characteristics of Thailand

characteristics of Siameseland last has long been a topic of interest in the academic orb and has been written extensively on by many sociologists and ethnographers. As individuals from diametrical countries occupy their have ethnic norms and apprises, on that point argon bound to be any(prenominal) heathenish conflicts that occur when mountain with unlike pagan emphasize interact with unmatched anformer(a). siamese connectionland has long been regarded as star of the nigh enchanting markets in Asia for unlike direct investments (FDI) due to its many advantages such(prenominal) as its infra building, strategic location, FDI policies, government support, etc. (siamese connectionland BOI, 2009). Although there atomic number 18 literatures on to a capitaler extent or less the Tai flori market-gardening and suggestions, particularly to Westerners, or so how to adapt to this unique soil, bittie remains said about how exotic benders as a exclusively send a mo de adapt to the Tai working milieu. In guarantee to cast away some light on the matter, the author sh any combine data from byg wholeness researches about how Westerners should react to the Thai finale, along with to a greater extent literature that apologize the Thai society in more specific details. Lastly, the author shall dissertate and analyze his inter keep an eye on data hardened taken from distant workers in Company X and present a conclusion.As this papers cerebrate revolves around the field of grow, a common cause about what the word actually entails should first gear be established. Some examples of definitions have been pay off by a number of anthropologists. However, selecting from the most popular definitions, the succeeding(a) vanquish describes the meaning of this of import sen beatnt Triandis (1994) views culture as interplay of equivalentness and differences whereby all cultures argon simultaneously very(prenominal) similar and very distingui shable. Furthermore, he covers that as human beings, throng sh be many commonalties and universals, that as groups of large number or societies, we exhibit many differences Triandis (1994). However, the author feels that Ogbu (1988) lift out defines the concept of culture, as he explains,It is a way of life shared by members of a population, and that it is the societal, technoeconomic, and psychological interpretation worked out in the course of a sights history. Culture includes customs or institutionalized public behaviors, as well as thoughts and emotions that accompany and support those public behaviors. It includes artifacts-things concourse make or have make that have symbolic meaning. Particularly main(prenominal) is that the definition of culture includes peoples economic, political, religious, and social institutions the imperatives of culture. These imperatives form a recognizable pattern requiring competencies that carry on the behaviors of members of the cultu re fairly predictably. (p.11).For foreign workers to go far into Thailand, it would be inevitable that they volition grapple across cross cultural challenges and some culture shock. Culture contribute have effect on what whitethorn see to be the simplest things in life, such as meetings, greeting, sensing of time but what whitethorn seem to be normal to Thais whitethorn not be as familiar to foreign workers. This subject is indeed, and has been for a long time, hard-fought to identify and analyze effectively, as one green goddess dig deeper and deeper into the academic findings and come up with such a pastiche of opinions and summary that has to do with culture and its effect in the subscriber line world. In this case the author shall choose to focus on the Thai culture, and attempt to aid and produce further explanation to foreign workers wishing to come to Thailand in outrank for them to be able to better adapt to the Thai working environment.The term culture shock, wh ich was first popularized by Kalvero Oberg (1960), portrays to the imprint of disquiet and disorientation that people experience when sprightliness in an opposite country and culture. In explaining this phenomenon, Jandt (1998) come outs 4 make ups of culture shockInitial Euphoria Everything presumable new and exciting.Irritation and hostility All the focus at this stage is on the differences amongst ones own home culture and the new culture that they are experiencing.Gradual adjustment When one becomes more accustomed and more comfortable in the new culture. In other actors line, things become more predictable and there are less dour surprises.Adaptation The person has fully adjusted and place function in both their own culture and the culture they are currently living in.The first and second stages of culture shock have some correlations with companies that steady down to expand their operations abroad, as each company must digest over cross-cultural boundaries nam ed psychic distance according to Johanson and Vahlne (1977). However, instead of companies, this paper wishes to assure at human individuals who wish to work abroad in Thailand.psychical distance has been defined as factors preventing or disturbing the flow of discipline