南京大学 绝对学术 The Chinese-German Team

Case StudyCase study: the Chinese-German teamOn the surface, this highly successful joint venture in the electronics industry is going well. Research and development (R&D) is based in Germany, and production is based in China. The business is starting to be profitable. But tensions develop in the team, and an external consultant is brought in to analyse the situation. This is what she reports after interviewing representatives from both sides. Think about what advice you would give to each team and then compare your comments with ours.The German manager's view of the Chinese"We are impressed by our ambitious Chinese colleagues and their speedy reactions. They seem keen to learn and are very open-minded. What is not so good is that they aren't prepared to take responsibility or follow agreed procedures. They think in a hierarchical way and there is very little horizontal communication . They seem reluctant to take the initiative or make independent decisions. Recently, they have started to turn up late to meetings or not come at all. When we ask them about a problem, they often beat about the bush , and it is very difficult to know what they are really thinking. They smile politely and say yes, but don't do anything. I wish they'd put their cards on the table and tell us directly if they have a problem with something. We've hired quite a few new Chinese colleagues but, although they have excellent qualifications on paper, we've been disappointed with their performance. The other issue is loyalty. We hire them, train them and then they leave and join one of our competitors."The Chinese manager's view of the Germans"The Germans are excellent planners, and they think very logically. We like their focus on quality and their disciplined, straightforward approach. They like China and clearly enjoy themselves when they come to see us in Shanghai. On the other hand, they don't seem to trust us. They don't give us any real responsibility. Instead, they set up complicated processes that just slow everything down and stop us from reaching our targets. They waste time with too many meetings. They are never available when we need them - you can rarely get them at theweekend and they often seem to be away on holiday. If we can't get an answer to our questions quickly, we have a problem with the deadlines that they have set for us and keep insisting on. Also, some of the team have been shocked by the way the Germans behave in their free time in China. Maybe there are too many temptations in Shanghai. They complain about the Chinese stealing Western know-how but, at the same time, if they have a few hours free before their flight to Germany, they go to the fake market and buy watches and clothing for their family and friends."Case Study AnalysisThere seem to be a number of cultural differences here:ResponsibilityWhile the Germans think that the Chinese don't take responsibility, theChinese don't feel they are given any. For the German side, takingresponsibility means acting independently within a predefined framework. The Chinese find the framework too tight and want to be able to influence strategy and targets as well as processes. They ignore or change procedures if they feel this is necessary to achieve their goals.Decision makingThe Chinese expect their managers to make clear decisions. They think this is what managers are paid for. The Germans believe that some decisions can be delegated.MeetingsThe Chinese don't see the importance of the meetings and therefore are often late or don't attend at all. They want to communicate with their managers, but not necessarily with the whole team. If the managers are not present at the meetings, the Chinese feel there is no real need to attend them.DirectnessThe German style of direct communication is foreign to the Chinese group. They do give feedback but in a different way. Rather than stating it explicitly, they show their disapproval by avoiding the problem, or through silence or even failure to cooperate.Educational backgroundThe young Chinese have excellent theoretical knowledge but lack practical experience. The job profiles don't match those that the Germans are used to.Work and private lifeThe Chinese don't make such a clear distinction between work and private life as the Germans do. They are expected to be available 24 hours a day. If the boss calls a meeting at the weekend, they will be expected to attend. Also, the time difference between China and Germany makes it difficult to communicate in normal office hours. When judging whether they can trust their foreign manager, the Chinese will look at the whole person, including behaviour outside the workplace.RecommendationsThe consultant advised her clients to think about the following points:▪As in all international teams, time has to be invested in discussing people's expectations of one another and agreeing on how everyone wants to work together. The two sides need to agree on which processesare absolutely necessary and which are "nice to have". Some flexibility on both sides is desirable.▪The two sides need to become aware of the fact that there are different management styles, and they need to agree on an appropriate style for the whole team. The German side needs to communicateclearly the importance of the meetings and to make it clear that everyone who is needed should makesure to attend them so that decisions can be taken.▪Trust between the parties is essential for effective feedback. Some time needs to be spent on relationship building and establishing rules for feedback that respect the sensitivities of both sides.▪Western companies hiring Chinese staff should seek local advice on what the qualifications mean. The German side needs to make sure they ask someone to stand in for them when they are out of the office.。