Creating trust with teams in Asia

In an earlier blog I wrote about the importance of creating trust in order for people to express their opinion on a work related subject when asked for it. But then, how do you create trust ? There are a lot of references out there about the importance of creating trust at work and how to go about it. But what is specific or different in Asia ? Two main differences stand out in my experience.

1.       The working relationship extends into the private sphere, and so does the trust

In Western countries, trust (at work) is limited to issues … at work. Honesty and transparency are critical for a trusting relationship. Straight talk when needed, and listening skills are other key ingredients. These traits need to be demonstrated by the leader at work.

In Asia, the personal and social relationships are important in addition to the work relationship. For Asians, contexts at work and outside of the workplace intermingle, and it is important to interact with your team members beyond the pure work related activities. This means participating in social events, even if they seem not really necessary or a worthy investment of your time. But also attending personal events of your closest team members, like weddings (when invited !) or unfortunately also funerals of relatives (even when not invited). Affective trust is a precondition on which trust at work can be built.

 

2.       Praise in public and correct in private

One of the key requirements listed for creating trust is the importance of telling things as they are, straight and honestly. In Asia, managers need to take into account the importance of face (or more importantly the loss of face) in a team. Try to address issues in private rather than putting someone in his place in front of the entire team. This is not the same as "hiding the issues": everybody in the organization will know when the boss has put someone in his place, even if the meeting was behind closed doors. Public loss of face equals loss of trust in the relationship.

So my advice for (in particular expat) managers is to take the time to build up a ‘social’ relationship with your team members, and to keep the tough but necessary discussions out of the public sphere. It is tempting to focus just on work because there is so much to do and the quicker things get done the better. In the long run however, a good bond with your team members will create a better working performance.