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The Right Profile for Leading In China
Running the show in China amounts to a delicate balancing act, whether the executive is a Chinese national or an expatriate.
By Ed Frauenheim
 anaging in China is hard.
Business moves at a breakneck pace. Politically, the authoritarian country is
relatively stable, but still unpredictable. Personal connections are key and ethical
minefields abound. What’s more, leaders of multinational firms find themselves in
a culture clash between a society heavily influenced by the hierarchical tenets
of Confucius and global corporations that increasingly favor flat, egalitarian management
styles.
Running the show in China amounts to a delicate balancing act, whether the executive
is a Chinese national or an expatriate, says Janet Carmosky, chief executive of
consulting firm China Prospects.
"The Chinese leader has to translate the expectations of the foreign party into
something that works in the Chinese setting," says Carmosky, who spent nearly 20
years working in China beginning in the mid-1980s. In choosing a Chinese national,
U.S. companies should be wary of a bias for a "can do" attitude, Carmosky warns.
By contrast, a savvy Chinese leader won’t promise what can’t be delivered.
"A good Chinese leader knows how complex things are and is not going to sell
out to American pressure to make things simple," she says.
Expatriates, in her view, should be charismatic, good at networking, open-minded
and realistic rather than idealistic. "You definitely don’t want a ‘missionary,’
" she says.
Workforce Management, March 12, 2007, p. 18
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Ed Frauenheim is a Workforce Management staff writer based in San Francisco. E-mail editors@workforce.com to comment.
Next Article: 3. HR Consultant is a long Way From the Farm
From a Beijing skyscraper office, Guo Xin runs Mercer Human Resource Consulting’s practice for mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. But he arrived there after a long journey from humble beginnings.
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Feature Contents
Top of Feature
1. Are The Kids Alright?
They’re called the “little emperors,” but their burden is big. China’s 20-somethings are given that imperial nickname because so many of them are single children—the result of the country’s population control policies. Seen as spoiled at times, young Chinese nevertheless have big responsibilities both in their family lives and when it comes to the country’s future leadership ranks.
2. The Right Profile for Leading In China
3. HR Consultant is a long Way From the Farm
From a Beijing skyscraper office, Guo Xin runs Mercer Human Resource Consulting’s practice for mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. But he arrived there after a long journey from humble beginnings.
4. China Returnee Takes Lessons From Time Abroad
China native Nick Zhang has one foot in the East and the other in the West—and hopes more of his countrymen will learn leadership lessons from overseas.
5. Why China Matters, Part 1
China emerged from 50 years of communist rule to become the manufacturer to the world, as well as the planet’s fastest-growing economy. What happens with the development of China’s workforce is likely to influence the West—including the United States. In this multimedia special report, staff writer Ed Frauenheim explores why China matters to workforce management professionals worldwide.
6. Blog: China Matters
Staff writer Ed Frauenheim’s blog about his experiences reporting on leadership and talent management issues in China.
7. China Matters Podcasts
Staff writer Ed Frauenheim recently interviewed several leading workforce management professionals in China, a nation undergoing rapid economic transformation. This series of podcasts brings you informative interviews with executives who are grappling with talent acquisition, management and leadership issues in the world's fastest growing economy.
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