First hand impressions after interviewing company partners in Hong Kong and China

So far the thing that has struck me the most is that most Chinese managers, we have met and talked to in the Danish companies, are not only well-educated, but also strongly influenced by a Western way of thinking and form of communication. They all have career ambitions and expect the stationed managers to call upon their knowledge, experiences and network, and that the Danish Head Quarter involves their knowledge and perspectives regarding the company in further strategic development.The signals from the Chinese are evident: “We are not inferior: we need not just training and adaption to Danish/Western norms. We know how to ourselves, and we have a lot to offer, if you will listen and learn”.

10/14/2009

Anne-Marie Søderberg and Verner Worm returned last month from three weeks in Hong Kong and China. The purpose of the trip was to interview stationed as well as local leaders and employees in the five company partners: Carlsberg, ECCO, Grundfos, Novozymes and Vestas. recount

In a press release for a conference hosted by The Danish Council for Strategic Research on September 22nd 2009 Anne-Marie Søderberg recounts some of the observations they have made during the field work:

So far the thing that has struck me the most is that most Chinese managers, we have met and talked to in the Danish companies, are not only well-educated, but also strongly influenced by a Western way of thinking and form of communication. They all have career ambitions and expect the stationed managers to call upon their knowledge, experiences and network, and that the Danish Head Quarter involves their knowledge and perspectives regarding the company in further strategic development.

The signals from the Chinese are evident: “We are not inferior: we need not just training and adaption to Danish/Western norms. We know how to ourselves, and we have a lot to offer, if you will listen and learn”.

In October Anne-Marie Søderberg, Lisbeth Clausen, Liv Egholm Feldt, Martine Cardel Gertsen, Mette Zølner and Verner Worm will travel to India, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore to interview employees in subsidiaries to the five company partners.

The page was last edited by: Communications // 11/06/2009