amidst potential and actual suppliers and customers, in which examples are differences in row, education, business practices, culture, and industrial development Johanson and Vahlne (1977) (p.24). The connection between psychic distance and experience within a firm is that a firms mangers go away scat to be more comfortable towards country markets that they can get to know most easily. Thus, they will invalidate countries that are more exhausting to get to know the bigger the perceived psychic distance, the less probably a company will expand into that territory (Brewer 2007).Johanson and Vahlne (1977) and Brewers (2007) are analysis about companies entering new markets, but their notions are still applic able in the comprehend of foreign workers living and working in Thailand. Much of the problem of culture shock stems from the lack of appreciation within a particular country. The more difference that is perceived between the Thai culture and the foreign worker, the more psychic distance he or she would tend to feel a progressst the Thai people. This would inevitably lead to the feeling of isolation, loneliness, or even hostility perceived in stage devil of Jandts (1998) culture shock phases. If the foreign worker is not coordinated into the Thai organizational community, then any work that must be through with(p) together with Thai workers and foreign workers will not be at its most productive stage, as the best output comes when there is group cohesion and good synergy.The aim of the research is to help foreign workers in Thailand better learn Thai culture and lessen the leash stage of culture shock, along with promoting a smoother transition and adaptation to the Thai wor king environment and working better with Thais. By arrest more about the Thai working environment, along with the norms and unique culture, foreign workers can be better suited and prepared to adjust themselves to a new working environment, and lessen the chances of any conflicts occurring in the Thai work place.2. Literature Review2.1 Barriers to effectively adjust to a national cultureOne main problem that prohibits understanding of another culture is an ethnocentric orientation, which is using ones culture as the standard for adjudicate other cultures (Cavusgil et al, 2008, p.128). As most people have been brought up in a single-world culture, they cannot help but have a one-sided view of the world which is a result of an ethnocentric view that believes that ones own race, religion, or ethic group is somehow better or superior than other cultures (Cavusgil et al, 2008). Therefore, in order to overcome this cross cultural barrier, foreign workers are suggested to have a Polycen tric orientation, which is a host-countrys intellectset where one has developed a great affinity with the country in which one is in or the best option having a Ptolemaic orientation, which a global oral sexset where a person is able to understand any culture in the world and combines an openness and assuredness to other cultures (Cavusgil et al, 2008).Understanding a new culture in this case Thailand fundamentally requires effort from the foreign workers if they wish to get a better compass and understanding of the Thai culture. However, doing so whitethorn be easier said than done. Although in this paper we shall be focusing on foreign workers, some aspects that may help expatriates adjusting to Thailand may have some relations to what other foreign workers may have to deal with. Barsoux et al. (2002) states that the interaction adjustment is the most difficult for expatriates because it requires them to learn the host countrys behavior patterns and their ways of communica tion, along with how varieties of relationships are handled which differs depending on the country, but, nonetheless, also applies to the situation of foreign workers coming to Thailand. This tax would be particularly hard to achieve if the expatriate does not converse the local quarrel, as the only way to fully understand a particular culture is through its oral communication (Valdes, 1987).2.2 Hofstedes Dimensions of CultureGeert Hofstede, a Dutch cultural anthropologist, has been considered to be one of the most acclaimed academic writers who throughout the historic period has been cited numerously in the field of cultural studies. Through a statistical analysis of questionnaire data sets conducted with several hundred IBM employees from 53 countries, he was able to happen a pattern that indicated national cultural differences and similarities among his subjects and how such characteristics can be generalized and grouped together to graph different human behaviors and moti ves best known as Hofstedes surmise of cultural dimensions.In a preliminary attempt to conceptualize the Thai culture and put it in writing, the author shall initially start with the findings of Hofstede and how he has identified his initial quadruplet cultural dimensions that explain each countrys national culture in this case, Thailand. In doing so, it should help the reader slowly build up an understanding of the overall picture of different aspects of the Thai culture, which would later be complimented with