Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process by Andy Molinsky

Author:Andy Molinsky [Molinsky, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781422187289
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Published: 2013-02-18T14:00:00+00:00

Putting an American Spin on a Chinese Interview

A very different example of customizing comes from David Carry, an American manager looking to relocate to China after several years’ work experience in the financial services industry. David’s cultural struggle concerned Chinese interviewing norms, which are very different than those with which he was most familiar. In China, unlike in the United States, the emphasis in interviewing is on fitting in and being part of the system. Yet David did not see himself—or want to present himself—as someone who could merely fit in. Quite individualistic by nature, David had always seen himself as unique, and able to provide unique value. He didn’t want to just be a cog in the machine. He wanted to shine. However, this attitude did not work in China, as David realized after a slew of unsuccessful job interviews.

Eventually, after much trial and error, David hit on a solution that represented a relatively small accommodation, but one that was successful both internally for him as well as externally. What David did was to create a blend between individualism and collectivism. He accommodated to the Chinese standard to show that he was sincere in adapting to that culture. However, he also retained part of himself in the process by peppering the basic Chinese script with occasional references to his uniqueness and how he could provide the firm with unique value. In the end, this blend was successful, as David himself noted: “I was more individualistic than what would be expected from a Chinese interviewee, but I was sure not to show too much individualism. That would make me come across as ignorant of the cultural norms and expectations.”

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