I was lucky enough to get a copy of this new book Managing in the Philippines. Companies are now looking into opening Philippine offices because of the efficiencies our local talent can provide. Expats have been coming in more lately, helping run their Philippine offices. With this, there are also some adjustments need to be made especially coming from a more “western” culture.
What the book is all about?
It focuses mainly for the expats managing Filipino teams. It helps you understand the working culture in the Philippine and how you are able to manage them efficiently. There are also several case studies included in the book, it gives you a reality vs expectation of how to manage your local team.
- Some topics included in the book:
- Punctuality – Dealing with “Filipino Time”
- Importance of Titles/Position
- Bahala na (come what may), Puwede na yan (that’s just fine)
- And many more!
These are topics which are not often talked about because of the sensitivity within working environment.
See also: The Finishers – Learn from the Philippine Startup Founders
“Learn the local language”
The biggest change from the first edition is that they made it more inclusive, so that anyone who is leading a Filipino team (both expats and Filipino leaders from any industry or company size) will be able to get massive value from reading it.
Filipinos are the most welcoming, sociable, passionate, creative, industrious, and resilient people that you will ever meet. AT the same time, they are also highly sensitive to criticism, have a great fear of being shamed in public, and may not have the same level of productivity and proactiveness that you are use to in your own country.