more detailed explanations. Check again if the ranking of the data is from Hofstede 2005 or earlier Although still important, it should be noted that Hofstedes research can only be used as a general guide to the understanding of the Thai culture. His research does not provide sufficient understanding on how to manage a multicultural organization or gain a deeper comprehension of any particular culture. Therefore, extra literature relating to Thailand and its people shall be integrated into the review of Hofstedes theory in order to fill in more gaps and further explain some of the more specific characteristics of the Thai society. In his most recent book, co-authored with his son, Hofstede and Hofstede (2005) explain the cultural dimensions (see appendix for Thailands cultural rankings) as follows2.2.1. Power Distance (PD) amply PD countries tend to exhibit a tall power structure in their organizations with large differences in salary and view. Subordinates highly applaud their bosses and do what they are told. Inequality is expected, and may even be desired in some cases. An example given by McCann and Giles (2007) shows that young workers in an organization perceive their interactions with senior workers to be more problematic compared to their interaction with their peers, as the older workers were seen as more non-accommodative and superior making them feel obligated to be more polite and respectfully avoidant in their communication tactics (e.g. attribute back their opinions). Moreover, in such scenarios communication is almost ever one way (top to bottom), and the manager is always expected to know more than his subordinates stimulant or feedback from subordinates is seldom practiced and may in fact be seen as somewhat impolite or disloyal (Javidan House, 2001). As Thailand is ranked as a High PD country, the status differences are a good deal large (Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999) compared to Low PD countries that have a flatter hierarchy system, in which subordinates and supervisors are viewed as closer together and more interchangeable, but not identical (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005).2.2.2. Individualism vs. CollectivismThailand is characterized as a state-controlled country in which people belong to a strong glutinous group that they believe will protect them in return for their commitment to the group (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). This type of patronage, or kinship, system is based on relationships betw een people that revolve around favors and reciprocity that give great brilliance to kindness and sincerity, in which ain links and family connections are valued to be of extreme importance (Holmes and Tangtongtavy, 1995). Collectivism can also be seen in the Thai peoples belief of social unanimity where everyone is always wittingly, or even unconsciously, making the effort to avoid any personal conflict with others (Nakata and Dhiravgin 1989 Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999 Knutson et al., 2003), which also fosters and supports the concept of kreng jai later explained.In his research, Hall (1976) made a distinction that characterized cultures to be either low context or high context. Low-context cultures rely heavily on verbalization and idiom on the delivery of verbal messages pull uping ones self clearly, logically, and as convincingly as possible (Hall, 1976). In other words, Low-context cultures tend to value expertise and performance, and tend not to beat around the bush ( Cavusgil et. al, 2008).High-context cultures, such as Thailand, are the opposite. They tend to focus on non-verbal messages and prefer validating and polite face-saving style that emphasizes a mutual sense of portion out and respect for others (Cavusgil et. al, 2008, p.136). Interestingly Halls approach is very most related to Hofstedes individualism and communism cultural dimension, which has been further explained by Gudykunst and Ting-Toomey (1988) that cultures that have been labeled by Hall as High-context are considered to be left-wingers in Hofstedes theory, and vice versa. Hence, Thailand is considered to be a High-context and a Collectivist culture. This may also help explain why it is difficult for Thai people to say no when one may feels disagreement or is unable to carry out an order. Moreover, as maintaining harmony is the center focus of a Collectivist culture (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005), showing bad emotions such as frustration, impatience, frustration, anger, or irritation is seen as disrupting the social harmony and is considered relatively natural and offensive (Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999 Knutson et al., 2003).Also part of the characteristics of Thailands high-context (Hall 1976) and collective culture (Hofstede and Hofstede 2005), it was erect that young people seldom speak up which may have stemmed from childhood as students do not express their opinions in strain as ofttimes because quietness is also considered a moral excellence in the Thai culture (Knutson et al., 2003), which is also the case with younger people not disagreeing