questions:

1. Given his problems, what advice would you give to Craig? Should he end his international assignment and return to Australia with his family? Should he try to mend matters at work and home, and stay in Singapore and complete his assignment? Should he seek an assignment in another country that may be easier to settle into? Are there other options to be canvassed? Discuss the pros and cons of each option, and, as a group, provide what you consider to be the best advice for Craig.

2. What advice would you give Margaret and why? Could she have managed things differently and, if so, how could she have done this? Once again consider your options as a group and provide the best possible solution for Margarets situation.

3. Given Kelvin's experience of both Western and Asian cultures, do you think that he should come forward with advice? If yes, what advice could he give? If no, why not?

4. To what extent was the company responsible for the problems facing both Craig and Margaret Watson? What can Texcon Petroleum do to help? What advice do you have for John Miles for managing the process of expatriate selection and training, and for preparing international managers and their families for living in cross-cultural environments?

5. Compare and contrast the national cultures of Australia and Singapore (you could use Hofstedes dimensions or any other culture dimensions you have studied). Use the dimensions to analyse some of the issues raised in this case.

Managing and Communicating in Asia: The Case of Craig Watson Prem Ramburuth PERSON A: CRAIG WATSON Craig Watson sat in his office in Singapore and wondered where things had gone wrong. He had been a successful manager in Texcon Petroleum, a US-owned company based in Australia. His knowledge of petroleum sales, his training as an economist, and his 10 years of experience as a manager in the company in Australia earned him a position as a global manager located in Singapore. He reflected on his first, week-long introductory visit to Singapore (his first visit to an overseas country), and how much he had enjoyed the brief stay and work surroundings. The people were friendly and mostly spoke English, and he thought that the place would suit his spouse and three young children. He had felt a sense of 'difference' between Singapore and his home country, Australia, but was not concerned. He assumed that, once they settled in Singapore, things would be fine for him and his family. But now he wondered about those assumptions, and why things had turned out so differently. He pondered on how to manage the problems that had arisen, and how to avoid returning to Australia before completing his three-year assignment. Living in Singapore Craig thought he would be able to manage the change of country and culture. After all, John Miles, the HR manager who facilitated his appointment, had advised that training and preparation was not necessary for a country like Singapore where almost everyone spoke English, and, after all, 'English is the language of business'! But there were language and communication problems from the beginning. He remembered writing to his colleagues back home in Australia: This is all a great shock to the system, especially when we arrived and suddenly the local people were talking to us in a very different language ... I mean it's just so difficult to understand ... Most of them don't speak English very well at all, it's Singaporean English or Singlish. You've got to keep asking people to repeat themselves so that you can understand what they're saying ... it all becomes very frustrating. But it gets even more frustrating when they can't understand me ... I mean everyone understood me in Australia, didn't they? Something to do with my broad Australian accent, so I have to keep on repeating myself. The children seem okay, in fact they enjoy experimenting with the different accent and expressions that they learn at school and from the maid. But they're developing this dreadful lilt when they talk, and I'm worried about what happens when they return to Australia! Craig thought about the efforts he made to bridge the communication differences, and his attempts at cultivating friendships with local Singaporeans. But even this was difficult and he had written to his colleagues back in Australia: You can't make friends with the locals, they prefer being with their own people, and they keep to their cliques. It's not easy to make friends and the attitudes are so different too. So we just did what many expatriates do and joined the expatriate community here. It's not the ideal solution because we don't get to know many locals, but it seems the only solution for us because the other expatriates provide support to my family, helped us with finding good schools for the children, suitable doctors and shops and food places. John Miles had suggested that we contact the expatriate community, as the company did not provide any formal support for expatriates and their families - survival was dependent on the individuals, I was told! Now he wondered, just how well was he and his family surviving? PERSON B: MARGARET WATSON Margaret Watson, like Craig, was born in Australia and, together, they had three children, aged 5, 7, and 12. She was a financial adviser by profession and loved both her social and professional life in her home country. She was excited when Craig got his appointment in Singapore and saw this as a good opportunity to travel abroad, something she had not done before. Like Craig, she hadn't thought of potential cultural or communication differences and saw no need for preparation for living abroad, except for buying suitable clothes and necessary items for the children. After a year and a half in Singapore, she saw things very differently. She had found it really difficult to make friends, to understand the locally spoken English, especially when she went shopping and tried to find out day-to-day things. She missed her family and friends, her job as a respected financial adviser, and having Craig at home to assist with the children. Having a maid was just not the same. