Exploring Chinese Cultural Standards through the Lens of German Managers: A Case Study Approach

Vol 23, No 2; Article by Roger Moser, Thorsten Migge, Martin Lockstroem  and Jessica Neumann; June 2011

The ability to understand one's own culture and to deal with the specificities of foreign cultures is one of the core requirements in today's international business. Management skills are partially culture specific and a management approach that is appropriate in one cultural context may not be appropriate in another. Given the global spread of business activities of companies, managers are often required to interact with different cultures.

This paper aims to analyse cultural characteristics, especially in a Sino-German business context. Based on literature analysis and case study research, relevant cultural standards in China were identified through the lens of German managers. Based on interview results, three core constructs (time, relationship and communication) were identified. During a cross-case analysis, five sub-constructs -- trust, collectivism, power distance, risk perception and negotiation patterns -- were repetitively recognised as explanation for any issues that emerged in the three core constructs. This indicates the connection of the three main constructs with the five sub-constructs. The three superordinate areas of culture represent basic characteristics of the Chinese culture that seem to occur in virtually any intercultural encounter between Chinese and Germans in a business context. This differentiation is proposed to support the flexibility of the set of cultural standards and to create a better understanding of the different roles that they can play in practice.