with older people in organizations (Boode, 2005 McCann and Giles, 2007 Javidan and Dastmalchian, 2009) further supporting Smutkupt and Barnas (1976) findings that any doubts or contradictive thinking in ones mind are very rarely communicated openly in the Thai culture.2.2.3. question Avoidance (UA)Broadly defined, people in High UA countries tend to be more emotional than other countries, and a re more motivated by their inner nervous energy (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). As Thais are ranked as having high UA, one of the ways they reduce their uncertainty in customary life communication is through their proper use of pronouns and postures to show respect, deference, politeness, and silence towards others (Sriussadaporn and Jablin, 1999). This can also be seen through their use of silence to avoid uncertain confrontations with other people especially with the more senior people (McCann and Giles, 2007). Moreover, as a result of this high UA ranking characteristic, Thais generally tend not to readily accept change and are relatively against winning risks (Swierczek and Ha, 2003).2.2.4. Masculinity vs. FemininityThailand has the lowest Masculinity ranking among the Asian countries, which indicates that they show a low level of assertiveness and competiveness compared to other countries in the arena (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005). Sriussadaporn and Jablins (1999) research shows this with their observation that Thais do not truly express their own opinions as much as they deserve to due to their non-dominant and non-assertive characteristics. This may have derived from or have some indications to their Collectivist and confrontation evasion nature in the findings of McCann and Giles (2007) attributed to the complex Thai hierchical system and their expected respect for the older generation.2.3 The Thai workplace environmentWords that could describe the Thai management style and its working environment, or business culture, are the following compromise, slow, centralized, seniority-based, relationship-based, conservative, and family-based (Adams and Vernon, 2004). These terms seem very much to stress the maintenance of harmony in the company being non confrontational and accepting the differences of inequality.As verbalise earlier, Thailand is traditionally a high power distance country (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005), which makes Thai society a segreg ated one with distinct unofficial class groupings and little chance for mobility across the class lines also applying to the workplace environment (Komin, 1995 Lawler et al., 1995). Interestingly this type of class system in Thailand, is very much reflected in the organization and management of family-owned companies and enterprises according to Lawler et al. (1995). In other words, the get for a formal or set of rules in management may not be as high of a priority as the environment produced by the Thai social system has a great influence in defining the interaction between peer-to-peer and worker-to-worker in a company setting YES ACCORDING TO THE INTERVIEWS.In the largest firms in Thailand, family connections has served as a foundation for building international trading companies and has been a very important aspect of understanding the Thai working environment, which has been characterized by Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya and taira (1977) as management by entourage. In other words, i t conveys the concept of the importance of knowing the right people to get the job done and having connections in the right places. However, this concept becomes less manageable as a company grows and requires being more responsible for its accountabilities, more professional managers are needed creating a hybrid of Westernized practices in a traditional Thai family enterprise (Lawler and Atmiyanandana, 2003).In the aspects of companies that are family enterprises, HRM practices are very much influenced by traditional Thai values and their social practices compared to the everyday management theory (Bertrand et. al., 2008). In other words, professional managers in the HRM filed are found to be very rare in family enterprises, even ad hoc, along with HR planning and the systematic analysis of employment issues are found to be virtually absent in such organizations (Lawler et al.,1989). So how are the employees controlled? The break up is through a complex hierarchical class system that has been deeply rooted within the Thai culture (Adams and Vernon, 2004). also conveying that employees with cut positions react to people with higher managerial levels out of a sense of duty rather than according to the rules and regulations set by the company (Knutson et al., 2003). Moreover, this can be seen through the use of the complex Thai language between superiors and subordinates.EXPLAIN SOME OF THE IMPORTANT JAI WORDS KRENG JAI, NAM JAI, SBAI JAI.This emphasizes on the importance of social harmony can be seen with the proper linguistic uses that must be used in everyday life when addressing people of different status (Knutson et. al., 2003). Where English has one word, I, as the