Saving face could help you save your Asian relocation

Most international expat professionals realise their working lives will see drastic changes in style, especially if they’re relocating to countries in Asia.

Working cross-culturally may sound as though sticking to the rules is the answer to getting on rather than just getting by, but difference and diversity can catch even the most culturally-savvy expat off guard. Culture isn’t just an interesting combination of history, religion and dress, it’s also essential to interpersonal relations and depends on unspoken rules which are almost never apparent to new expat arrivals.

One of the worst-understood aspects of Asian culture is ‘saving face’, which doesn’t just mean trying not to look and sound like an idiot when your CEO asks you a question. Westerners tend to refer to the ‘concept’ of face, whereas in Asia it’s an extremely complicated mix of honour, dignity, reputation, social standing and influence which permeates the entire business and personal environment. Causing a business colleague to ‘lose face’ is the worst possible crime, even if it’s accidental.

Basically, building trust and ‘face’ as a Westerner is more important than anything else you do, and the rule applies in all Asian countries, however westernised they may seem to be. Learning the local language, however difficult, is another absolute essential for expat professionals hoping to make their mark in Asia. Some companies offer language tuition to relocating staff, for everyone else it’s down to finding a language school as well as extra time to study after work.

When you first arrive, your new colleagues and employers should be happy to cut you some slack and help you understand how language and culture are entwined, with deference and hierarchy built into the structure of the language. Respect and good manners on your side will help a lot, and most of your colleagues will understand when you make all the usual expat mistakes. One day, you’ll wake up and realise you’ve finally got it together as you’re now being allowed into the inner circle and can dispense with ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and other insincere Western niceties.