, Singapore

Kiasi Singaporeans 'afraid' to tell the boss off

Indians and Americans more likely to speak their minds at work.

A corporate research by Jones Lang LaSalle revealed that in Asia, mindsets about work style change are evolving due to strong triggers such as the accelerating globalization of Asian multinational corporations (MNCs).

Here's more from Jones Lang LaSalle:

The individualism vs. collectivism dimension involves another type of engagement. A high rating for individualism indicates a loosely knit social framework while its opposite, collectivism, demonstrates a preference for a tightly knit social framework.

Singapore scored 20 in the dimension test, India scored 48 and US 91. 

Where individualism is high, such as in the US, engaging employees in large groups yields better results because high individualism leads to people feeling comfortable about their individual opinions and their right to be heard. Where individualism is low, people don’t speak up in large groups for fear of having a different opinion to the majority.

It is advised to break down in smaller groups of three people where they are not outnumbered and can test new ideas in a safer environment, before feeding back into larger groups.

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