China Myths, China Facts

Posted: September 07, 2016

Foreign travels normally present one with the opportunity to see things in a different perspective. An individual can discover that his way of life which he is accustomed to is distinct as one goes to a different society. For instance, a person can note that some variables exist in a variant state. For instance, human traits, behavior, language, culture, customs, design, and taste. Most people do have preconceived biases with regards to the people in the nationality they are going to visit. Regardless of whether these biases are derived from cultural perceptions, media or stereotypes, the truth is that they have the potential to derail business arrangements. Springing from this premise, this paper will analyze a Chinese case study to help answer four-course questions.

This presentation has challenged the personal assumptions I had about China and the Chinese people. Ideally, the American media and literature for a long time has presented the Chinese people as being deeply rooted in the principles of collectivism. Whenever I hear about China, what comes directly to my mind is that these people live in a communist way, and their society is not highly individualistic like the one found in the US. Essentially, based on this notion of collectivism, I had this presupposition that the act of decision making in China is entirely left to institutions and groups. That survival in such kind of a society is significantly pegged on cooperation and harmony among individuals (Meyer & Yi Shen, 2010). So I am really surprised when the presentation observes that the Chinese people could even be more individualistic than the Americans. Another assumption I had about China and its people is that specifically in business even after they signed a contract, they normally still require further negotiations. Normally, when a contract has been signed, it signals the end of negotiations. But going through the presentations, this assumption has been challenged since it reveals that Chinese, once they have agreed on something, “Boom off we go”. The importance of this aspect is that they have a high tolerance to risk taking.

Arguably, cultural intelligence would help me research the knowledge concerning Chinese societal and organizational culture and the philosophy they use to manage their people. Also, cultural intelligence would also assist me to unearth how their cultures vary with respect to geography, also how this culture affects the working population and behavioral management (Thomas & Inkson, 2009). I believe that being cognizance of the cross-cultural situations and displaying consistency in non-verbal communication cues will effectively help me adapt my behavior to every situation in the business trip in China. Since my childhood, every school I have gone to was entirely multicultural, this overtime, came to help me develop cross-cultural skills which can be an important element in connecting with the Chinese people on a business trip to this country.

Based on the information given in the assignment, it is evident that Chinese expatriates can operate with an ease of a fish in water in the US when managing their companies. This is because the majority of the US companies have adopted organizational tools and techniques pegged on Japanese models (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013). Taken from the reading, one would infer that Chinese management model is characterized with high risk taking, inspired by the procedures of management decision making. Arguably, their management style should at least adjust to factor in risk analysis.

For a long time, most of the jobs that I used to get involved in numerous foreign assignments and business travels. Essentially, the US government was involved in one way or the other in each of the assignment and required preparation before the travel begins. Arguably, individual travel assignment dealt with a specific area study program, canvassing subjects such economic, societal culture, political issues, geography, customs, and language situations. It is evident that solid cross-cultural skill is a prerequisite in these assignments, majority of which, one must be taught before embarking on this kind of journeys (Munter, 1993). Again, I would reiterate that I will be more interested in getting a foreign business travel if only preparation can be availed prior the travel.


The case study in the course reading has delineated some of the myths people hold on the Chinese people. They include collectivism, long-term deliberation, and risk-aversion. It is evident when one is analyzing these three Chinese myths will require an individual to possess an in-depth comprehension of the Chinese cultural tendencies. Also, one is supposed to be abreast with geopolitical factors such as the Chinese communistic government and the level of control they have over their citizens. This research requires a deeper comprehension of the cultures found in China. This aspect requires one to grasp geopolitical factors which form the basis of the communistic government and the control over its citizen. Recently, the Chinese government is now shifting from the popular "lock-step" society to a more open one resulting in more workers being granted labor freedoms and Rights. Critics have pointed out that this situation has created a cultural paradox. Most of the available literature has advised that any business person that wishes to operate successfully in the Chinese business environment must possess cultural intelligence important in accurately interpreting cross-cultural circumstances. 

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