The following are edited excerpts from an article I co-authored with Patrick Rekart at Black Inc Group, for the January 2015 edition of the Thai-American Business magazine.
Regional competitiveness, a common regulatory framework, greater integration into the global economy, equitable economic development – welcome to just some of the promises of the brave new world of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community). Its implications for large Thai companies as well as established regional players have been discussed and dissected at length.
Today, faced with the free flow of information in the digital age, most large companies cannot escape the norm of more transparent and accountable business practices. With or without the AEC, corporations will be led further into the realms of good corporate governance and social responsibility, scrutinized internally and externally.
As ever-increasing levels of compliance, transparency and accountability continue to set new pan-ASEAN standards, differentiation and competitive advantage will emerge from successful understanding of the cultural playing field.
Regardless of whether the business is defined as medium to large corporation, a regional organization, private or listed, or a large multinational, a comprehensive knowledge of, and sensitivity to, other ASEAN cultures will be essential for any enterprise wishing to succeed here.
We know that AEC nations share similar cultural attributes and sentiments, those commonly accepted ASEAN values of respect for heritage and tradition, the importance of family, the striving for harmony, courtesy afforded to all parties, and even a sense of spirituality.
CORPORATE ALIGNMENT WITH “ASEAN Inc.” VALUES
With an awareness of these variations in national corporate character, coupled with an understanding of the roots of one’s own corporate culture, companies can undertake a process of reinforcing, even re-establishing, their brands within the AEC. Genuinely reflecting the common ASEAN values of respect for tradition, family and harmony in a corporate brand personality will help smooth the way toward new regional business partnerships.
If a corporate brand can be defined as the relationships between a company (and its products and services) and its various stakeholders, then players within the AEC would want to ensure that the brand values they genuinely project align with common regional values.
Brand theory ascribes that engagement is based on rational (functional) then emotional aspects of the company or product, and at the top of the engagement hierarchy are the values-based aspects of the brand which project “belonging” and association. These can be expressed as shared interests and common (societal) goals.
Engagement begins with a basic corporate narrative – a company’s story – to introduce themes and values which will resonate across ASEAN: a description of company heritage; its founders’ stories and family legacy; its reputation for fair dealing and partnership, respect for local culture and traditions.
Of course, actions speak louder than words. As a company thinks about its positioning in this marketplace, its leaders should ask themselves: “Do we, as an organization, behave in a way which is consistent with the ASEAN core mentality which values tradition, heritage and family?”
Once the operational reality is in place to fully support the corporate story, the next consideration around projection of the brand involves the storytellers themselves, the leadership and management teams who represent and personify the corporate brand.
More on that in my next post…
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