|
Thailand Tales in Action 2
July-August 1998
|
Thailand Tales (TT) has the opportunity to live again. Community Service
of Bangkok (CSB) is a Non-Profit organization. CSB was established by
an expat who living in Thailand. The purpose is to serve as the centre of
the Expat Community in providing health care, Living Services, and Support
Activities.
CSB and Bumrungrad Hospital co-organised a "Living in Thailand" Seminar on
Saturday September 26, 1998. There were 3 speakers and issues as follows;
- Health and living in Thailand by Mr. Supawat Phanchet, M.D. from Bumrungrad
Hospital.
- Improving Working Relationships in Thailand - Kriengsak Niratpattanasai.
- Travel in Thailand - Tom Bishop DTC Travel.
There were about 15 Foreign participants attending. 7 of them were
American, 7 of them European and one New Zealander. 5 had been living
in Thailand less than 1 year, 5 between 1 and 3 years and another 5 living more
than 5 years. My presentation was based on Thailand Tales plus some additional ideas.
So, please enjoy the workshop (by reading)....Improving Working Relationships with Thais
At the end of this session, you will understand why Thais behave the way they do.
This will help you to minimise your frustration when dealing with Thais, and adjust your approach when dealing with Thais in the future.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is my pleasure to be here with
you. I hope that today I can share my view with you on the topic of
improving working relationships with Thais. My presentation was developed
based on my past experience in working with foreigners - Malaysian,
Singaporean, Japanese, American, Australian, New Zealander and European.
Before I begin, I would like to set the ground rules first. We as adults are not
good at passive learning. So, I like to set my presentation in a
Discussion format. I urge you to be involved. I will ask lots of
questions. Please feel free to respond.
Before we talk about the topic, may I show you something? This slide
shows the Thai Bath Coin with Head-side. Asked "which side do you
see?", the response was "Head". Then, showm another side on the slide and
asked same question again, the response was "Tail." Asked "How many sides
in each coin?", the response was "2". Added "But how many sides do we see
each time?". Response "One." Two Sides of A Coin
Most foreigners who have worked with Thais say they;
-
Enjoyed: Courtesy, Hospitality, Humble, Accommodating, and Friendly Smile.
-
Frustrated: Less Assertiveness, Planning Skill, Discipline and
Level of Commitment.
Let's look at some more facts of life.
Most of the time, We as human beings have a tendency to ...
- Look only one side of the coin,
- Try to change other people, and
- Forget that things always comes as a package..
It is our nature to act like this. Nothing wrong about it. But maybe
I can shift your paradigm or the way you see the world to another perspective...
Shift Your Paradigm..
- Don't look at the coinas it falls, rather view both sides,
- Try to adapt ourselves, and
- Accept it "As good as it gets"
Don't look at the coin because you will see only one side each time.
Rather, view it from both sides or perceive the whole coin. Then, adapt
ourselves to get along with the local environment and you will happy to
accept the fact that Thais are as good as it gets." Ask "if you look from
the new angle, would it benefit me?"
Now, let us examine the possible causes that made Thais behave the way
they do. Perhaps, after you learn more about these causes, it might be
easier for you to accept Thais are as good as it gets..
Why Thais Behave the Way They Do
Rich with resources
One Westerner who has lived in Thailand for over 30 years, commented to
my boss on why the Thais are not so adaptive on planning ( less plan, wait
and see, easy living, and MAI PEN RAI attitude etc.).
He analyzed this based on the Sociological aspect of Thailand. If you
take a close look at Thai history, as a rich and plentiful country with a
good environment, in the old days, Thailand was rich with resources. We
used to have the motto that " In the river have fish, in the farm have
rice!" Which means that food was usually available right in front of our
house. Why bother to do the inventory! Furthermore, natural disasters
like earth-quakes or severe changes in seasons like snow in winter do not
occur regularly in Thailand. So people just did not plan for anything. In
the morning, we went out to the farm and river and got something to cook
for the day. We did not have to plan ahead to fight with nature. When
compared to the West, you have to fight with nature. So planning ahead is
a must.
Among Thais, we have a joke for "Planning". "Ning" when pronounced
in the Thai language means "Unmoving". When Thais say "Plan-ning" it
sounds like Plan! - and do nothing (just plan and unmoving, so nothing
happens!).
Family System
We were raised by our parents till we graduate from university. We went to
university by our parent's funding. Even of those people who have MBA, most of them
studied courtesy of parent's funding. So, parents have great influence to our life. This
is totally different from the West. In US or UK, after high school, you stand on
your own feet. With the Thai family system, Thai kids do not necessarilly
plan much for their life. The parent did. It reduces the survival
skill. It also slows our maturity. Further, we were taught by our parents not
to argue with POO YAI (senior person). What POO YAI says is
always right. So, in the work place we will not argue with the boss even we
have some better idea.
School System
The other possible cause lies in our school system. I am 38 now. In my
school days 30 years ago, the teacher told and instructed the
kids. We were not allowed to have creativity. The learning process was a
one way communication. If you asked too many questions, you would be
look silly in front of teacher and friends. Many teachers would be angry at you
if you asked too many questions because the teacher perceived that the kid was a
drag on the class. I heard that even now the school system has not changed
much. International schools are different which explains why Thai
Yuppies prefer to send the kids to International Schools which have Western
Style learning.
We have framed our kids to be less creative, less assertive, and less
confrontational. So, it is quite different from the western school
system which does have more interactive and more expression in the learning
process.
