Vocabulary activities for the listening-comprehension task

Task 1. Listen carefully to the abstract and complete the gaps with the
corresponding words or word combinations. The number of gaps corresponds to
the number of words to be inserted.
In all the exuberance associating with negotiating, new business relationships
between China and the West too little attention is being paid to managing conflict in
this relationship. And conflict is inevitable. As the story I am about to tell you
illustrates confronting conflict by which I mean how do you tell a person there is a
problem that needs to be fixed, is handled very differently in the West than it is in
East Asia.
Jeff, one of my Executive Education students told the story of the rattling
bicycles. He had a contract with a German buyer for bicycles that he was having
manufactured in China. Shortly before the bikes were to be shipped to Germany,
Jeff went to the plant to check on them. When he got there, he and a plant manager
took a couple of the bikes off the line, rode them around in the countryside, and
Jeff’s bike rattled. He though the plant manager’s bike rattled too. So, when they got
back to the plant, Jeff handed over his bike and then he turned to the plant manager
and commented, “I think, my bike rattled”. And he went back to Hong Kong.
When Jeff ended his story, there was a stunned silence in the room and a
flurry of questions,” You just went back to Hong Kong? You didn’t check all the
bikes? You didn’t tell the plant manager the Germans wouldn’t accept rattling bikes?
“, “No,” said Jeff. Finally, someone asked, “Well, why not?” And Jeffrey explained
that the he knew that plant manager knew why he had come. He was afraid that if he
confronts to the plant manager directly, the plant manager would lose face. He
would feel disrespected and he would feel embarrassed. And in revenge, he might
ship the ratting bikes. But Jeff though if he was respectful, the plant manager would
get the job done, fix the bikes and ship then on time to Germany. Jeff understood the
difference between direct and indirect confrontation of conflict.
In the West, when we have a conflict, we tend to identify the problem, assign
blame and assign responsibility for the fix and even tell what we think needs to be
done. In East Asia it’s done much more indirectly. There is a signal that there is a
problem, and in assumption, the responsible party will take responsibility and fix
the problem.
So, if you are a western manager working in East Asia, my advice to you is to
be aware of subtle signals above problems in conflict. You might hear, for example,
the term “that would be difficult” or when you ask question you might get the story
back in response or you might hear a metaphor. It’s OK to probe. What was a
protagonist in the story thinking about what you say or how is this metaphor
interpreted in China? But what you don’t want to do is “point fingers” because in
East Asia people take roles and responsibility very, very seriously. If for your peace
of mind, you really have to make clear that there is a problem that needs to be fixed,
state your problem in tentative terms, don’t be definitive, engage your counterpart in
defining a problem and in defining the solution.
Now, if you are an East-Asian manager working in the West, I advise you: be
prepared for confrontation, try not to take it personally, try not to be defensive, try
not to withdraw. Instead, engage the other party in understanding what the problem
is. Don’t take the problem to the boss. In East Asia, it’s very common to involve the
boss very early in the conflict. But in the West, managers are supposed to resolve
conflicts themselves. So, instead, engage your counterpart, work together
collaboratively, identify the problem and fix the problem. Just a little bit of cultural
sensitivity to direct and indirect confrontation of conflict can really pay off. It did
for Jeff. Those German buyers not only accepted the bikes, but they reordered.

Task 2. Rearrange the words to make coherent sentences:

1) The problem / in East Asia / that needs to be fixed / differently / is
handled / than it is /very / in the West.
The problem that needs to be fixed in East Asia is handled very differently
in the West.
2) He / feel disrespected / was afraid / directly / to confront / not to make
him / the plant manager.
He was afraid to confront the plant managed directly not to make him feel
disrespected.
3) Jeff / the difference / confrontation of conflict / understood / between
direct and indirect.
Jeff understood the difference between direct and indirect confrontation of
conflict.
4) My advice / is to be aware / above problems in conflict / to you / of subtle
signals.
My advice to you is to be aware of subtle signals above problems in
conflict.
5) In / people / and responsibilities / East Asia / very seriously / take roles.
In East Asia take roles and responsibilities very seriously.
6) You should / in defining a problem / engage your / and in defining the
solution / counterpart.
You should engage your counterpart in defining a problem and in defining
the solution.
7) He had / in China /manufactured / a contract with a German buyer / that
he was having / for bicycles.
He had a contract with a German buyer for bicycles that he was having
manufactured.
8) Jeff thought / get the job done / was respectful, the plant manager / if he /
would.
Jeff thought if he was respectful, the plant manager would get the job done.
9) We / for the fix / assign blame / tend to identify / and assign responsibility
/ the problem.
We tend to identify the problem, assign blame and assign responsibility for
the fix.
10) A little bit of / to direct / really pay off / of conflict / cultural
sensitivity / and indirect confrontation / can.
A little bit of cultural sensitivity to direct and indirect confrontation of
conflict can really pay off.

Confronting international conflict

East Asia and the West have different cultures and different approaches
to resolving the conflict. In the West, it is customary to identify the problem,
find the culprits and those responsible for its solution, and indicate how the
situation should be solved. Such behavior can be taken very personally in East
Asia, as conflicts are resolved more indirectly there. It would help if you
signaled that there was a problem. The responsible party will take
responsibility and solve the problem because people are very serious about
roles and responsibilities in East Asia. The problem may not be solved in the
West without specifying to whom and how to fix it. In such cases, they like to
say, "Nobody told me anything, so I didn't do anything." It is complicated to
correct such behavior in East Asia or the West because it is closely related to
culture, and it is difficult to change it. And this applies not only to the West
and East Asia. Each country has its own culture, and, accordingly, conflicts are
resolved differently. If you do not understand such details, then conflict is
inevitable. Therefore, if you are a manager in another country, you do not need
to take everything very personally because what may be offensive to you is
habitual behavior for others and vice versa.