Brian, a British expat living in Malaysia, receives an early morning email and walks over to one of his subordinates. Brian: Zul, Nadia is on leave but one of her clients has just called up and requested for some information about their account. Can you help to do some research into the […]
Overcoming ‘Not My Job’ Mindset in Malaysian Work Culture Read More »
Martha: “Everyone, I’m throwing a birthday party for my daughter this Saturday at my house. Would you be able to come and join the celebration?” Wai Ling: “I might have something to do on that day. If I can, I’ll try to make it.” Martha: “OK sure,
Differing Concepts of How to Show Respect When Working in Malaysia Read More »
Many organizations today recognize the value of providing training to their staff on an on-going basis. Among the many benefits that training programs can provide are opportunities for staff to acquire new skills, keep up with changing industry standards, improve work performance, increase morale and meet new people from different industries and backgrounds. It is
Are You Getting the Most out of Your Training? Read More »
“Thanks for the wonderfully written report, Mark! Your summary of the project gave us a really good insight about its progress and what we can expect in the coming months.” “Lina, great job with your presentation this morning! You got all your facts right and you delivered with such poise and confidence. Keep it up!”
Want to Get the Best Out of Your Malaysian Team? Try This! Read More »
We once organized white water rafting as part of our company’s teambuilding exercise. I was grouped with three other young ladies, all of whom were my direct reports and we were assigned one experienced guide to help us navigate through the challenging rapids. As all of us were inexperienced paddlers, we obediently followed in sync
Four Ways Malaysians Can Project Confidence as They Work Globally Read More »
Several years ago, the multinational company I was working for went through a merger which resulted in significant organizational changes. The new company direction favoured a more web based approach to training, so half of the total number of trainers were at risk of unemployment. As the last employee to have been hired, I was
Successful Change Management – The Malaysian Way Read More »
For the past two years, Amanda had enjoyed working in an administrative personnel role alongside five other colleagues. Recently, her supervisor resigned and after a few days of deliberation, Amanda was appointed as the successor. A few weeks into her new role, Amanda’s manager noted a drop in her performance and found that a major
Recently, a multinational organization had an opportunity to close a huge deal with a chip manufacturing company from China. The negotiations were led by Fabian, a German national, who arranged a site visit for the management team from China with the hopes of acquainting them with the local processes. Due to certain unfortunate circumstances, Fabian
Power Distance – How Does It Affect You at Work? Read More »
In the past, an international corporation’s Customer Inventory Planning was done separately by teams located in its respective regions. Recently, the company decided to merge its Asia Pacific and Japanese planning operations together. Senior advisers from both teams (a Malaysian named May and a Japanese named Kaori) arranged a conference call to discuss their responsibilities, existing
5 Key Points to Consider When Making Conference Calls across Cultures Read More »
An international organization held a conference in Malaysia to standardize its manufacturing line processes across the different regions and participants came from all over the world. The organizers had offered to provide transportation for the delegates from their hotels to the conference site. As the Japanese participants had initially politely declined the offer, the organizers
Malaysian Communication-Stating an Opinion Outright vs Implying a Point Read More »