Business culture and management in China, Thailand and the USA: cultural values and business practice

Abstract

The role of cultural factors in East Asia's rapid development remains subject to dispute. This is particularly true of China, since today's Chinese managers come from a tradition that is different from that of the USA and Thailand. This paper compares the results of a survey study of young managers in China with comparable surveys of young managers in the USA and in Thailand. We consider the underlying theoretical constructs and we pose hypotheses on how they might relate to management behaviour. We describe the surveys and analytical methodology. There is strong evidence of the Chinese respondents' personal objectives of traditional group cohesion, desire for harmony, and relationship-based trust. US respondents are much more concerned with personal entitlements. In many respects, the cultural attributes and business practices of Thai managers lie between those of their Chinese and US counterparts. While it is difficult to link these cultural dimensions to management procedures, there is evidence that Chinese firms use less formal methods and rely more heavily on relationship-based practices.