Every country in Asia has its own culture, but there are a few common elements throughout them, especially within East Asia. One of these elements can be very damaging to your organization’s performance: a lot of people – not all, but many – are very shy about communicating openly, and that’s bad whether we are talking about communicating within your organization, or between you and your clients. The lack of open communication drives up costs through inefficiency and drives down revenue through poor performance.

When your employees hesitate to speak “truth to power,” when they are afraid to tell bosses that they may have a better idea, then you miss out on the chance to do something more effectively or take advantage of a new opportunity. That costs you money, because you can spend time doing something that later has to be fixed, or miss a chance to introduce a better product or improve your services. When employees do not communicate with each other they limit the flow of information that could allow everyone to contribute more to the business, and they miss opportunities to offer useful feedback that could help others improve their performance. An unwillingness to be candid with clients — for example, to say “no” when a customer asks for something that is impossible — leads to unrealistic expectations that are going to cost you a lot of money to meet, or lead to a poor customer relationship when you fail. Communication in all directions is critical, but many people prefer to keep their mouth shut.

Why do people hesitate to communicate? There are a lot of cultural factors that encourage people to stay quiet when they are growing up, and that feeling does not automatically go away when they enter the workforce. Many cultures emphasize a hierarchical structure in which senior people talk and junior people listen, whether it’s kids and their parents or employees and their boss. Educational systems often emphasize memorization of what the teacher and the textbook say rather than challenging and debating ideas, and it usually encourages individual work over collaboration. There is also a stigma attached to failure that may lead people to keep quiet if they are not 100% sure of their idea, or if they are worried about admitting they cannot meet someone’s expectations. All of these are part of people’s experiences when they grow up and when they enter the workforce, and simply telling them “now, do it differently” simply does not work; most people cannot just overcome years and years of upbringing on a moment’s notice.

What can you do to improve communication in your organization? First, figure out where your communication problems lie; are they between employees and bosses, employees and employees, your team and their clients, your folks and your suppliers or distributors? Then make sure you understand the causes of poor communication. Every culture is different, so figure out what is happening where you are (and if you have offices in multiple countries, there may be multiple reasons). Realize that you cannot necessarily overcome the underlying reason for poor communication — if it’s because of your employees’ education, for instance, you cannot go back and change that — so the solution to creating a culture of open communication will often require you to create new expectations, and that’s going to take some time. Consider how your job descriptions emphasize the specific communication your employees should be having. Make sure KPIs address the open flow of information. Performance feedback discussions should include a review of how well that communication is happening, and your rewards and recognition programs should highlight positive results achieved thanks to communicating. Lastly, to sustain this culture, make it clear in your job announcements how communication is a factor in a position so you attract candidates who are ready to work that way, and assess candidates with an eye toward their willingness to communicate openly, rather than just looking at their education and past job titles. To create a culture where open communication is the norm you need to make it clear what your expectations are, then follow through on those through the policies and processes you implement, and you can sustain that culture by recruiting people who fit it well.

Many business leaders will say that getting people to communicate openly is difficult in Asia, and there’s a lot of truth to that. But if you can create that open communication in your own organization, that will help you pull ahead of everyone else who ignores it.

(Designing Leaders offers a workshop for your employees to help you find ways to improve communication in your organization)