Country Briefing for New School Leaders (Part II)
Last week, Henry talked about the need to provide a country briefing for the school’s new top administrators. He calls the person who offers the country briefing a cross-cultural guide. This person can be a colleague in the new location or a third-party individual. Schools typically assign current teachers as buddies to new teachers. They usually match teachers who have similar demographics, such as nationality and marital status. The feedback from the new hires is generally favorable. Unfortunately, schools do not normally arrange a cultural buddy to top executives.
The most successful coaches usually have been abroad themselves and are empathetic and understanding about the experience. In addition, this person should have a broad understanding of the western and Chinese cultures with extensive knowledge of the host country. It is someone who knows the language and understands the systems and customs. It is also necessary for the adviser to have experience working in an international school. Schools may engage this point of contact only for the beginning part of the chief’s appointment. Alternatively, this relationship can extend long after the initial country briefing. Essentially, the mentor becomes a sounding board for the top executive when problems crop up. It is vital to find somebody they can trust and lean on for advice. Sadly, many administrators feel like they do not know whom they can trust.
No matter who conducts the country briefing, it is necessary to include the following topics. These topics are by no means exhaustive. Henry will explain why these topics are critical for the new school leaders.
Working with Teachers and Staff
It is not unusual for international schools to have a high turnover rate among foreign teachers. Many have a turnover rate as high as 25%. Some foreign teachers stay in the job for only 2-3 years. To some extent, staff may cause more issues than students.
Leaving their roots, family, and friends for an expatriate life can be incredibly lonely and especially demanding. Most foreign teachers do not understand the language nor the culture. School leaders need to be proactive, creative, and genuine in providing support to foreign staff to ensure the retention of quality individuals.
Chinese teachers and staff do not encounter the same challenges as their foreign counterparts do. However, working in an international school environment could be a different ball game than what they are accustomed to. International schools have their own culture, which is different from the local culture. As a result, local staff faces what Henry calls: a micro-culture shock.
Additionally, China requires the establishment of a labor union in every school location. Working with the labor union can sometimes be tricky. The labor union is closely linked to the country’s political party. The requests or demands of the labor union may occasionally contradict the ethos of the school.
Another challenge occurs when the business office isn’t answerable to the Head. It is particularly true for proprietary schools. The Finance and HR offices in such schools usually report to the owner directly.
During the country briefing, the guide will highlight such issues and then offer suggestions on what the top administrator can do to manage these situations.
Building Relationships and Trust with Local Owners/Board
A growing number of international schools in China are proprietary. It is not uncommon to find the Board composition mostly or entirely of local nationals, even if the school has large international faculty and students. Many of these board members have never attended an international school or been involved in international education. Learning to work with school owners and boards, especially within another culture, can be complicated.
There can be considerable differences in understandings and expectations if the board members are entirely local. Many heads feel that the Board interferes too much, monitors too closely, and does not empower sufficiently. This is now the majority model across China and the typical setup for new schools. In a “for-profit school,” it is a frequent occurrence to experience conflicts of interest with the owner/Board. It could either make or break the Head’s job. Therefore, building a solid relationship and having constant communication between the Head and the owner/Board is required.
Hence, the new Head must know how to deal with such issues.
Cultural Differences
Despite the common language of operations in English, communicating with parents and teachers from different nationalities, including local parents/staff, is likely to lead to misunderstandings of language and culture.
When a dominant culture, say Korean, is represented in the school that the Head is less familiar with, the administrator needs to understand this culture as quickly as possible. It is easy to mishandle a situation and spiral out of control.
Top administrators generally encounter the issue of unrealistic expectations from local parents. Therefore, international heads must spend much more time explaining the school vision and interacting with parents.
Foreign hires should not see China from the western prism. A competent cross-cultural communicator is someone who can understand people from different cultures and engage with them effectively. It also means that they have an interest and curiosity in others and their differences. Rather than relying on your own frame of reference, extensively reading up about the people’s history, developments, aspirations, thoughts, and cultural norms will provide a valuable foundation on which to build. It is critical to work hard at getting to know the country you live in. The new administrator needs to exhibit the qualities of humility and teachability.
