Kinship and Business

What does the study of kinship have to do with business? Isn’t the study of lineage just the particular field of anthropologists? My answer is, understand the dynamics of families, of kinship, and you will find the key to communication, building relationships and eventually, a successful business.

In North America the subject of kinship is a non-starter and becoming more obsolete with each passing year. Fifty-percent of marriages end in divorce and a recent study concluded that half the women in the U.S. live alone. The family tree means little to us. We can tell you what we do for a living and what our interests are, but we can’t tell you a great deal about our great-great-grandfather, our heritage or even what country our forefathers came from.

Contrast this to my Indian neighbor, Mr. Jinghan. He is from Lahore in Pakistan. During the partition, because he’s Hindu, he had to leave his home and migrate south. Because of his caste and the region of his birth, all of his decisions in life revolves around his caste paternalistic family line, and he can trace it back as far as there is recorded history. Who Mr. Jinghan does business with, who he hires for business and for what jobs, who will marry his son or daughter, all revolve around family ties.

I’ve heard Kenyan’s say, with a certain amount of disdain, “Oh, he’s Luo, I don’t trust them.” Tribalism, maintaining business practices within the clan, is important in most parts of Africa. In China, Korea and Japan, lineage is so important that you can make or break a deal by not understanding the family tree. Even in Europe, name and location of family give clues on whether the person is from a family of prominence, a laborer or even a scoundrel.

So, the next time you are on the plane and someone gives you their card, or you’re at a party and meet a new client, inquire about their family. Ask them if their name is prominent in their country? Ask them what their name means? If you know the cultural dynamics of the country you may even inquire if their business is family owned and how far back can they trace that family business. By being interested in their family you may be touching the most important facet of their life. Not only will you make a friend, you might even be miles ahead in developing a strong business partnership.