Hierarchy in China - Boss & Subordinate

By Frank Mulligan, Talent Software

Despite the obvious improvements in the infrastructure in China, the business culture in the country continues to pose a challenge for non-Chinese.

Every issue, from task implementation to to ëFaceí to hierarchy, is approached in a different way in China. This is not a criticism, but a statement of basic fact.



Figure 1 above is meant as an attempt to deal with one issue within the larger subject of cultural differences. It is humorous but not trivial. It neatly summarizes the way that Westerners and Chinese approach the issue of hierarchy.

No detailed description is necessary but in practice it works like this. If you are reading this post from outside China you are likely to choose (not definitely) the blue option as the most accurate representation of the relationship between boss and subordinate.

The majority of people in China would choose red. The only proviso being that Northern Chinese and younger Chinese citizens are more comfortable with the blue option than Southerners and the older generation.

Being comfortable with does not equate to accepting the more egalitarian boss/subordinate relationship.

One serious, negative consequence of the structure on the right is that exactly the person sought by Multi-National Companies (MNCs), ie. the ëConfident Contrarianí, is pushed out because he or she threatens the accepted structure. So every MNC is looking for for the same person ie. the one that is straining at the leash to take some responsibility, and see what he/she can actually achieve under his/her own steam.

There are diamonds in the rough in China. Itís just hard work to identify and assess them.