Coaching Chinese Expats in Paris by trainer and coach Denis Niedringhaus

“How well do the French speak English?”

I recently heard an intercultural trainer complain that Chinese business people often decline repatriation training because they just don’t see the need for it. I wonder if these expats abroad feel sufficiently disconnected from their extended communities in the first place to actually experience what Westerners used to call “culture shock”. In fact, this term does not even translate correctly or effectively into Chinese.

As enamoured as most Chinese people are with French culture, few actually bother to try and learn about it, even if they know they will be sent to France for a couple of years.

One of the first questions, a new client Mike Zhang asked me over the phone was “How well do the French speak English?”   A difficult question because there are so many variables.

Parisians obviously do better than most French people, but then the liklihood of finding an English-speaking shopkeeper depends on how many tourists or expats live or work nearby.   Mike Zhang’s second question also had no easy answer: “So what’s the Chinese community like over there?” The short answer? Diverse. In fact, Paris has 3 Chinatown’s with very distinct communities.   I would never recommend, for example, that a Chinese expat try to find a flat near Belleville (in the 20th district) because the majority of Chinese people living there come from Wenzhou province and speak in a dialect incomprehensible to a businesswoman from Beijing.

Additionally, the terrorist attacks of November 13th have made all expats give more thought to their personal safety (always a major priority with the Chinese). Just how long the city will suffer from the shockwaves of that dreadful day remains to be seen.

To finish, as a coach I have the pleasure of dealing with more and more Chinese people who are increasingly autonomous, bilingual and sincere in their efforts to adapt to both the Parisian work environment and the unique local lifestyle.

   Author profile Denis Niedringhaus is a trilingual (English/French/Mandarin Chinese) intercultural trainer and expatriation coach based in Paris. With over 4 years experience in the Far East, he takes a special interest in Chinese culture and its continuing influence in the corporate world.

Non-Violent Communication: How to manage and avoid cultural miscommunication Webinar with Jackie Van der Kroft

Monday, 4th April at 12 noon, UK, 1PM, Amsterdam / Paris Time  Introducing the Non Violent Communication NVC model, sharing examples and expanding on why and when this model can be useful when working interculturally . Register; https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2843693684455882243 Marshall Rosenberg created …

Interviewing and evaluating candidates across cultures – by Consumer Insights expert and interculturalist, Felicia Schwartz.

I was recently asked to conduct a workshop for the HR members of an Energy company departing to China to hire new staff. The Chinese expats were to be integrated into teams in the UK, some as managers overseeing British team members. The training brought to light some of the major challenges when interviewing across cultures.

Shanghai skyline, China

Difficulties in interviewing across cultures

Cross-cultural interviews can be quite stressful situations. The interviewer must assess a candidate that falls outside the norms they are used to. Looking at their C.V., no familiar benchmarks come up; schools, maybe even former companies might draw a blank. The person in front of them does not sound, act or react the way candidates do in their local remit.

From the candidate’s point of view, they are often struggling in a non-native language and have their own cultural assumptions as to what the interviewer wants to hear and how the interview will unfold. These assumptions are of course mostly wrong! Thus we have a ripe terrain for misunderstanding and miscommunication …

 Felicia Schwartz – Consumer Insights Expert

What is the place of cross-cultural intelligence in the interview and assessment process? Why do assessors even need cultural intelligence? Surely the interviewee is the one that should demonstrate their “fit” with the culture they are applying to work in?

In reality, while the candidate will certainly benefit from going into the interview culturally prepared to face their interviewers, the latter also have a responsibility to prepare culturally if they want to have a good chance at “reading“ the candidate correctly. Even if they do not have the time for a lengthy specific cultural training, a first, useful step is simply gaining self-awareness and moving onto a more neutral terrain. That means maintaining an open attitude, and proactively looking for solutions when the conversation gets “stuck”.

The “how-to’s” of the cross- cultural interview

There are several levels to communication, and each of them needs to be considered through a cross-cultural lens. For example body language, and how it differs across cultures; what does it mean when a Chinese candidate keeps averting her gaze? (answer – in Asia, it is impolite to fix someone’s gaze for a length of time.)

Or language; how does one render one’s English more comprehensible to a non-native speaker? (a clue; observing English natives who have spent a long time overseas; their English tends to be neutral, devoid of colloquialisms, their pace measured, and elocution clear.)

Beyond gestures and words, meaning is conveyed and received through cultural prisms; interviewers will have to adapt if, for example, they are low context communicators operating in a high context culture like China.

What does “fit” mean in a cross-cultural context ?

International candidates will often have a different professional trajectory vs. English counterparts, and we can assume, even without deep country expertise, that management practices in China will be different to those in the U.K. How does one assess for compatibility then?

Assessing cross-culturally will dictate a focus on adaptability and transferable skills rather than a like for like fit. Emotional intelligence will be key as well in fitting in with culturally different teams.

Also, the motivation and readiness for an expatriate assignment are key. Why has the candidate chosen the country of destination? What do they know about it? How will their family fit in?

Interview techniques; while interview formats vary across sectors, some pointers will specifically help in the context of cross-cultural interviews:

As intimated above, the interview structure should be culturally adapted to produce results. For Chinese candidates, given their relationship-based culture, it is beneficial to ease in candidates by starting out with introductions and personal questions, before delving into specifics and a competency based evaluation.

We have also recommended introducing case scenarios that would permit observing candidates trouble-shooting in real time, going beyond language and its potential pitfalls. Finally, we have looked at the interview panel set-up and a pre-agreed evaluation grid which would help rate candidates on multiple criteria such as rapport/ communication, language, motivation, adaptation capacity and technical skills.

Author – Felicia Schwartz has spent 13 years in China and is the founder of China Insight www.hitangandccc.com/china-insight a consultancy that connects business to Consumer Insight and culture across China and Europe.