GUEST WORD
Best of both worlds G
Chinese and Western managerial styles may be different, but they can benefit from one another, says Matt Symonds of SymondsGSB
lobal recruitment specialist, Antal International, in Feb- ruary polled just under 3,000
managers and professionals in China to find out who they considered to be their ideal employer. Overall, the three most popular companies were General Electric (GE), Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Pfizer. Only two Chinese organizations, State Grid and law firm King & Wood, made the list. Whether this picture will con-
SYMONDS MATT
Tis may be indicative of a con-
Matt Symonds is the founder of SymondsGSB and co-author of the business school series Get- ting the MBA Admissions Edge
tinue for much longer is open to debate. Even though many Chinese managerial candidates aspire to get experience in a Western company, the situation could shift – especially as domestic businesses continue to develop rapidly. However, some of the sur-
vey’s most interesting findings were the actual factors that motivate Chinese profession- als to join a big-name West- ern firm. Te first reason was reputation, management style was the second most impor- tant factor, and financial re- ward came in at a relatively low third place. Reputation is an obvious draw. Organizations
tinuing trend to adopt the more at- tractive aspects of Western manage- ment principles. Domestic firms are not only shifting more attention to employee training and development, but also issues like corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and establishing strategic human re- sources functions. While China can learn from
the West about business manage- ment, the traffic of knowledge is by
no means a one way process. Western companies and business schools are all too willing to admit that they need to approach China with an open mind – and a genuine willingness to learn – if they are to get the most from the country’s spec- tacular economic growth.
Western businesses can also learn from Chinese organizations’ ability to jump on opportunities
like GE and P&G have been investing heavily in brand development for decades. But what is it about the management style of Western com- panies that appeals so strongly to the best and brightest in China’s business community? “At the moment, Western companies are
definitely more egalitarian, less hierarchical and offer employees more freedom,” said Bruce Sten- ing, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School professor and international dean of the Beijing International MBA at Peking University. Indeed, leadership styles that encourage em-
ployee participation are attractive to the new generation of Chinese professionals. It is a far cry from the top-down approach of many domestic companies, where managers don’t often encour- age discussion or compromise with employees.
Overseas experiences
At the same time, the new generation of Chi- nese businesses are fighting back by stepping up investment in personal development, and high- lighting the opportunities they can offer in both domestic and international markets. As more Chinese companies enter Western countries, there is a greater willingness to send staff abroad at an earlier stage of their development.
12 China Economic Review • May 2011 Exchanging ideas
As such, there has been a rap- id increase in the number of MBA programs either based in China or embracing it as part of a multi-site approach. One example is OneMBA, a global executive MBA pro- gram involving five schools.
For Raquel Baez, director of CSR at Fruit of the Loom, the program offered an opportunity to face real-world challenges in the Asian market such as managing cultural differences. “During the OneMBA Asia residency, we
explored how Chinese culture influences the purchasing behavior of China’s emerging mid- dle-class consumers,” Baez said. “I used these insights to identify opportunities to improve our approach for entering this important market.” Western businesses can also learn from Chi-
nese organizations’ ability to jump on opportu- nities. Perhaps due to tight leadership structures, companies can make decisions quickly and implement them at a speed that many Western companies might feel uncomfortable with or simply couldn’t match in practice. Still, the most important lesson is seen in
China’s willingness to play the long-term game. Businesses aren’t focused on the here and now to the same extent as their Western competitors. Many domestic firms, for example, have been
nurturing alliances in Africa and South America that the Western business community has little interest in. Tat kind of long-term vision could give Chinese business leaders a serious advantage in the coming years – and one the West may be ignoring at its peril.
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