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What is face in China?

When it comes to the use of teams in the workplace,

there is so much more to it than tossing a group together

and telling them to get to work.

Let’s face it. To achieve success in a Chinese work environment, you will need to grasp the importance of face in China. Face is a deeply rooted concept in

Chinese culture and a person’s reputation and prestige with multiple spheres such as family,

workplace, personal friends, and the entire society depends on it.

Hence, contrary to most westerners who tend to be direct when communicatingChinese believe in giving

face, which means showing respect to others while interacting. I’m not implying that westerners lack respect while interacting, but the most important

thing is to understand that face is a vital part of the Chinese Business Environment.

Understanding Face

Understanding the face concept is easy. The

concept can be broken down into several

components which include community view,

individual view, and actions.

The individual view concerns your prestige based on your accomplishments and the respect that you feel is

brought about by your status or position in your workplace or home. For example, In China’s hierarchy-focused community, your respect will be determined by your status in relation to another person’s status.

The community view as part of the face concept refers to the respect that one feels necessary to accord to someone else based on status,

such as business, the family unit, or even friends.

A good example is that in China a family is divided by very distinctive roles, and there are even special terms used to address older and younger aunts, uncles, and cousins. It is a breach of etiquette to

accord the same respect to older and younger uncles. Also, this applies to the workplace and therefore, to save your face at your workplace in China, you must

understand this concept.

Actions as a component of face concept refer to different activities that may make you gain or lose

face – gain respect or lose it.

The face concept and business in China

The face concept plays a significant role in intra and inter-company communication development and in maintaining business relationships, and the business negotiations. A company hierarchy is more important

in China than in the western countries and for westerners, it is important to understand the code of

conduct expected in such a working environment.

You should understand that a clear distinction between various levels of management is very

important because you will be able to accord each leader the respect they deserve. For example, Chinese

business managers expect their subordinates to respect them. In most cases, they expect their juniors

to obey them without questions, regardless of the rationality or fairness of the request. If you don’t obey

the manager’s will, then you will have denied that person the respect they deserve.

Here are tips to help you save face in a Chinese work environment

Avoid crossing your boss

Chinese have the tendency of authority-worshiping and in such cases, showing respect is very important, especially when communicating with your superiors. Avoid disagreements with your managers in front of

others regardless of how true and accurate you are. If you don’t, your boss may lose face (respect and

honor) in public, and this comes with unfavorable consequences.

Avoid being a threat

Recognizing your boss’s prestige and treating your managers with respect goes beyond how you

communicate in every aspect of your job. Demonstrating or implying that you are better than

your manager whether intentionally or otherwise, will bring a loss of face for them. Keeping face in mind

becomes more serious if you become a threat to their position in the workplace.

Always support your superiors

Instead of becoming a threat to your superiors, focus on supporting them and protecting their face. For

example, find more effective ways to implement their instructions and praise them in front of your

colleagues. This makes them earn more respect, and it may help you in the long run by making them your

ally.

This aids them in retention and recall. During this age, it is also an advantage to let them learn the language

and practice it since they are not afraid to commit mistakes. They can explore using new words without

the fear of being corrected.

If you are a manager, think before you criticize

If you are the manager at your workplace, it is important to be equally aware of your juniors’ faces.

While it is difficult to avoid criticism, if done in the wrong way, it risks humiliation and loss of face. Think

before you criticize and emphasize their positive contributions. This will increase the chance of your

subordinates listening to you.

Saving face can sound complicated to foreigners who are contemplating working or investing China, but

there is no need to despair. First, it is worth noting that foreigners are not expected always to adhere to the

exact standards of respect and prestige as the locals in China do. However, this does not mean that you can

yell and show disrespect to your superiors at the workplace. Therefore, it is important for the foreigners

who wish to work in China to invest time in learning the concept of face, how it will affect their businesses

or job positions, and how they can save face.

BonusClick on the link below to read the full blog post!

https://blog.laowaicareer.com/saving-face-chinese-workplace

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