Can how we
speak effect how we work? Some recent
research suggests that how we talk can affect our behavior and decision
making. Yale Professor Keith Chen has
been studying how language affects behavior in different cultures. Take the word – rain. In English rain is time dependent, for
example: it rained yesterday, it is raining today, and it may rain
tomorrow. But in Chinese one word, rain,
can fill each time phase, such as, past: it rain yesterday, present: it rain today,
future: it rain tomorrow, and that apparently is grammatically correct. Sound familiar to you? If you are an American who has worked with a
Chinese company, it is very familiar. Yet I never understood that my Chinese
partners were fundamentally viewing the world different from me. I just thought it was a result of learning a
second language. But, think of it . . . because
of my American English language I could not think or speak without putting my thoughts
within a time framework. My Chinese
partners apparently could. Looking back, I believe
that gave them a distinct advantage in negotiations. Why?
My language leads me to always consider short term needs, to make things
happen “today”. Come on, admit it . . . if
you are in management you know when any group of American construction people
meet, what we call the American “Can Do” attitude begins to show. But another way to look at this wonderful
American “Can Do” attitude is as a time prison, making short term needs drive
our vision, and pushing us to miss long term wins.
A story:
“As the
third meeting for the joint venture between American ABC Steel Company and
Chinese XYZ Company came to an end, Andy American motioned for a vote, a
decision on the new manufacturing plant.
Andy said, “Look, we haven’t made a decision over the last two
meetings, we are coming to a close today without making a decision, and
the way things are going I don’t think we will make a decision next time
. . . so I’ve had enough. No action, no
deal.” Several years ago I had a meeting
on a big project that ended just that way.
Professor Chen's research has helped me understand why our bewildered
Chinese counterparts that day looked so baffled, as we Americans got up and
left. They were thinking, “How strange
are these Americans, make decision yesterday, make decision today, make
decision tomorrow, we still make decision so calm done you westerners. And they were correct. Because we could not get out of our time
prison, we make a short term decision based on present needs and missed a
fabulous long term win.
But here is
the real win. The best perspective is
found in integrating both views into how we manage our daily decisions, where
my American impulses can be freed from the time prison of short term decision
making tactics just a bit, so my strategies can reap more long term goals.
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