关于中国,有哪些误解?真相又是什么?
Chinese business culture is unique, but not in all the ways outsiders tend to assume. To identify the most common myths, we interviewed dozens of North American and European expats as well as some Chinese managers now working in the West, all of whom have spent at least three years doing business in China. Our research uncovered three principal myths, perpetuated informally through stereotypes and formally through management-training programs.
中国的商业文化是独特的,但并非全像外人认为的那样。为揭示普遍流传的误解,我们采访了数十位移居中国的北美和欧洲人,以及一些正在西方工作的中国管理者,所有受访者都有至少3年在中国从商的经历。我们的研究发现了3个主要误解,它们部分来自个人的刻板印象,部分来自正式的管理培训课程。
perpetuate:vt.永久保持 adj.长存的
stereotypes:n.刻板印象,成见
Anyone working with the Chinese will find a multifaceted, fast-changing culture. As one respondent notes, managers can tap Eastern and Western strengths alike by learning the nuances of both business cultures and developing the flexibility to work in either one. “The Chinese will often pop in to see you with no appointment,” says one executive. “I’ve learned I can do this, too. If I have 30 minutes to spare, I just make a quick call from a taxi and visit someone working in the area.”
无论谁与中国人合作时都会发现,自己面对的是一个多面、快速变化的文化。如一位受访者所说,通过学习东西方商业文化、培养灵活性和适应性,管理者可以同时吸收东方和西方的长处。“中国人经常事先没约好就来找你,”一位高管说,“我也学到了这招。如果有30分钟空闲,我会在出租车上打个电话,跟附近某个人碰面。”
Myth 1: Collectivism
Reality: Individualism
Wei Chen, a Chinese manager in Paris’s luxury goods sector, attributes the rise in individualism to citizens’ suppression for many generations: “As a child I was punished for stepping out of the box and told to ‘be average.’ But we have left this mentality with a passion. In China, we are so eager to move ahead. Westerners often feel our style is pushy and aggressive.”
误解:集体主义
真相:个人主义
陈伟(音)在巴黎的奢侈品行业做管理工作,他认为个人主义的兴盛是中国人长期受压抑的结果。“从小我就被教育要‘随大流’,不循规蹈矩就会受罚。但我们坚决告别了这种状态。在中国,我们力争上游。西方人会觉得我们的风格过于强势。”
luxury:n.奢侈,奢侈品 adj.奢侈的
suppression:n.抑制,压抑
An executive at a Canadian pharmaceutical company points out, “There is an intense self-interest [in China]—more important than company, community, or nation. It is like nothing I have experienced in the West. The U.S. is generally considered the most individualistic part of the world, but it has nothing on China.” Interview subjects cited the Cultural Revolution, the one-child policy, and mass migration to big cities as factors in the unraveling collective spirit.
The part of the myth that’s true: Decisions are often made in groups, and the Chinese are highly skilled at working in teams.
加拿大一家制药公司的高管指出:“中国的利己主义氛围非常浓厚,个人利益高于公司、社区和国家的利益。我在西方从未有过这种体会。美国一般被认为是世界上最个人主义的地方,但跟中国比则不值一提。”关于集体主义精神没落的原因,受访者列举了“文化大革命”、独生子女政策和人口大规模向城市迁徙等。
部分真相:决策通常由集体做出,而且中国人非常善于团队合作。
pharmaceutical:adj.制药的 n.药物
Myth 2: Long-term deliberation
Reality: Real-time reaction
Managers unanimously indicated that the speed of decision making and execution in China is extraordinary compared with the West, where “we spend time trying to predict the future and getting it wrong,” says Frédéric Maury, a French executive in technical services. “In China no one thinks about the future.” That’s hyperbole, perhaps, but a manager who has worked for the World Bank in China for a decade agrees with the sentiment, saying that adhoc logistics are quite common but amazingly well executed. “I’ve attended dozens if not hundreds of workshops in China, and not one has gone according to plan. Things change the night before: speakers, topics, even venues. But it all always ends up working out fine.”
The part of the myth that’s true: Business relationships and government policies are both built for the long term. 
误解:谨慎思考
真相:快速反应
受访管理者一致认为,中国人的决策和执行速度比西方快出太多。一家法国技术服务公司的高管弗雷德里克·莫里(Frédéric Maury)说:“我们花时间去预测未来却得出错误结论,而在中国没人关心未来。”这话可能太夸张,但世界银行一位曾在中国工作10年的管理者持相同观点,认为临时变动很常见,但执行效果好得惊人。“我曾在中国参加过不下百场讨论会,没有一次按议程来。开会前一天,发言人、主题、甚至场地都变了,但最后结果总是不错。”
部分真相:商业关系和政府政策均长期有效。
unanimously:adv.全体一致地
hyperbole:n.夸张的语句,夸张法
Myth 3: Risk aversion
Reality: Risk tolerance
“In the West we like to debate something, print it out, debate it again, do some analysis,” says British logistics executive Michael Drake. “But in China it’s, ‘Right, we’ve decided, boom, off we go!’” Many participants believe the appetite for risk is tied to growth. Edith Coron, a French intercultural consultant and coach, says, “In an environment where GDP is growing at over 10% a year, it’s understandable that the level of entrepreneurship and risk taking should be so high.” Chinese manager Wei Chen confirms, “We don’t want to lose a single minute. We have a lot of confidence, and we are very comfortable with risk.”
The part of the myth that’s true: Chinese workers often hesitate to give individual opinions or brainstorm openly when more-senior people are present.
误解:规避风险
真相:容忍风险
“在西方,我们喜欢讨论事情,把观点打印出来,再讨论,然后做分析,”一家英国物流企业的高管迈克尔·德雷克(Michael Drake)说,“但在中国是这样:好了,我们决定了,铛铛,走起!”很多受访者认为,风险偏好和成长速度成正比。伊迪斯·科伦(Edith Coron)是一名法国跨文化咨询师和高管教练,她说:“在GDP每年保持高速增长的环境中,创业活动踊跃、风险偏好高是可以理解的。”中国管理者陈伟证实了这点:“我们不愿浪费一分钟。我们很有信心,愿意承担风险。”
部分真相:有领导在场时,中国员工常常不愿坦诚表达个人观点或提出新想法。
艾琳·迈耶(Erin Meyer)、沈怡(音) | 文
艾琳·迈耶是英士国际商学院组织行为学跨文化管理方向兼职副教授。沈怡是跨文化咨询师,为在中国运营的西方企业提供服务。
王晨|译  蒋荟蓉|校  万艳 | 编辑
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