Although many of us don’t like to do it, we know that critiquing others’ work—ideally in a constructive, polite, empowering manner—is an essential part of our jobs. But does critical feedback work similarly across cultures? Do people in Shanghai provide critical feedback in the same way as people in Stuttgart, Strasbourg, and Stockholm?
Nein, non, and nej.
Instead, they confront situations where they do have to adjust their feedback style, and sometimes that’s easier said than done. Take the case of Jens, a German executive who was sent by the German corporate headquarters of his company to improve efficiency at the company’s manufacturing plant in Shanghai. All his efforts, however, seemed to be producing the exact opposite result. Employee productivity and effectiveness were both going down, and Jens could not figure out what was going wrong. He was using everything he knew that worked in Germany—especially in terms of performance feedback. In fact, he made doubly sure to be just as demanding and exacting with his Chinese employees as he would have been with German staff. If his Chinese employees failed to produce what he was looking for, Jens would be “on it,” providing immediate critique to get the process moving back in the right direction. But this approach failed miserably. Rather than improving efficiency, Jens seemed to be reducing it, and his own bosses from corporate started to make calls. The entire situation was becoming a disaster.
It turns out that what worked in Germany in terms of tough, critical, to-the-point negative feedback was actually demotivating to Jens’s new Chinese employees, who were used to a far gentler feedback style. In Germany, you typically don’t single out specific accomplishments or offer praise unless the accomplishment is truly extraordinary. Employees are expected to do a particular job, and when they do that job, they do not need to be recognized. In China—at least at this particular plant—the culture was quite different. Employees expected more positive reinforcement rather than pure critique. Positive comments were what motivated them to increase productivity and put forth that extra, discretionary effort.
It took quite some time and effort on Jens’s part to recognize this difference and to be willing to adapt his behavior to accommodate the Chinese approach because to him, this motivational style felt awkward and unnatural. He didn’t feel like himself when he was “soft” with his employees, and he had serious doubts about the effectiveness of doing so. However, over time and through quite a bit of trial and error, Jens was able to develop a new feedback style that worked in the Chinese setting and also felt acceptable (or acceptable enough) to his German mind-set. It took time and effort, but in the end was quite effective.
Clearly, performance feedback can be very different across cultures, whether you’re in Germany, China, the UK, or the US. Given that fact and our interest in becoming effective global managers, what can you do to ensure your style fits the new setting?
As organizations become more global, most of us will be face to face with colleagues of different cultural backgrounds, whether it’s abroad or in our own offices. Learning how to navigate difficult conversations and to provide critique across cultures is certainly a challenge. But with these tips in mind, you can face this challenge head-on, no matter what part of the world you’re in.
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Andy Molinsky is a professor of International Management and Organizational Behavior at the Brandeis International Business School. He is the author of the book Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013).
Adapted from content posted on hbr.org on February 15, 2013