Thai Principle of Kreng Jai Can Have Pros, Cons in Business World.

Byline: Kriengsak Niratpattanasai

Jul. 27--Kreng jai means being aware of another person's feelings, saving the face of others and respecting them. More than a behaviour, it is a core Thai value. Applied wisely, it can bring success in daily life or business relationships and management. However, some displays of kreng jai can have unhappy consequences as well. Here are some examples:- A businessman loved to drive his car on provincial business trips. Aware that his health was weak, he always brought his driver as a contingency plan. On one trip the car crashed, the businessman died and his driver was seriously injured. Questioned by police after he recovered, the driver said that his boss often drove too fast and on that day visibility was poor. The driver confessed that he was too kreng jai to advise his boss to slow down.

-- Before the 1997 financial crisis, the chief financial officer at a local corporation advised the CEO to hedge the company's foreign debt. The CFO had done an extensive analysis and strongly believed that the baht would be devalued. Several attempts to convince the CEO failed, as he was highly self-confident and stubborn. Eventually the CFO gave up, in a show of kreng jai. The company almost went bankrupt.

-- A head-hunting firm approached an executive to join another organisation. Several meetings tempted him to join as the compensation and career opportunities were very attractive. But he was too kreng jai with his existing boss who had always treated him well. The strong bond between the two reflected boon koon or a sense of reciprocation. In the end, the man declined the offer.

-- An executive with a company car and driver had a reputation for kindness. When he had a dinner appointment, he told his driver that it would finish around 9 pm, even though he knew it could be 10 pm or later. He didn't want the driver to feel badly about having to wait around for so long. After several such evenings, the driver began to get frustrated since he had expected to finish work earlier. The boss had been too kreng jai toward the driver, who ended up resigning. Being kreng jai toward his boss, he never gave the real reason for quitting but said he had urgent family matters to deal with upcountry.

-- An administration clerk had minor surgery. Since the department faced a heavy workload, she came back to work the very next day due to kreng jai for her colleagues and the boss, though her ...