first person pronoun, and one other, you, for the second person pronoun, Thai speakers must choose from up to 9 commonly used forms for the first person pronouns, 8 second person pronouns, and 5 trinity person pronouns (Iwasaki and Preeya, 2005). In addition to these variety of words, Cooke (1968) has listed up to 27 first-person pronouns, 22 second-person pronouns, and 8 third person pronouns, which include language used with royalties and specialized tems used by specific people (i.g. Buddhist monks have specific terms to address themselves and others). This would all depend on the politeness or closeness the speaker wishes to convey, and depending on the status of the other person who is involved in the conversation.Specific uses of language and conflict shunning are some very specific characteristics of the Thai culture that conveys to the collectivism and high context society explained thus far. If, however, a disagreement should arise, Thais will look for indirect means for their resolution usually through third parties or by intense private talks (Lasserre and Probert 1996 Lawler and Atmiyanandana, 2003).Kreng jai, is one of the most difficult concepts of the Thai cultures for foreigners to understand (especially for Westerners), which has been defined by Kom in (1991) as,The concept of time in Thailand is somewhat more lenient than in other countries. remote workers have sometimes found this aspect of the Thai culture to be the hardest to adjust to unless the foreign worker himself has the same attitude towards time. Mainly speaking, promptness can at times be seen as unimportant when loss out or having socials with friends. However, foreign workers have found that Thai are very punctual when it comes to meetings and appointments with their superior.2.4 The Sapir-Whorf HypothesisThe notion that language and culture can be interlinked may not be obvious to us at first, as we, being native speakers, may not be conscious how we say things, and why we say it the way we do in our own languages. However, Jandt (2001) suggests that a person who has learned a second language, or has braggy up speaking more than one language, may become aware of the different ways each language allows the speaker to describe and cover the reality we live i n. It is these different perceptions one has of reality that Jandt (2001) believes to be the same differences in culture making the relationship between language and culture resembling mirrors to each other.This relates back to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that says cultural elements can be seen in a languages vocabulary and grammar (Whorf, 1956). Harley (2001) supports the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in that it shows how a cultures or countrys language determines the structure of the speakers thought process. That is to say, language affects the way humans phone and the way people perceive the world. If a language has a bountiful vocabulary for certain notions and concepts, then it makes it easier to describe those ideas in that particular language (Whorf, 1956). Thus, ideas, notions, or things that are easily described in a language must be important to the culture (Jandt, 2001). The two main ideas comprising the Sapire-Whorf hypotheses starts with the first being linguistic determini sm, which is the idea that the form and characteristics of our language determine the way in which we think, remember and perceive and the second, linguistic relativism, which is the idea that as different languages map onto the world in different ways, different languages will supply different cognitive structures (Harley, 2001, p.81).Although there are studies relating to the intricate nature of the Thai language (Komin 1991 Chantornvong, 1992 Komin, 1995 Knutson, 1994 Knutson et al., 2003), there has yet to be an establishment between the numerous words that contain jai (heart) and the way Thais think and perceive others.It can seem a bit daunting or even a deadening endeavor for a foreign worker to deal with such vicissitudes of the different nuances of the Thai culture. However, the most important aspect to bear in mind is the relationships that Thais hold so dear towards one another, and the mutual understanding one has towards the other person (Komin, 1995 Knutson et al., 2 003). For Thais, the heart shows sincerity, and thus so many words are derived from it to express the different feelings one has. In order to prove whether or not this may be true, the author has conducted and compiled data set from his interviewees.Moreover, having to express oneself in another language means learning to hold someone elses reference frame (Hofestede and Hofstede, 2005, p.328). In other words, by understanding and speaking the local language, one is better able to understand the national culture. With no knowledge of Thai, a foreign worker is probably to miss out on a lot of hidden nuances and subtleties of the Thai culture, and may result in being left as a relative outsider. One of the examples given by Hofestede and Hofstede (2005) is the subtleties of humor, which varies amongst different culture and is very specific sometimes to one culture.