Western and Eastern values are very different. This article takes a look at the role of value dissimilarities in expat adjustment using practical input from expats working in a SE Asian context.

Value dissimilarities have been noted as distinctive features of different cultures.  In research on expatriation, this difference between cultural values is referred to as ‘cultural distance’.  Cultural distance may hinder intercultural communication and even provide wrong impressions of intentions.  Differences in the magnitude of a conflict are often thought to be caused by such cultural distance.

Value differences may contribute toward ethnocentric attitudes among both host country nationals and expats.  Ethnocentrism is an expression of a broader combination of in-group attachment and out-group hostility, and seems to be an inevitable and universal consequence of the existence of social groups.  Early research on ethnocentrism in host-country organisations noted that ethnocentric attitudes of expat managers and host-country employees in all types of multinationals are ‘dysfunctional to their mutual relationships.’

A starting point of the research of Florkowski and Fogel (1999) was the assumption that a host population’s cultural resistance may hinder successful cross-cultural adaptation.  In this regard, it was observed that host subsidiaries’ unwillingness to accept foreign managers may be an important deterrent to a successful international career within multinational enterprises.  Expats of Chinese ethnicity observed that they do not possess the same authority in China as Western managers because of envy or resentment from local employees.  Perceived ethnocentrism may generate feelings that equal those generally associated with employment discrimination, which may make it more difficult for expats to cope with their situation in their new work location.

From an extreme perspective, host xenophobia possibly could preclude positive social exchanges with outsiders who have home cultures that are quite similar to the local culture.  In addition, there may be a discrepancy between negative perceptions of expats between lower- and higher-level staff.  Rivalry over career-advancement opportunities within the host unit may explain why high-status locals (e.g. managers and professionals) perceive resident expats more negatively than do lower-level host country nationals.  It has been observed that the unwillingness to defer to or accept foreigners may stem from the concern that they create communication problems in the workplace which hinder host country nationals from pursuing and achieving organisational goals.

Let’s translate the above to actual expat practice.  The below interview quotes were part of my own doctoral studies and focus particularly on expats working in SE Asia.  The first quote refers to a different approach to working with deadlines and highlights how the expat makes a crucial mistake in raising their voice when several host country nationals attend a meeting:

“We are very deadline sensitive and when you discuss deadlines with subcontractors in Thailand and then you raise your voice because they don’t meet deadlines, it may happen to you that they run away from you.  They use all sorts of excuses to run away…. because to some extent, especially with small and medium scale industry they have a different attitude towards deadlines as we have.”

    This account is corroborated by a Singaporean expat, who, although Asian himself, experienced adjustment issues and had to adjust his behaviour in order to work efficiently:

“The Thais have a particular cultural behaviour in relation to conflict and  when you are trying to  correct someone  who is on the wrong track  either because he or she is not doing the work according to what you want or it could be they are missing deadlines, etc.  In many other countries it is acceptable to show some unhappiness on your part as an employer, as a boss, but in Thailand they will take great afront at any public show of anger or unhappiness and the reaction is is lack of respect for foreigners and they shut down. They do not respond to aggression the way that many other cultures, particularly Western cultures would.  They avoid conflict, therefore, if you engender conflict they feel very uncomfortable and this is something that must be learned very quickly in living in Bangkok otherwise you will not be able to operate effectively, whether in the workplace or at home.”

Another perspective on responsibility--particularly that of a hesitancy or refusal to accept it--was noted by research participants.  The lack of emphasis placed on following rules was often a source of reported frustration.  One respondent even noted that the person in charge who issues rules appeared to be more important than the rules themselves:

“..the rules are not that important as the ruler, the person in charge, whereas the Western model in particular is that the rules are what’s important.  The ruler, the person in charge, or the person enforcing the rules come and go...”

Being straightforward is a European trait and is not often encountered in Asian contexts:

“You have to work with the office and you want to know what is really happening, you have to learn to read between the lines and listen to what people say after a few drinks.  They won’t say it straight but you get the hint what they actually think because they will never tell you straight in your face.  Never, or it’s extremely rare at least.”

“It’s very, very hard and I don’t know that we are always being told the truth and I suppose that creates a divide because, although you try to understand, even if they are unhappy with something that they are doing.  Even if we ask them directly we are not always sure we get a truthful answer so I think that that creates a division amongst the staff.  You see that at the Christmas party, you see that at social events. Sticking to one’s own kind.”

Value dissimilarities can be the cause of misunderstanding and misinterpretation and may even lead to conflict:

“One of the things that you will find is perhaps a little bit more subtle, when the Thais are embarrassed one of the typical reactions is that they laugh.  They laugh and a Westerner or any other Asian who is not familiar with this trait may take offence. I’ll give you a scenario where something has gone wrong in the household.  You have made an agreement that something needs to be done by a particular time and your domestic help has forgotten and you are not happy.  Their reaction because they are embarrassed is that they laugh, they laugh at the matter and if you’re not familiar with this trait you would think that they take it lightly.  Which is not their intent, they are merely showing that they are embarrassed and you need to interpret this physical signal.  Otherwise there will be a problem from your reaction and there will be a very problematic outcome.”

One expat even adapted host country national behaviour over the course of one and a half years in order to be more effective: I do the smile thing even when I’m angry.  Other noted value dissimilarities were a worship of status, disrespect for those lower in status and universal acceptance of inequality:

“I think probably the most difficult thing for me is the universal acceptance of poverty.  The universal acceptance of hierarchical social roles, you know, seeing the way women are treated in this society, seeing the way that workers are treated in this society.  You know, going on the bus and seeing families living in shacks, you know, that’s really hard. But I don’t know, I don’t know whether that’s a difficulty, whether you should be motivated by your Western values to do something about it or whether you should develop an acceptance of it.”

The above individual accounts provide unique insight into the daily life of expats working in a SE Asian context.  The accounts also raise several questions.  It appears, for instance, that group processes play a vital role in expat adjustment.   These group processes remain under researched at the moment.  Further, biases against outgroups (expats) have repeatedly been noted and value dissimilarities have been observed to appear on the basis of apparently small differences between group members.  Coping with both these value dissimilarities and biases is part of the expat experience and is the key to being successful. It may seem obvious, but it is not an easy task.  East is East, and West is West and, with some effort, the twain may meet….!  

Dr Ben van den Anker received his PhD in Business and Management from the International Graduate School of Business of the University of South Australia.  Dr. van den Anker hails from the Netherlands and has extensive experience living and working in SE Asia.  His (I)HRM and cross-cultural consultancy assignments focus primarily on western-Asian contexts. He can be contacted at vandenanker@yahoo.com.