By Heather Daigle
During my recent trip to Shanghai - my former home of five years - I had the pleasure of speaking with a number of consultants, talent leaders and front-line managers on the latest developments in managing and motivating talent. When I left China in 2007, talent management practices had not yet fully taken shape. Now, talent has become a hot topic, and I wanted to know – what is working?
Through my conversations, I heard many tales of failures, such as companies investing in external trainers who bring little to no value or transformation. As I probed deeply for the keys to success, a theme began to emerge: managing through culture.
Culture is far from a foreign concept to Chinese employees. The rich history, traditions and norms of Chinese society, combined with its collectivistic roots, render organizational culture a powerful metaphor. Even as old traditions are abandoned in favor of new conventions in modern society, Chinese culture engenders strong pride and loyalty among people.
What does this mean for organizations operating in China? It means that intentionally crafting and reinforcing organizational and team cultures can be a compelling source of clarity, motivation and growth for the workforce. At an organizational level, communicating strategies, objectives and operational tactics through a united cultural lens can trigger collectivistic mindsets, enabling employees to integrate their identities with that of the company. For the Chinese employee, this can be tremendously motivating.
For managers, it’s about creating and embodying a strong team culture. By establishing and promoting team unity, group norms and shared goals, managers can inspire team loyalty and encourage collaboration. Rooting individual performance expectations in the culture of the team and organization can facilitate intrinsic motivation and an individual drive for results.
A Chinese friend and manager at a leading global software organization shared his perspective on managing through culture. “I expect my reports to go to the front line of the battle for me, to be willing to die for me,” he confided (metaphorically speaking, of course). “But, this means I must be willing to die for them.” Only when managers and leaders in China fully embed themselves in the culture they promote – when loyalty is reciprocal -- can they inspire a high performing team.
But here’s the catch: modern Chinese society is riddled with individualistic goals and pursuits. The potential for inspiring motivation and drive through unity and shared identity is there – much more so than in Western environments – but it requires deliberate action to create, sustain and manage through culture. If culture and team cohesion are left up to chance, employees are likely to take the individualistic approach and pursue their own goals, perhaps at the expense of their teammates or companies.
Our guest blogger, Heather Daigle, is the Director of Organizational Development for Rolling Forecast Solutions, LLC and explores global talent issues in her blog Speak the Culture
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