Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

This month, I invite you to join me in delving deeper into the discussion around cultural prisms as we explore the theme through the lens of business, leadership and work culture in China. I had an incredibly fruitful and honest discussion with three women this past month, each of whom brings a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge to the subject, which I’m happy to share with you. I’m grateful that my line of work allows me to connect with these incredible women and provides me with an opportunity to offer greater insight about this important and pertinent topic.

First, allow me to introduce the three amazing women:

Yuying Chen-Wynn is an EdTech executive based in LA. She grew up in Heifei, Chengdu and moved to Texas at age 10 with her family. She shares her perspective as a manager of multinational teams both in the US and China, as well as a mom raising TCK kids in the US.

Lucy Chen is a Finance executive, distinguished coach and speaker based in Oakland. She was born and raised in China and came to the US more than 20 years ago.

Sara Gougarty is a Commercial Real Estate executive based in NY. She grew up in Shanghai with her US expat family, went to university in the US and then returned to China to work with international retailers, having lived in China for over 20 years.

In chatting with these three women executives, I asked them to share their thoughts on the Cultural Prisms in China, the unique aspects from a Chinese lens and how we can remove barriers to connection and bring value in our work and interaction with others.

In leading and managing Chinese teams, Yuying noted the importance of “saving/losing face” as a cultural prism, which means that objections are more likely expressed in one-to-one settings. There is also a culture of humility and understatement in China. A sensitivity to national identity is also an important cultural prism, in that there is a deep love for China, but not everyone agrees with many things. Yuying notes that the opportunities to connect with one another are largely based on regional or educational backgrounds and in order to connect with colleagues and be a successful manager, doing things such as karaoke, enjoying a meal and drinking are a must. Yuying shares more about the multicultural leadership prism in China in her article and below.

“When managing Chinese team members, whether in China or in the US, it is important to connect with them about the specific city or region where they’re from or grew up in. Our regional affinity is a much stronger connection to our identity than just being from China. Also, there’s no bias against women’s professional capability in China. There are industries in which it is more common to have a majority of women in executive and leadership roles, which is quite surprising to those from the US.”

During our discussion, Lucy also shared with us the importance of relationship building as one of the most important actions to yield business. She noted that one should be treated like a family member, inviting colleagues to your home and bringing gifts to colleagues is a must. Chinese culture pays attention to education - if you don’t have an advanced degree, it will be hard to collaborate and find your way in the executive ranks. Finally, one must be very sensitive to various topics, such as politics, and avoid controversial topics.

“One fact about China is that relationships or Guanxi are critical to any social interactions and activities. Relationship building is important in any culture. However, it's the most important factor to success in China - no matter the professional goals or business achievements. The key to success is to make others feel like you are close to them, as close as family members. That's why you always want to bring gifts to your friends or business partners or whoever you interact with.

Another interesting fact about China is that people admire those who have a high education background. Traditionally, people respect education and knowledge. Because of this perception, high ranking officials and business leaders in China tend to have higher education degrees, such as Master's or Doctor's degrees, which are essential to their success in their career and social ranking.”

Sara also shared during the discussion that gift exchange is common in China and understanding the context of business and protocols is crucial in building relationships and helping to bridge the gaps of cultural lessons. Sara also saw similar cultural prisms which Yuying shared, noting that there are regional perspectives that must be acknowledged and that overall, women are respected professionally.

“There is an equal amount of respect due to traditional aspects of the culture. ‘Both men and women hold up the sky equally’ is a hallmark of Chinese culture.”

I want to thank Yuying, Lucy and Sara for being so open in sharing their perspectives and shedding light on the cultural prisms in China. This discussion was incredibly enriching for me and the work that I’m doing with my clients. I hope that it provides you with greater insight on cultural prisms and the many ways in which we are both similar and different across cultures.

I’d love to hear more from you - what cultural prisms do you experience in your own work environment and personal life? Did any of the above comments resonate with you? Drop me a line and let me know.

To Your Success,

A Discussion On Cultural Prisms In China

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