{"id":33338,"date":"2015-03-19T15:02:46","date_gmt":"2015-03-19T15:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prelive.ceosuite.com\/blog\/business-tips-the-concept-of-saving-face\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T03:12:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T03:12:39","slug":"business-tips-the-concept-of-saving-face-2","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/prelive.ceosuite.com\/en-th\/blog\/business-tips-the-concept-of-saving-face-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Tips: The Concept of Saving Face"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Business Tips: The Concept of Saving Face<\/h1>\n \n
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Understanding the concept of saving face will help you network and establish a good reputation in the business world, whether you’re a top executive at a Fortune 500 company in Hong Kong or you’ve just landed your first job on Wall Street. For Asian companies wishing to expand into the US, or for Westerners hoping to expand into the Asian market, there are a few things to remember\u00a0when you’re doing business in a new market. Cultures\u00a0differ in many ways as far as how companies\u00a0conduct business, how co-workers\u00a0relate to each other, and how executives build relationships of trust with each other. You will succeed quicker in the business world when you\u00a0understand these differences. One of the hardest things for Europeans, Americans, and Canadians\u00a0to understand is the Asian concept of \u201csaving face\u201d and how important it is in\u00a0Asian business dealings. It’s a highly respectful way of relating to your peers that will get you ahead in any market and any business situation, whether you’re in Dallas\u00a0or Singapore.<\/p>\n

Respect, Dignity, and Reputation: the Aspects of Face<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imagine that you are in a group of your peers\u2014people whose good will you want to have\u2014and one of your friends tells a story that humiliates you and makes people laugh at you. Or imagine that someone has questioned your credibility in front of others or behind your back. Both situations could cause you humiliation and a potential lowering of status. This is partially what \u201cface\u201d is about in Asia. It is a concept that is threaded throughout the daily lives of most Asian cultures, and to deliberately (or even unintentionally) cause someone to lose credibility, reputation, dignity, honour, or influence among his or her peers or colleagues (or even to him or herself) is a sin rarely forgiven.<\/p>\n

If you are born and raised in the West, it\u2019s easy to grossly underestimate how important saving face is. To ask a stupid question or make a mistake in front of others is not considered to be nearly as devastating to you in the West as it would be to someone raised in China, Japan, or other Asian countries. In the West, companies\u00a0like to say that \u201cno questions are stupid questions\u201d and they open business meetings to all types of input in the hopes of coming up with fantastic and creative solutions. In the East, exposing yourself as an unknowledgeable person or offering an idea that is shot down as unworkable or idiotic is one of the worst things that could happen to you and your reputation. This is why Westerners\u00a0often\u00a0don\u2019t get a lot of audience input or participation when trying to lead a Western-style motivational business seminar in an Asian country.<\/p>\n

How to Allow Your Coworkers and Clients\u00a0to Save Face (and Save It Yourself)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most important thing to remember is that your counterparts must be able to walk away from an encounter or meeting with you feeling good about their contribution to a project or plan. Good meetings enable all participants to go away with increased respect, dignity, and reputation. There are specific things you can do to make sure you are working in a way that helps your coworkers and clients save face.<\/p>\n