Working With the Thais: A Guide to Managing in Thailand

Life does not come with an instruction manual, but Working with Thais: A Guide to Managing in Thailand comes VERY close! I would recommend this book for anyone, not only managers, who are currently or will be working in Thailand. I worked briefly as an assistant manager with an international research project on Thailand's developing economy in Bangkok. The manager I worked with had this book, but it could not have been clearer to me that he had not read it. During the course of the 1 year project, we had gone through 2-3 Thai project coordinators and drivers. While working on the project, it was obvious that we as a team were doing SOMETHING wrong because the workers seemed truly miserable. After reading this book, I spoke to a former Thai colleague and discussed with her several of the points mentioned in the book and is that why she was so unhappy and ultimately quit. Upon hearing this, she quickly agreed and was surprised that I had known about it. Not only had I seen what we did wrong with our Thai colleagues, but I also noticed how we had lost many potential clients. To be honest, how we had gained so many clients without knowing the correct way of doing business in Thailand baffles me to this day. Though this book is directly related to foreign managers in Thailand, it is also quite useful for expat subordinates who might not understand the corporate structure and culture. Therefore, I must recommend it to anyone planning to work in Thailand who would have direct contact with Thai co-workers or clients. The book itself is easy to read and contains some very valuable information. The author does well to explain the cultural background and reasoning behind Thai behavior, expectations, and why western management methods might make trouble in the workplace. All I can say that is when I go back to work in Thailand again, my working relationship with my colleagues will be quite strong and they should be impressed with what I now know.

I was led to this book after some 6 months of working in Bangkok. It is a series of ahaa moments, you will find yourself saying " so that's why that happened" or "that's why that didn't work". It has a very good build up with some good contectual support from foreigners. I would say that the best time to read this is after already working here, but not for too long. If you are thinking of working in Thailand or soon to start this might not be the best read. For me it's definitely a case of correction is better than prevention.

This book was originally recommended to me by a local Thai who had read it to get a view as to how foreigners perceive Thais. He thought it so accurate and useful that he recommended all of his foreign friends to read it. The book is a quick and easy read with general topics broken down into chapters and practical examples (with interviews and follow-ups) provided for each topic. The best way to utilize this book would be to read it once before you begin work and then once after having worked in Thailand (or with Thais overseas) for 6 months. I read it after having worked for a period of time and it certainly did a lot to explain some of the issues we faced at work. Highly recommended as I found it to be much more practical than the books that were given to me upon my arrival in Thailand.