TimeZone Journal

You have been discussing a project with a South Korean customer for several weeks. Progress has seemed steady, perhaps even a little slow. Questions have gone backwards and forwards. You are waiting for decisions or confirmation on a few important points. Then suddenly everything changes. Can you revise the quotation today? Can you confirm delivery by tomorrow? Can you provide the additional technical information immediately? Something that appeared to have no particular urge

If you've worked with Chinese colleagues or clients for any length of time, you've almost certainly heard the expression, "It's about face." It is one of the first concepts introduced in almost every cross-cultural training programme and one of the most frequently cited explanations for behaviour that Western managers find difficult to understand. The problem is that it is often explained far too simply. Face is commonly described as avoiding embarrassment or preventing someo

If you've worked with South Korean companies, the situation may sound familiar. The meeting goes well. Questions are answered, ideas are discussed openly, and there is every indication that the proposal has been received positively. Nobody raises any major objections, everyone thanks each other for their time, and you leave believing a decision is only days away. Then... nothing. A follow-up email receives a polite acknowledgement but no commitment. Another week passes before

The first few months after a Chinese acquisition often feel positive. There is investment, energy, and talk of new opportunities. Then, gradually, something shifts. Western managers begin to notice that decisions are becoming more top-down, that questioning feels less welcome, and that their local expertise carries less weight than it did. At the same time, Chinese leadership teams grow frustrated that their Western counterparts openly challenge decisions, ask too many questi