Cross-Cultural Challenges: A Case Study on Cultural Intelligence

Assessing the Situation Faced by Richard Evans

On a hot and humid Monday morning late in September 2018, Richard Evans, general manager of the Siam Chemicals Company (SCC), walked through the glass doors of the production facility on the Bangkapi Industrial Estate just outside Bangkok and took the lift to his office. SCC, the Thai subsidiary of Swiss-based group Chimique Helvetique Ltd. (CHL), operated in three product groups: Polymers, Resins, and Speciality Chemicals & Adhesives and employed about 150 people, all locals. The company had been one of CHL's first forays into SE Asia almost 30 years ago and had always performed well in the region's highly competitive markets. However, its recent financial performance had been disappointing and CHL had moved quickly to arrest any further decline. 

Richard Evans had arrived at SCC towards the end of June 2018, tasked with increasing productivity and expanding the company's customer base in the region. For the 40-year-old Evans who had spent his entire career based in Europe, promotion to managing one of CHL's key SE Asian subsidiaries represented a big challenge.

 

Analyze the case through the lens of cultural intelligence. What is required to successfully negotiate challenges in cross-cultural environments?

1. What is your assessment of the situation faced by Richard Evans? In what order should he tackle the issues facing him?

2. To what extent should expatriate managers be sensitive to local conditions, concerns, and customs? When dealing with the type of issues confronting Evans in Thailand do 'general principles' apply? If so, how could they be implemented effectively?

3. How should managers define 'urgency' and 'importance' when operating in a foreign culture? How could Evans distinguish between them?

4. How would you respond to each of the emails directed to Evans? How would it be different if you needed to respond to similar emails in the US?

5. How should Evans develop trust and commitment in the team?

6. Based on what you have learned throughout this course, what unique aspects of Thai culture come into focus in this case?