I’ve been working in Asia for many years now and continue to enjoy the environment that I get to work in. Many times I’ve mentioned how incredible the opportunities are and of course this wouldn’t be the case if it wasn’t for the people that I get to work with. However no matter where you work, to be successful, you truly have to understand and respect the culture and intricacies of the region.
So, with that in mind, here are a few points I’ve learned for managing people in Asia. It doesn’t matter if you’re an expat like me or a native of the country you’re in. These points are applicable to us all and in general help in managing talent that in my opinion is pretty awesome.
1. You May Have to Parent Them
Asian families are involved – heavily – in each other’s lives. The current generation sometimes balks at this part of the culture but for now it’s not going to change. Most people live at home when they go to college and only a privileged few go abroad or live on their own. In fact a good number of people, if not the majority, continue to live with their parents after getting married and having kids. It’s just normal.
What this means for the workforce is that people are used to being told what to do, almost all the time. There’s usually a head figure in the family at home and of course that’s the boss at work. It goes to the extent that I even know someone who threatened to call their employee’s father because this person simply wouldn’t come to work on time. And it worked! I don’t think anyone in the West would consider doing something like this.
2. Maturity Levels Expected Aren’t Always There
This is tied to the point above. Once someone turns 20 you really do expect them to be mature and take charge of their own careers. But for whatever reason, it doesn’t happen as often or as strongly as you expect it should. With all the excitement about Millennials in the Workplace you’d think maturity was part of the package for any employee.
Here’s the thing – I think the level of maturity in Asia and perhaps Frontier Markets in general can be at extremes. You’ll have people who could be doing so much more if they just got serious and put their minds to it. And then you’ll have absolutely crazy workaholics who really should learn to have some fun. And since moderation is key to all elements of life neither one of these paths is the right way to go. As a leader responsible for managing talent, you’ll have to guide both these extremes appropriately.
3. You’ll Find Talent Where You Least Expect It
I know of someone who went from being a peon, to a driver to eventually becoming an officer for an education department because he learned to use a computer. It started off from simple data entry to running the back office operations for the department at a local but very big non-profit organization. When you have people living in developing nations they’re willing to do almost anything to move up on the lifestyle ladder. The right people are willing to learn and grow phenomenally.
Of course this could be seen as a contradiction to the point above. But it all depends on where your people are coming from and where they want to be. The disposable income and lifestyle gaps are so incredibly large, attitudes and thus people’s talent equally varies. Someone who hasn’t had access to a Western influenced education could have some serious talent hidden up their sleeves. You just have to be open to finding it.
4. People are Willing to Work Long Hours
One of the stark differences of working in Pakistan as compared to other countries is how normal it is for people to be sitting in the office after 7:30. Now keep in mind that I’m not encouraging this at all, but if you’re in a situation where you have a tough deadline to meet or if the office has been difficult to get to because of safety reasons, this can be your fall-back to achieve success.
This trend is definitely more visible in the financial sectors in this country at least. In fact, it’s considered such normalcy that anyone who leaves early is often perceived as not working hard enough. It won’t matter if they’re at their desk all day working – just the fact that they leave the office “early” is enough to make them be seen as lazy. Like I said before, moderation is key – this is not something that should be encouraged but it can be used to an organizations benefit.
Managing talent anywhere in the world is no easy task. You have to understand how people’s minds, emotions and attitudes work. I have in the past talked about Shedding Parent to Child Relationships in Organizations and in reality this is the right way to go about having a mature workforce. That is, when your people are ready for it. Always be in the present with a pulse check of where you want to be in the future and work your way towards your goal. If you like these tips, know the latest of what I’m publishing by subscribing to the blog. Have a great week!