Monarchy System
Last but not least, we have been ruled by the Monarchy system for many
hundred years. Only in the year of 1932 or 66 years ago we became a Democracy. But it has also become the Thai Way of Democracy in which there is a heavy military influence. Thailand experienced real democracy just 15 years ago. The implication is that we have a tendency to wait
for the senior person (the boss in the work environment) to instruct and give
directions. When problems occur, we run to the boss and ask for the answer.
When the boss ask "what do you think?" we are shocked! Most of the Western
bosses think that we do not carry a brain. But that is because we were
raised that way.
So there are major differences in the background and culture of Thais and Western
Foreigners. The way they see the world also different. Let's look at how
can you improve the working relationship with Thais.
The 4 P's: * Patience * Patience * Patience * PatienceWe live in different environments, so do not expect to think, feel and perceive the same. One
tip that can help you is PATIENCE. Accept the fact that we are different.
Then, you will be fine if you accept this fact. Let's look at other real
tips. ...One by one.Learn to compromise
Give some and get some... For example, say you know that if you did a certain peice of work yourself
it would take 5 days to finish. But if you ask a Thai employee,
he/she might say 7 days. Avoiding asking them to finish it within 5
days. You may inform them that you can do it by 5 days and explain the
way. But because it is the first time for him/her, you allow 6 days
- give him extra one more day.
Another example. Most foreigners get used to discipline. For
example, they prefer to see things in an organized way. They do not
like disorganise the office environment. Most of them do not like people to
eat fruits or sweets in the office. But Thais enjoy eating bits and
pieces. You will see that in every woman's desk, there will be some eatable
items hidden away. So, most foreign boss's will close one eye (pretend
that they never seen it)
Small little things count
Have some gift or souvenir for special occasions like Birthday's,
wedding anniversaries, or a new home monk blessing.
When travelling abroad, buy some things like chocolate, candy, or some
sweets. If you can buy things that represent your country like a Boomerang
from Australia for your secretary after your home vacation it will be
very appreciated. It will also increase your relationship with yur gate-keeper!
Be careful of the value of souvenir. Please find the
inexpensive but thoughtful meaning. Around US$ 5 - 20 would be just nice.
Suggested souvenirs
- A book for book lovers or educated executive. One of the top ten
business books that are recently on the shelves is a good idea.
- Cassette tapes that record a best-selling book like " The Road Ahead by
Bill Gates ". This is the perfect gift for those executives who do not
like reading. Listening to the tape in Bangkok in the Traffic is value
time utilization. And if it's a good listening piece, it will make your
customers recall you.
- Symbol of the place that you come from, like a boomerang or eagle metal.
- T-Shirt or Golf T-shirt
- Golf ball or other golf accessories. I saw someone buy a golf ball with
an imprint of the name of the recipient. Wow! It's my name!
- Small wood craft items.
- Tea or Herbs for diet conscious executives.
Avoid using Western standards in Thailand
For example, if you go to Department Stores buying some things and it
takes you 10 minutes for you to get the change don't get frustrated. You may think that in your
home country it's only 2 minutes. Do not use the same standard. Or when you go to
lunch in the company canteen, and your staff do not use the queue line, ignore
it. When you are in Rome act as a Roman does.
When the degree of confrontation is high, it's time to have a break. Don't
yell at Thais. If you notice that the heat is up or the degree of
disagreement is high at a meeting or in a conversation, it's time to have a break. Thais are not good at confrontation. We have a tendency to take it personally. Most of the time,
relationship is jeopardised after the heat argument in the meeting. Arguments in meetings are remembered by Thai's long after the meeting finishes. This is unlike the Western culture where often the emotion in a meeting is forgotten when that meeting ends and no hard feelings continue.
Be careful about the "Open door policy"
Many foreign boss's deploy an open door policy in their own countries.
But when they use it in Thailand, it may not work perfectly. We have a
tendency to "Scare" when meet with the boss, particular to ask for clarification or
advice. Usually because we are afraid that the boss or POO YAI will be angry with us. So,
it's hard to use the open door policy. It may work for some young executives who
graduated from western system. In the case where you are concerned about progress, you may ask Thais to come to report progress with you periodically. Otherwise, you may be surprised that when it's due, the work is still "NING" (unmoving) or the output of work is totally different from expectation.
Ko Nan Tha Vi Sal
I would like to end my speech with the old story about how to work with
Thais. There is the story about KO NAN-TA-VI-SAL (A cow named
NAN-TA-VI-SAL). All Thais learn this story at school as a way to
understand how to treat others.
Once upon a time in the Kingdom, KO NAN-TA-VI-SAL was a cow on a farm. His
major duty was help the farmer harvest rice. One morning NAN did not move.
He just stood still on the ground. He looked absolutely normal.
The farmer instructed him with a loud voice many times. He still stood
there - nothing happening. The farmer started to hit him many times
forcing him to move forward in order to get the work done (as in Theory X
in management science). Again, nothing happened.... The other farmer
walked to them and touched his hand gently in the back of NAN and started a
conversation to NAN in polite and soft manner " NAN, we need your help to
get the work done together for our rice production, start working now
please ". The cow slowly started the working day...."
Lady and gentlemen, I hope you have learned some practical ideas to
improve your working relationship with Thais. If you would like to learn
more about Thais, please visit my Thailand Tales homepage on the Internet. Kriengsak Niratpattanasai
DBS Thai Danu Bank, Bangkok, Thailand
|
|