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with being regarded as 'the wife' and having to play a secondary role to his. She thought the local Singaporeans were rather sexist and did not value the role of women. She longed to be back home and made her preference clear to Craig, sometimes even threatening to leave with the children and return to Australia. Besides, there were decisions to be made about the oldest son, Jonathan, who was due to enter high school in six months. Margaret preferred him to commence high school in Australia, although Craig hadn't considered this an issue for concern. Craig understood her frustration and wished he could change things for her. If he could find a way to appease Margaret, he would be able to stay and complete the remaining time of his international assignment. He knew how annoyed she became when they went out to dinner and wanted to order her favourite wine, and the waiter always turned to him for confirmation; or when they went out shopping and people pushed in front of her, ignoring the fact that she had waited in the queue for some time. He knew also that she was no longer prepared to accept his long working hours and absences from home and the family. CRAIG'S DILEMMA Craig wondered how he could reconcile the expectations at work with the expectations at home. If he left work early, he would be perceived as the 'lazy Australian' who did not stay back at work like a diligent manager would. If he stayed back late, showed that he was hard working, went out for a few drinks with local male colleagues or to a karaoke bar, then he would be seen to be part of the work team. He would also be able to network and be part of the information chain, but would risk further antagonising his family. On pondering his dilemma, he thought: 'They are very, very serious workers ... you have to be seen to be working long hours. They're not very family oriented, which makes it very difficult for people who want to be with their families'. He wondered about the differences in values, and what he could do. Conflict in the Workplace There were other differences in the workplace that concerned Craig. Take for example the conflict he had with Kelvin Choy, his Singaporean colleague. The problem wasn't that they differed on pricing and costing strategies that were required for a new business deal, but rather the way in which the conflict was handled. Craig believed that if you had a difference of opinion you should be able to discuss it openly and frankly, as is the common practice in Australia. He saw himself as 'belonging to a more open culture where you would tell someone if you are not happy and if there is a problem'. He resented the fact that, rather than manage their differences in this way, Kelvin chose to act more quietly and indirectly and mentioned the problem to his supervisor, who in turn referred the matter to Craig's supervisor, who then approached Craig. Craig was furious that Kelvin did not approach him directly to resolve their differences. He confronted Kelvin saying: 'If you have a problem, talk to me about it, we'll get over it ... We'll find ways to resolve it so we don't have it again in the future. Don't just go off saying that there's a problem and then just leave it at that ... or write a note to your boss who will then contact my boss.' Craig could see that Kelvin and the others did not want to be seen in confrontations and he found it annoying. He could not understand why they could not be upfront and open, and wondered how he could change things for the better. PERSON C: KELVIN CHOY Kelvin was born in Singapore where he completed his business degree, and then proceeded to complete postgraduate studies in Australia and an MBA in the USA. He worked for a short period in the US before returning to Singapore to take up a managerial position with Texcon Petroleum, Singapore. Having lived and worked in both Asian and Western cultures, he was aware of the many differences that seem to exist. His experiences taught him the need to understand the norms and values of other cultures, to be flexible, and to accommodate host culture norms and values when necessary. He remembered an experience in the USA when, working late one night (something he did almost every day), his boss came in and gave him some advice. He explained that it was okay to work late sometimes, if there was something to complete. But if Kelvin worked late all the time, then perhaps it was time to re-evaluate his working style for the sake of efficiency. He thought how strange consistently staying back and working late may be equated to 'lacking in efficiency' in one culture, whereas it is 'expected of you' in another culture, where it is associated with dedication and commitment. He understood some of the dilemmas that faced Craig Watson, but did not know how to help him. He saw differences in the communication styles between Western expatriates and local managers in Texcon Petroleum, Singapore, and wondered if there was a way to lessen the barriers and resolve the conflicts. He regarded some of the Australian and US managers as sometimes being too brash or assertive in their communication styles, suggesting that this sometimes caused difficulties with local Singaporean employees and colleagues who used a quieter, less confrontational approach. At the same time, he admired the forthright manner of the Western managers 'who will tell you straight off and then forget the whole incident', in contrast to many Asian managers 'who will say nothing and smile, but quietly hold the incident against you'. He wondered about the merits of each approach and whether he should make Craig aware of these differences, and how he could better manage them. PERSON D: JOHN MILES John is the Australian International Human Resources Manager for Texcon Petroleum, Australia. He himself had been an international manager when Texcon Petroleum, US, set up operations in the Middle East. He received no training as an international manager, and was appointed on technical competence only. Nevertheless, he thrived on meeting new people, living in new cultures, learning new languages and sampling different foods. When he became HR manager for Texcon Petroleum, Australia, he saw no reason for instituting training and preparation programs for new international managers, believing that technical competence was a sufficient selection criterion. In his words: We're not very scientific in choosing people ... I guess there's a gut feeling that goes into it ... Among other things we look at people who are a bit on the brash, aggressive side ... We wouldn't send them into Asia to deal with local staff. ...But basically, it [cross-cultural competence] doesn't matter. The real issue is we put out a position description to identify the job, identify the technical requirements and suggest perhaps someone with at least 10 years' experience. And that will identify people who meet the technical skills... It was on this basis that he had selected Craig Watson for the position in Singapore. To his knowledge, there had been no failed assignments based on this approach to staff selection, although he was not quite sure. He had received information on the grapevine that Craig was having a few difficulties and wondered whether he had made the right choice. He also heard about Margaret's threat to return to Australia halfway through Craig's assignment in Singapore, and wondered whether he and the company could have provided more formal support. Until now, he had worked on the principle that 'you can almost bet that another Australian family will automatically take them under their wings ... and show them the ropes ... the informal network seems to work'. He contemplated options for assisting Craig and his family. DECISIONS TO MAKE Craig knows that he is only halfway through this international assignment, and, given the many problems he is facing, he has some important decisions to make, both in relation to work and his family. He wondered whom he should turn to for advice and what he could do