For decades, expats have been a regular feature of corporate life in Asia-Pacific. Some live in the region for just a few years, others make it their permanent home, but with the unprecedented growth of China's economy, much has changed. Ironically, just as life has become easier for expats, so the need for them is dwindling.
"There are going to be far fewer people like me in the future," admits Briton Tony Tyler, chief operating officer of Cathay Pacific Airways. The Hong Kong-based airline has grown rapidly into a global player since Tyler joined in 1997, when it shed the Union Jack that once adorned its aircraft tail fins and adopted a marked Asian identity – one that will be strengthened even more if negotiations for its buyout by Air China come to fruition.
Tyler observes: "Asia has developed so fast, and is continuing to do so, and Cathay's progress has mirrored the region over the years."
China's exceptional growth – its GDP up 9.5 per cent in the first three quarters of 2004 – is now so important that it affects all the other economies in the region. As Professor Noriko Hama of Kyoto's Doshisha University succinctly sums up: "Now, everything is made in China – and include the Japanese economic cycle in that."
Against this dynamic background, an increasing number of IT and management savvy locals are joining the workforce and are, in the process, reducing the need for expats. They are still present, however, and just as in the past, there is an array of traditions and social mores for them to adjust to. Fortunately, there's no lack of help and "how to understand Asia" guides for newcomers who are trying to navigate the cultural divide.
From Fred Schneiter's Getting along with the Chinese for fun and Profit to Boye Lafayette De Mente's The cultural values and attitudes that make up the Korean business personality and the Culture Shock! bibles to almost every country in the region, the bookstores bristle with references.
For anyone wanting to go beyond the usual stereotypes of doing business in what used to be called the "Far East", The Asian Insider, written by Michael Backman, is a pithy and authoritative tome. The author cites a wealth of examples, case studies and anecdotes to provide a revealing and unconventional picture focusing on key business themes.
Another compulsory read for executives thinking of immersing their corporate toes in Asian waters is Mr China by Tim Clissold, which is shriekingly funny and a corporate cautionary tale.
In the early 1990s, Clissold and his business partner raised US$448 million, which then disappeared in a variety of investments. Clissold recalls the experience with wry candour: "Anyone who reads the book will see that I got the education of a lifetime from a number of very smart Chinese businessmen, and my basic error was to assume, rather naively, that China would play by the same rules.
"China is notoriously difficult to govern from the centre and has suffered complete system collapse at regular intervals in its long history. If that happened again,
it would be a catastrophe that would render all of China's progress in the past 25 years meaningless, and it would affect the whole world."
The book covers the perennial issues of Face (with a capital F), correct use of chopsticks, the giving and receiving of gifts, the importance of business cards – and the etiquette of their presentation – in much detail, but it's interesting to note that the ample column inches devoted to the gaffes committed are not just done by westerners, but by visitors from all parts of the world. And since you can learn more from a mistake than a thousand right answers (and they're more fun to read), here are some comments from business people in Asia-Pacific:
A Thai female executive: "I was opening a meeting with some welcoming remarks and this guy from Cairo started making nudge-nudge comments about the red light district of Nana Plaza. I realise we may appear to have double standards to some outsiders, but this fellow thought he was being really funny. He went down like a lead balloon."
A Singaporean IT executive: "A New Zealand woman who came through on a sales trip complimented me on my English. It's my first language, along with Hokkien. You can say what you like about jet lag and nervousness, but her ignorance or naivety, call it what you will, really let her down."
A Singaporean travel manager: "I don't know why they always ask for my English name. I am Chinese. My name is Chinese, and they have to respect that...respect me."
A Shenzhen factory employee: "A Taiwanese factory executive raised hackles in Shenzhen with his know-all attitude. So Mr Taipei had a lot of bucks and contacts all over the world, but that doesn't mean he's allowed to say and do whatever he wants. We are both Chinese, and he should have recognised that."
A Japanese translator: "Being constantly reminded of American 'cultural superiority' throughout a three-hour dinner palled after a while. I was translating for my boss and there were some lengthy silences which were very embarrassing."
Still stumped as to how to cope in a new environment? Take this advice from Stuart Hunter, travel director of Asian Development Bank, who relocated last year to Manila from Sydney: "You shouldn't make assumptions that what goes in Singapore goes in Cambodia. Just don't have any preconceptions because these are often misconceptions."
Ed Peters
