Body language is a type of nonverbal communication that uses our facial expressions, tone of voice, posture, and gestures to convey our (hidden) feelings and motives. Were you aware, though, that nonverbal cues commonly used in some cultures can be offensive in others? Consider the following examples: While maintaining healthy eye contact often signify […]
4 Aspects of Body Language – What They May Mean in Your Culture Read More »
“I prefer hiring candidates from ethnicity A because those from ethnicity B are generally lazy and unproductive.” “Ladies do not make good bosses because they’re typically mean, controlling and moody all the time.” “Oh no, I’ve got a Millennial on my project team. These Millennials always feel they are so entitled!” Whether we like to
Cultural Intelligence – The Cure to Stereotyping Read More »
During a regional management meeting several years ago, Donald (an Australian manager working in Singapore) delivered his progress update and unashamedly claimed full credit for the data gathering and completion of a particular project. The irony was that the actual contributors (Malaysians and Singaporeans) to the project of whom he was taking credit away from
Dealing with Conflict Across Cultures Read More »
After a month of waiting, my car is finally back in commission following a replacement of a defective automotive part. My customer service experience was fraught with long waiting periods, lack of progress updates, unanswered calls and the general we-can’t-help-you-much-and-you-will-just-have-to-wait attitude. Even though my car was finally ready for collection, I had to personally follow
Leveraging Our Treasured Malaysian Cultural Values to Elevate Customer Service Standards Read More »
Have you ever had a 15-minute internal conversation with yourself to decide if you should share your idea or not, just to have your colleague voice out the exact same idea during a company meeting? And when that same idea was hailed as a fantastic solution to the problem at hand, you kicked yourself with
The Valued Contributor vs The Silent Observer – Which Are You? Read More »
The Head of Project Management, an American named Michael, has called for a team meeting to discuss the details of an upcoming new project that is scheduled to begin in two weeks’ time. He has asked the team to be prepared to cover all aspects of the project – time, resources, issues – so that
3 Steps to Making Your Value Known When Working with Western Cultures Read More »
Having worked for a multinational company for the past two and a half years, Rosita feels that she should be given a promotion with an increased salary for her contributions so far. She makes the request to her manager, Martin, during her annual performance review meeting. Martin, who has been steadily adding on to Rosita’s
Part 2: “It’s Not Part of My Job Description” – Malaysians Working Globally Read More »
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 »
