Working in an environment with people from different cultural backgrounds is exiting and stimulating, but it is not always easy. It requires an open attitude in which all members are motivated to learn from each other. A Westerner working in China will be confronted with a reality that might at first sight look ‘Western’. Modern architecture and a brand new infrastructure give China a new, international, global face.

However, the so-called Westernization of China is no more than a superficial layer. Age-old Chinese thinking has not changed at the same speed as the outward image of China. Under the new surface, China remains China. Westerners like to think they are in control; they wish each other success. The Chinese tend to believe that fate decides; they wish each other good luck.

Western societies are built on a Greco-Roman and Christian cultural tradition. Western dualist thinking inspired by Plato and Descartes is confronted with China’s monist thinking where all things are interrelated. Debate culture and democracy are based on Western cultural tradition. For the Chinese (and many other Asians) the never-ending discussions of Westerners and the democratic involvement of all layers in society are often perceived as chaotic and inefficient. This leads to fundamentally different approaches to many aspects of daily and corporate life. China uses centralist hierarchy in organizational structures as well as in the way people interact with each other. Confucian values inspire education and work ethics.

A complicating factor for Westerners in China is the involvement of the Chinese government in daily life and in corporate culture. What China calls the ‘Market economy with Chinese characteristics’ refers to political involvement in economy. The Chinese government keeps control over strategic areas like telecommunications and energy supply. Western companies are often not used to this. Working in China requires insight into organizational issues and power relations.

To be able to work efficiently in China one needs to understand Confucian and Taoist backgrounds, as well as the Communist structure of China.

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