Dealing with Parents
International schools are filled with “Tai Tais” trailing spouses that do not work. Away from their home country, the non-working spouses may revolve around the school community. It can either help or hurt the school. It brings about greater parent involvement. However, it can also create an opportunity for school-related anxiety and gossip to thrive, especially in the school’s coffee shop.
Parents regard themselves as customers of a prestigious brand; they, therefore, expect the school to treat them in the same way. Some of these parents feel that they deserve an outstanding level of service or academic results that the school may find impossible to reach.
The divergence between expectations of local parents and that of some western expat communities can be particularly extreme. It is important to note that local parents may generally place more value on many homework assignments and see a teacher-driven approach as the route to academic achievements.
China has become a litigious country, and if parents do not get the answer they want, they often choose to file their complaints to the education bureau. Connections and who you know can then impact the outcome and/or pressure exerted to get the desired effect.
Again, the country briefing will help protect the top executive in mitigating legal, financial, cultural, and social risks with the parents.
Business Protocols
In China, it matters where you sit at a business dinner table and how you toast a glass of wine. Local Chinese know the rules and do not cross the line. The Chinese do not expect their foreign partners to understand every custom. However, it is crucial to know these protocols, as you don’t want to come across as an impolite foreigner. Learning business mannerisms and protocols is necessary. In addition, leaders must comprehend the impact of regulations, tariffs, taxes, and enforcement practices and work with the local officials to comply with legislation.
Navigating a New Home
Problems can start with the initial relocation and basics of settling in, such as visas, accommodation, bank accounts, transferring money, Chinese cell phone apps, commuting, insurance, and driving licenses. Thankfully, most heads and principals have personal assistants who can help them navigate personal matters. However, some do not want to impose it on their assistants to perform these duties. HRs in most schools are already doing an excellent job in helping their new foreign teachers navigate their new environment.
Managing Personal and Family Pressures
We all have heard of the phrase that it is lonely at the top. It is particularly true for international school heads. It is hard to cultivate friends inside the school community. This country briefing consultant can be somebody whom the Head confides in and seeks objective advice from.
Family issues could become the most influencing aspect when considering a job move. It’s important to keep the spouse engaged with the people in the country, especially when the spouse is not working. If the spouse or the children are unhappy in the host country, it is difficult for the Head to stay for long.
The Political World in China
The professional world is reasonably predictable. The political world, on the other hand, is unpredictable and much more difficult to manage. Many heads talk about the need for trusted local advice to navigate and understand what is imperative and a false alarm.
The Head can find themselves at a disadvantage regarding local government, laws, and regulations. Often nothing seems to make sense. Showing your frustration can make things even worse. Again, finding someone whom the Head can trust and can be relied upon to translate and provide honest direction in tricky or culturally sensitive moments is essential.
In addition, there are some red lines that foreign hires cannot cross when working and living in China. The top executives must understand and respect the political values, interests, and priorities that the current political party holds dearly.
China’s Developments in Recent Years
Talking about China’s developments in recent years is a great conversation starter with the local board, staff members, or community members. It shows that the new foreigner has taken the time to read about the country and its growth. It communicates to the local counterparts that the Head is genuinely interested in this country. It is recommended that the Head can specifically name and discuss at length 3-5 current or recently completed projects that its city, province, or government embarked upon. Like all peoples, the Chinese are proud of their achievements, especially in recent years.
A guide who has extensive knowledge of China can help the school’s new leader identify the country’s recent developments.
Summary
Henry has identified several areas that the new top administrators should be aware of. The purpose is not to intimidate the new executives. Instead, it is to give a reality check. It is to let the top administrators know what they need to be adequately prepared for in their new role.
Knowing these areas is critical but insufficient. The new school leader must convert such knowledge into a demonstrable change in attitudes, words, and actions in their work and relationships with various stakeholders. Attending a country briefing is invaluable at the start of any new international assignment; individuals learn to manage their mindset, prejudices, and expectations in the new culture.
The success or failure of onboarding new administrators in China centers on how well they integrate within the host country's culture and school culture.
Robust onboarding programs are also retention strategies. Top administrators are more likely to remain with the school for a long time after an excellent onboarding experience that includes a country briefing.
PD Academia will stop the WeChat posts during the summer holidays and resume the posting on the third week of August. Have a wonderful and restful summer!
