanese, two German, two multinational) in Bangkok.
Observations from similar studies are also incorporated into the discussion.
Several interesting aspects of intercultural communication problems were found
to be related to Thai employees’ mentality and accountability, task assignments,
time management, language deficiency, and personal/work relationships. Practical
management tactics in dealing with these problems were suggested by expatriates and
Thai senior supervisors who participated in this study.
How expatriates and Thais reacted to the identified problems serves as ground for
the formulation of guidelines for prospective expatriates who will be assigned to work
in the Thai host country. Likewise, the study provides guidelines for Thai newcomers
who are interested in working in foreign companies and must prepare to cope with the
problems they may have in working with foreign managers.
It is hoped that information presented in this paper will be beneficial for both
expatriates and Thai employees to perceive and learn each other’s understandings,
needs, and expectations. Also, it is hoped that information presented in this paper can
trigger more thoughts and generate further discussions in international/intercultural
business communication classrooms. The study also provides a framework for further
investigation of commonalities and differences in tactics for dealing with international/
intercultural communication problems at work in other countries as compared with
those found in Thailand.
Notes
1. These cultural characteristics are typically perceived as communicatively competent in
Thai organizations (Sriussadaporn-Charoenngam and Jablin, 1999).
2. An extreme reluctance to impose on anyone or disturb another’s personal equilibrium by
refusing requests, accepting assistance, showing disagreement, giving direct criticism,
challenging knowledge or authority, or confronting in a conflict situation.
3. It should be noted that each Thai subject had experience working with more than one
Japanese supervisors.
4. Niratpattannasai’s study was conducted through an e-mail survey on perspectives of 30
Thais and expatriates (primarily from western industrialized countries) who worked in
the intercultural setting in Thailand. According to his study, both expatriates and Thai
respondents were asked to identify favorable and unfavorable behaviors of the other
party with whom they worked. In addition, both were asked to report behaviors that
Business
communication
problems
343
CCM
13,4
344
frustrated or discouraged and behaviors that seemed to be satisfactory and gained
compliments from the other party.
5. See more interesting language use of the word ‘‘jai’’ (heart) in different contexts of the
Thai way of talk in Moore (1992).
References
Adler, R.B. and Elmhorst, J.M. (2005), Communicating at Work: Principles and Practices for
Business and the Professions, McGraw Hill, New York, NY.
Chaney, L.H. and Martin, J.S. (2000), Intercultural Business Communication, Prentice Hall,
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, NJ.
Hanna, M.S. and Wilson, G.L. (1998), Communicating in Business and Professional Settings,
McGraw Hill, Singapore.
Harris, P.R. and Moran, R.T. (1996), Managing Cultural Differences: Leadership Strategies for
New World of Business, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston.
Locker, K.O. (2000), Business and Administrative Communication (international edition),
Irwin McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA.
Mercer Human Resource Consulting (2004), Top Thai Talent: A Report on the Preferences of
Thailand’s Most Sought after Talent, Marsh & McLennen Companies, Bangkok, 7 pages.
Moore, C.G. (1992), Heart Talk: Say What you Feel in Thai, Heaven Lake Press, Bangkok.
Niratpattannasai, K. (2004), Bridging the Gap, Asia Book, Bangkok.
Sriussadaporn-Charoenngam, N. and Jablin, F.M. (1999), ‘‘An exploratory study of
communication competence in Thai organizations’’, Journal of Business Communication,
Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 382-418.
Thill, J.V. and Bovee, C.L. (2002), Excellence in Business Communication, Prentice Hall,
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, NJ.
Walker, D., Walker, T. and Schmitz, J. (2003), Doing Business Internationally, McGraw-Hill,
New York, NY.
Weissman, J. (2003), Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story, Prentice Hall, Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey, NJ.
Wiwattananukul, M. (1993), ‘‘The nature and problems of intercultural communication in
multinational corporations in Thailand’’, Journal of Communication Arts, Vol. 14, pp. 42-50.
About the author
Roong Sriussadaporn is also known as Nongluck Sriussadaporn Charoenngam (PhD University
of Texas at Austin, USA, 1996). Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in Organizational
Communication at the Department of Speech Communication and Performing Arts, Faculty of
Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University. Roong Sriussadaporn can be contacted at:
roong.s.chula.ac.th
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.