Meishi and Cultural Intelligence

What?     

This past week my reading reflection was on Cultural Intelligence from chapter 7 in Leading Across Differences.  Cultural intelligence is the ability to interact, connect, and enage with others from other cultures. There are four components which include: motivation factor, cognitive factor, metacognitive factor and behavioral factor. The authors suggested that “westerners” should take the time to carefully study business cards from the Asian culture.  I posed the question to the class about what could be learned from their business cards and how the cards were different.  So I took some time to google “Asian Business Cards” and I learned so much about the importance of the business card exchange.

So What?
 
In many Asian cultures, the business card is used as one of the few ways that an individual can set them self apart in such a collective culture. There are many traditions to the business card exchange.  Honoring the traditions is a way to show respect to the person and their culture. In essence the business card is an extension of the person (as said by Syndi Seid, etiquette coach).   Business cards are typically two sided, one in the home language and the other in English.  In Japanese it is called meishi.

Some of the tips that I found include:

• Ensure that your card is stored in a container that enables them to stay neat, clean and crisp

• Pass out your business card one at a time with the both hands or the right but never the left (which is seen as unclean)

• When receiving a card, hold it at the level you received it, examine both sides and ask a question

• Do not write on someone else’s business card - as this can be seen as writing on them

• Keep the business card on the table and refer to it often – treat the card with respect as you would the actual person.

Now What?

Although I did not notice any additional or special information on Asian business cards, I believe the practice of exchanging is crucial to the business relationships.  The card allows the person to express themselves and provides the receiver the opportunity to acknowledge the person.  Connecting this to the reading on cultural intelligence, it seems essential for the success of business people to be aware of cultural practices when doing business in other cultures.  It takes a lot for a “westerner” to acknowledge the simple act of exchanging business cards exhibits all four components of cultural intelligence.