 |
 | Chin-Ning Chu : The Asian Mind Game, |
|
Chin-Ning Chu has done the Western business person a good service with this volume. It receives top marks for readability, and is perfect airplane and bedside reading for the traveller embarking on doing business in Asia. Concise, relevant examples abound and due service is given to those principles of Asian business practice that affect Western-Eastern negotiations. All the popular material is here, including the influence of Zen Buddhism, Ren Quing, I-Ching, Sun Tzu and interpretations of the more ancient military startegy texts the "Bing Fa". The emphasis is on Chinese influence, and so it should be as this underlies much business culture in Asia today. Skirting over the controversial point about the origins of the Japanese, business in Asia is analyzed from the Chinese viewpoint, and Japanese and Korean styles are also discussed and compared. It is also heartening to see an unbiased account of the famous "Japan that can say No" treatise.
However, it would be a mistake to use this volume as your complete refererence. The author sets out to provide an analysis of Japanese, Chinese and Korean cultures and does this well. Attention is not given to the other diverse cultures in the region such as the Malay, Indonesian and Thai contributions. Even with the Japanese and Korean sections, the emphasis is from a Chinese worldview. But this does not distract from the value of this work. The only criticsin is that the title could be viewed as slightly misleading. The section on the Bing Fa is particularly well done covering the "36 principles" in easy and digestible form. This is all great stuff, even though this reviewer feels the current popular attraction of the military strategy to explain Asian business may be overdone. The military texts are just that. They were devised for warfare and as far as buiness is seen as war, it is highly useful. However, global business directions brought on by internationalisation, globalisation, and the need for more flexible organisations may mean that this sort of analysis may be less successsful at predicting the future than explaining the past, in which it does a brilliant job. The need for organisations to become more open and flexible and therefore less structured and military based, whether they are in Asia or the West, in response to the needs of the Information age and the decline of natural resources is acknowledged but not satisfactorilly answered. The final section is very practical. A sampling of headings confirm this. "Learn to interpret hidden messages", "Smiling faces", "Know your company and your product", "Be your opponent", "Keep your work, Keep your silence", "Respect the local culture", "The home court advantage", "The importance of status", "Use local intermediaries", and "The privileges of rank", all contain titbits of information that you may know already, and knowing the background to them, makes them even more sensible. What is particularly attractive about this volume is the author's ability to apply Asian philosophy, strategy, and history to the business realities of today. From the colourful account of the French gentleman found in Tianemann Square seemingly in a state of mental instability who had finally been worn down by the demands on his Western masters and his Eastern negotiators, to the quotes from leading businessman on doing business in Asia, the pace never really slackens. This retelling of this incident itself, let alone the writing style that begs to read just one more chapter, may cause many a sleepless night for those emabarking on doing business with the Chinese. On the other hand, they are sleepless nights that may well repay in the future. The message is clear.. the more you know about your negotiators the better you can undertand what seem at first glaring inconsistencies and turn them to your advantage. Whether they are your enemies as the Bing Fa texts assume, or colleagues in business where a win-win result is what is required is up to the reader.
Reviewed by Rod Davies
ISBN: 1-876066 016
|
asia's only dedicated daily ezine for the asian business, management, strategy & marketing professional
research articles news independent columnists business strategy market & street intelligence
The Forum Review Home Page | Asian Business Strategy & Street Intelligence Ezine | Asia-Pacific Writers and Researcher's Forum | Management News