Chinese society is generally a highly collective group, but respects a degree of power distance between each other. For them, individuals must know his or her place in the organization, and his/her actions must be based from this stature. Thus, they are used to working together as a group, but they maintain a degree of respect to individuals who are either senior or have more superior positions in the organization, or both. Thus, foreign staff members must learn to respect, and more often, adhere to this practice in the society. Since values are greatly respected in Chinese business culture, this is a mandatory practice that must not be forgotten especially when in the presence of Chinese affiliates with crucial roles in the success of the business in the city.
Personally, adopting the Beijing way of life requires great adjustment, since after work, workers would wrap up a day's work by going out with co-workers and relax through social drinking, or simply socializing and eating. Also, Chinese workers are known for being hard workers, and a foreign staff will know the true meaning of the saying, "work hard, play harder," because they epitomize this by working very hard, and suspending all work and celebrating extravagantly during special holidays (particularly, Chinese New Year). Thus, Beijing...
It is recommended that these trainings incorporate learnings from the intercultural business communication model, and infuse practical tips on and facts about professional and personal everyday life in Beijing, for staff's immediate use upon deployment in the city.
References
Erbacher, D. (2006). "Expatriate success in China: impact of personal and situational factors." The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, Vol. 9.
Gleb, C. And D. Chen. (2004). "Going West: A progress report." The China Business Review.
Powers, P. (2005). "What a difference a decade makes." The China Business Review.
Varner, I. (2000). "The theoretical foundation for intercultural business communication: a conceptual model." The Journal Business of Communication.
