Insight and advice for new expats

How can expatriates quickly excel at cross-cultural work in the ‘Land of Smiles’… and enjoy it?
The foundation for success is an understanding of the cultural differences between Thais and Westerners, and the impact of these differences on behaviour and expectations in the workplace [which we reviewed in Hi! Managers last month].
Success can be achieved if behaviour is adjusted for optimal effectiveness. To help new expats, the following are insights and advice from successful businessmen and women in Thailand.
First, let’s focus on how to avoid a “crash landing”, just after the initial “honeymoon” when, as Martin recalls from his first days at work, “Thais extend a sincere and warm welcome, and help us settle down with great kindness and care”.
One of the reasons why that “honeymoon” can be short-lived for many foreigners is that – despite their good intentions – they make serious mistakes, often without actually noticing it, before they get it right. Thais who are aware of cultural differences will usually forgive a foreigner such faux-pas for a while; however, an accumulation of mistakes will probably erode the fullness of that support over time.

--Common pitfalls
What are the most common mistakes foreigners make here?
A director at Ford, Bruno Charvet, remarked: “The first mistake expats make [in Thailand] is probably impatience and lack of courtesy; wanting to go too fast, losing their temper in public.”
Mead Johnson Nutrition Thailand’s general manager Jorge Pinedo agrees: “Foreigners come to Thailand and sometimes try to ‘change the World’; it is a critical mistake we make as foreigners, to be inflexible and not make enough effort to adapt.”
B-Quik chief executive Henk Kiks warns further: “Some multinational companies say ‘if anybody wants to work with us, they’ve got to follow our company culture. We don’t care about the national culture’. I can tell you one thing: it doesn’t work here.”
It is clear that in Thailand, to avoid a burn-out, it is advisable to use the flexible strength of bamboo, rather than the rigid strength of oak.
Bangkok Bank adviser Vongthip Chumpani recommends: “Foreigners should not criticise or scold employees in front of their subordinates or peers.”
Panya Pongtanya, former general manager of Thai Asia-Pacific Brewery, the local brewer of Heineken beer, adds: “Foreigners should not say ‘this is being done in other countries’, because Thai people will feel very offended.”

--Behaviour and skills Thais expect from foreign managers
Beyond avoiding those pitfalls, how can an expatriate adapt to the Thai working environment without hindering his or her potential for contribution and positive change?
In a survey conducted by1-2-WIN Executive Coaching in cooperation with the Dutch and French Chambers of Commerce, Thai managers from 120 companies were asked to state the most important skills and behaviour patterns they expected from a foreign manager. The following are the top 10:
-Be open-minded.
-Express your ideas clearly.
-Listen well.
-Make good decisions.
-Control your emotions well [don’t show anger].
-Be respectful of Thai culture.
-Make it comfortable to talk with you.
-Motivate your colleagues in a way that works for them.
-Have good analytical skills.
-Be good at solving problems.
Doesn’t that seem like a standard wish-list from a manager? Yet – surprise, surprise! – when asked to rate expats’ performance on those 10 skills and modes of behaviour, Thai respondents gave remarkably low scores for:
-ability to motivate,
-emotion control,
-decision-making,
-problem-solving, and
-listening.
Asked to elaborate on the perception that foreigners are weak at motivating Thais, respondents said that showing appreciation, recognising achievements and being polite were motivational drivers that some expats did not employ enough. I would add to that short list “establishing a ‘family-like feeling’ among the team at work”.
As for expats’ shortcomings in decision-making and problem-solving, these perceptions may be rooted in insufficient consultation, poor listening and ineffective communication.

