American v. Chinese Styles of Networking

Question

how do the Chinese network in business relationships? How does the idea that "individuals exist only in relationship to others" (Gannon and Pillai, p. 366 and Vanhonacker p. 49) play a key role in this connection? How about the concept of "face" (Vanhonacker, pp. 50-53 and Gannon and Pillai, pp. 358-359)? Is there a strong sense of indebtedness or obligation for the maintenance of networks in traditional Chinese culture (Vanhonacker, p.50 and p. 52)? In terms of cultural parameters, how do you think their long term orientation and high context culture (Gannon and Pillai, p. 361, p. 368, p. 371) with higher power distance would render their networking approach more fitting in their cultural context? 

   In light of what we have learned about American individualism, the "football metaphor" and "billiard ball" type of social interactions and our cultural cultural values (such as independence and autonomy, individual competitiveness, maximizing opportunities for oneself, the need for time-saving and so on) in last week's materials and discussions, how different is the U. S. style of networking from the Chinese practice in these respects? How important is it to return favors here in the U. S. context? Is there a strong sense of obligation for the maintenance of networks? Is there something comparable to the Chinese idea of "face" in the U. S. style of networking? And in terms of cultural parameters, how do you think our short term orientation and low context culture with lower power distance would render our networking style more fitting to our cultural context?

   Taking into account what you have discussed in response to the above questions, in what ways do you think the two approaches can learn from each other? 

Answer 1

I think that there's a couple of different ways you can look at answering this question. there is the older China with his Confucius ideas that are still seen in Japan today. This is based on a system of being in one unified society where people are treated as family members. This type of Chinese culture preserved in Taiwan which is not impacted as much by communism. In mainland China where communism is strong the breakdown of culture and respect is pretty rampant. This is why people will just go into grocery stores and steal all the grocery bags or go into a public bathroom and steal all of the toilet paper. In communist China people unfortunately treat others with a sense that they are trying to get something out of the other person and if they are able to trick the other person and sell gain from them they win. A person the US who speaks Chinese but is nationally from another country will avoid speaking Chinese specifically so that they can avoid the pressure to give some kind of special benefit to a Chinese person. Pre-Communist ideas might actually be better preserved in countries outside of China, even the United States where those respect philosophies that come from confucius ideas are preserved.