Defining Geography and Methodology

Geography - Which Asian Countries?

We first try to define which Asian countries are to be covered here. The most common way to divide up and identify all Asian countries is listed below:

• East Asia: China, Hong Kong S.A.R., Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan
• South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
• Central Asia: Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
• Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
• AustraAsia: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Island Countries, Papua New Guinea

This paper will focus on East Asia and will touch upon South Asia and Southeast Asia. Central Asia and AustraAsia will not be covered.

Theoretical Framework

Culture is “everything that people has, think, and do as members of their society.” (Ferraro, 1997) Culture of a society evolves over many generations from religion, belief, history, and pervading values. Culture can affect people’s attitude, behavior, ethics, communication patterns, and etiquettes. (Blake, Walker, & Walker, 1995)

External behaviors originate from internal values, which cover the following: truth, honesty, harmony, order, liberty, democracy, justice, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, patience, love, respect, family and kinship, friendship, politeness, education, wisdom. (Cauquelin, Mayer-König & Lim, 1998) It’s generally agreed that Asian values are different from Western values in substantial ways, despite the fact that over the past fifty years or so they come much closer due to increasing interaction between the two worlds.

Of particular significance to the study of culture and its implication to work is Hofstede’s four dimensions of work-related values. (Hofstede, 1980) The four dimensions are: Individualism-Collectivism, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Masculinity-Femininity. They provide a useful framework for our analysis of cultural behaviors in Asia.

This paper will use the Hofstede’s four dimensions of work-related values as a basis for dissecting values and behaviors. We will focus on (1) project management and other related issues; and (2) the practical aspects of all these studies as applying to real-life project delivery in Asia. In particular, there will be in-depth discussion on several areas that a project manager will be particularly interested in namely, Authority, Conflicts and Their Resolution, Team Motivation, and Negotiation.

To be continued...

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