Saving Face

The people of Singapore, at the conference, are soft-spoken and friendly. Part culture, part service orientation. As we checked into our hotel, I realized we had overpaid for a night. “Would it be possible to get a refund,” I asked politely. The young lady spoke in a soft tone indicating that it would be possible. She shuffled papers and clicked away at her keyboard with little results. After what seemed like an eternity to check us in, she informed me that a refund was not possible. No time for games at 3 in the morning!!

The issue was ultimately resolved by the manager — avoiding an argument.

The concept of saving face is central to most south Asian cultures. They avoid confrontation, don’t say NO — even when the problem is outside their domain — and handle their tasks with a quiet, soft disposition. Our job? Patience, asking rhetorical questions and asking the right questions of the right people.

In a business setting it creates an efficiency and effectiveness problem. I have had similar experiences growing up in India. “Just FIVE minutes, Sir,” means it will take forever to resolve the issue, and “No Problem at all Sir,” means you are in a lot of trouble.

High context cultural communications focus on non verbal cues and hidden meanings. The American way is more direct. Not necessarily better, but it is ‘our’ way of doing business. Maybe there is a middle ground between these two approaches. A little less effective, a little more human.