Make better use of talent to 'bridge' management gap

Chen Weixian, general manager of Kopenhagen Fur in China, says Chinese companies are not good at fostering management talent. Gao Erqiang / China Daily

Fang Yan says one way for Chinese companies to bridge the management gap is to make better use of the talent available.

The 27-year-old is a business director of Nanjing Perfect Machinery Co, which makes cement making and electrical equipment and employs 80 in Nanjing.

"While there is a need for many more quality managers in Chinese companies, it is important for them to develop the people they have," she says.

"Many companies have no clear idea of management, what it is and how it works for modern companies."

In Beijing, Chen Weixian is also one of the new young generation of Chinese managers.

The 35-year-old has worked exclusively for European companies, however. He is general manager in China for Kopenhagen Fur, the leading Danish fur trading company. He previously worked for a Swiss publishing company.

He believes many Chinese companies are not very good at fostering management talent.

"They often pay lip service to it but in reality they are often very autocratic. Companies are often a one-man show with the decisions coming from the top. This can be very stifling to anyone who wants to develop their own management career."

Fang, who studied English at Nanjing Medical University, before embarking on a management career, says she has learned from her experience working with European and other foreign managers.

"Foreign managers place emphasis on trying to improve their skills at work. They are also willing to share the experience they have gained from studying with others," she says.

Fang says they often have a greater sense of professionalism and do basic things which Chinese managers are sometimes not very good at.

"They have a strong sense of time. If there is a meeting, they will make sure they are there on time. Sometimes Chinese managers find difficulty with this," she says.

She says there is also very often more of a blame culture in Chinese companies.

"In a foreign company if you have not achieved a goal that was expected but if there was reasonable explanation that would be worked around and understood. In a Chinese company it is more likely to be your fault if you fail," she adds.

Li Geng, 33, who works as a marketing manager for a search engine company in Beijing, insists there is not such a gap now between the management skills in a foreign company compared to a modern Chinese one.

A graduate from Beijing Normal University, he works 12 hours a day and places emphasis on getting the best out of his staff.

"In my job I have to create a sense of direction, generate staff cohesion, and enhance morale," he says,

Li says modern Chinese managers are often more fully committed now than their European and American counterparts.

"Many Chinese companies are at the start-up stage and people have to work hard to achieve their goals. Foreign companies are at a more settled stage in their development and this means their managers operate differently," he says.

Chen at Kopenhagen Fur says in his experience Chinese managers are not very good at dealing with difficult issues, often leaving them unresolved.

"I think this is something to do with the culture. You can be in negotiations with a Chinese company and they fail to bring up an issue because they don't want to spoil the amity of the discussions. You only find out about it when it comes to signing on the deal. That can be very frustrating," he says.