10 tips from Bangkok business leaders
Beyond pitfalls and mistakes to avoid, and behaviour patterns and skills to hone, here are 10 tips for expatriates offered by several inspiring and successful business leaders in Bangkok:
1. Trust and respect your Thai colleagues upfront; then earn their trust and respect.
Unilever’s vice president for Finance Hein Swinkels says: “Pay a lot of attention to building confidence and trust in you as a leader. Thais will accept you as a boss and try to please you from the beginning, but to get real trust, it will take at least six months. If you think you can leapfrog this period, it will cause a lot of trouble later on.”
2. Create a safe and friendly atmosphere.
IFEC Green Power Plus chief executive Maris Tarab advises: “When you deal with Thai people, you have to work like a friend. If you can buy their hearts, they will work for you for a lifetime.” If an expat fails to create a sufficiently friendly and motivating environment at work, or makes too many mistakes, several Thai colleagues will probably resign, possibly taking some of their subordinates with them.
3. Care – and show it – and invest in personal relationships. Build up an ‘extended family’ atmosphere.
Microsoft (Thailand) director Patara Yongvanich explains that Thais seek an “extended family” environment at work, and Mead Johnson Nutrition’s Pinedo concurs: “it is very important in places like Thailand to truly, genuinely invest in personal relationships. Thai people will know if it’s genuine, so it has to come from the heart. It makes a big difference.”
4. Don’t rush. Open your mind, listen, learn, adapt and then act.
Siam Makro president Suchada Ithijarukul advises: “Some people try to copy and implement some of their experiences in other countries, without adapting into the local environment, and it just doesn’t work.”
5. Share your values, clarify your priorities and expectations upfront.
TMB Bank’s Arunee Jittanon says: “Clearly communicate your values. Values are very sensitive; misunderstandings can create very critical situations. Some Thai people might not consider some values as important, like punctuality or truthfulness –a little lie might be okay – but if those are your values, you have to tell them.”
6. Ensure clarity of understanding, both yours and that of your Thai colleagues, and probe beyond a “yes”, or a smile.
ING Life’s former president and chief executive Rajesh Sethi remarks: “One of the most common mistakes foreigners make is to assume that if there are no questions, then everybody understands what they are saying.” Likewise, Pisit Leeahtam, dean of Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Economics, warns: “Sometimes, when Thais say ‘yes’, it will not be exactly the ‘yes’ that foreigners understand, so you need to pay more attention to [make sure] what you mean is really understood.”
7. Never lose self control, and if you do, apologise.
Thai subordinates will not trust a foreign boss to control a business effectively if he or she can’t control their own emotions. Hence, expats working in Thailand may have the need to enhance several facets of their emotional intelligence.
8. Develop and coach your team-members.
On this topic, Philips Electronics’ chairman and chief executive Prakorn Makjumroen offered great advice in my previous article. Let’s take the example of creativity development. Many foreigners claim to be unimpressed with their Thai colleagues’ ability to think out-of-the-box. However, Thais demonstrate remarkable creativity in many fields – design and the arts, for instance. Successful foreigners here will testify that their Thai colleagues can interact in a very open, straightforward manner in meetings and think out-of-the-box. All it takes is the confidence to “go for it”. Encouragement, coaching, stretch and recognition will nurture it effectively. Regular one-on-one meetings with your subordinates, focused on their development, are critical.
9. Involve your team as much as possible and become a role model for teamwork across functions.
CEVA Logistics’ former managing director Winfried Kiesbueye advises: “Always involve your management team [in decisions] and share your success with your staff. You can do small things: recognition, awards and team-building sessions.”  In addition, nurturing effective teamwork across functions is critical, as “working in silos” is particularly common.
10. Deliver results visibly and with humility.
“It is most important that [expats] deliver results. It’s not a holiday, they have to contribute to make it happen” says Thai Asia-Pacific Brewery’s former general manager Panya Pongtanya. Doing it with humility is the way that Thais admire it the most.
Expats and Thais alike may like to download the full results of the survey I mentioned earlier – as a companion to their professional journey across cultures – along with another document, “888 tips” from respondents at http://www.executive-coach-thailand.com/free-downloads/cat_view/9-cross-cultural-management-in-thailand.html.
The bottom line for new expats to remember and act upon first may well be Rajesh Sethi’s remark: “In Thailand, personal relationships perfect professional relationships.”

Jean-Francois Cousin is an accredited executive coach and the former managing director of a Fortune-500 company in Thailand. He may be contacted at www.1-2-win.net. Follow his articles in Hi! Managers on every fourth Wednesday of the month.