Thailand Culture Tips
+ Assignments in Thailand require a depth of cultural understanding. International businesspeople will find the Thais respectful and deferential to authority, much because of the respect the culture holds for their monarchy and Buddhism.
+ Social interactions are governed by formal expressions of courtesy and deference to age and social status. The wai is the common greeting: raise both hands, palms joined with the fingers pointing upwards as if in prayer, and lightly touch the body between the chest and the forehead.
+ Thais respect hierarchy. Social relationships are defined in terms of which person is superior to the other. Parents are superior to their children, teachers to their students, and bosses to their subordinates.
+ When Thais meet a stranger, they immediately try to place the person within a hierarchy so they know how to treat the person. This is why Thais often ask personal questions.
+ In many ways, Thailand is a matriarchal culture where women are afforded relative equality. In addition to having primary responsibility for the household and children, Thai women work outside the home, and many are entrepreneurs. Commerce has been a traditionally female domain.
+ Thai women are soft-spoken and gracious, even in business. In general, Thai businessmen have an easier time dealing with foreign women who adapt to the Thai demeanor. If a woman displays aggressive or domineering behavior, she will have a hard time being successful.
+ Thailand is known as the “land of smiles” and Thais often use smiles as a means of communication. Whereas people from many cultures would use the word please, Thais smile when making a request. Be sensitive to non-verbal expression in general.
- from RW3’s CultureWizard® Country Profiles