Case Study Analysis:
There are no exact answers or perfect solutions to case problems. Indeed, each recommended solution and justification can and is usually different comparatively amongst a group of respondents. The solution must fit the case and must be vigorously supported. The problem statement, analysis, selected solution, and especially the justification of the selected solution, are all critical elements in the case method. There are no short cuts to case presentations but a formalized methodology that enables the case presenter the optimal way to solve the case problem.
Your responses must be comprehensive, using terminology and concepts presented in the primary textbook as well as supplementary resources. Write in complete sentences and use good grammar, double-spacing, Times New Roman 12 point font, with one inch margins. Be sure to cite your resources and provide the references using APA format. Remember to reference all work cited or quoted by the text authors. You should be doing this often in your responses. Complete and submit the case study.
You must read and follow the Graduate Case Study Format file found in the course resources area. Please double-space, use 12 point font, with one inch margins. Be sure to cite your resources and provide the references using APA format. Remember to reference all work cited or quoted by the text authors. You should be doing this often in your responses.
Complete and submit the case study at the end of chapter 4 in your text: China Myths, China Facts. Answer all of the discussion questions for this case.
Assignment Outcomes
Evaluate the most effective methods to manage diversity and understand socializing and organizational culture.
Compare various personalities to maximize effectiveness, appraise values & attitudes
Myth 1: Collectivism Reality: Individualism
Wei Chen, a Chinese manager in Paris's luxury goods sec- tor, attributes the rise in individualism to citizens' suppression for many generations: "As a child I was punished for stepping out of the box and told to ‘be average.' But we have left this mentality with a passion. In China, we are so eager to move ahead. Westerners often feel our style is pushy and aggressive." An executive at a Canadian pharmaceutical company points out, "There is an intense self-interest [in China]-more important than company, community, or nation. It is like nothing I have experienced in the West. The US is generally considered the most individualistic part of the world, but it has nothing on China." Interview subjects cited the Cultural Revolution, the one- child policy, and mass migration to big cities as factors in the unraveling collective spirit.
The part of the myth that's true: Decisions are often made in groups, and the Chinese are highly skilled at working in teams.
Myth 2: Long-term deliberation Reality: Real-time reaction
Managers unanimously indicated that the speed of decision making and execution in China is extraordinary com- pared with the West, where "we spend time trying to predict the future and getting it wrong," says Fre´de´ric Maury, a French executive in technical services. "In China no one thinks about the future." That's hyperbole, perhaps, but a manager who has worked for the World Bank in China for a decade agrees with the sentiment, saying that ad hoc logistics are quite common but amazingly well executed. "I've attended dozens if not hundreds of workshops in China, and not one has gone according to plan. Things change the night before: speakers, topics, even venues. But it all always ends up working out fine."
The part of the myth that's true: Business relation- ships and government policies are both built for the long term.
Myth 3: Risk aversion Reality: Risk tolerance
"In the West we like to debate something, print it out, de- bate it again, do some analysis," says British logistics executive Michael Drake. "But in China it's, ‘Right, we've decided, boom, off we go!'" Many participants believe the appetite for risk is tied to growth. Edith Coron, a French intercultural consultant and coach, says, "In an environment where GDP is growing at over 10% a year, it's understandable that the level of entrepreneurship and risk taking should be so high." Chinese manager Wei Chen confirms, "We don't want to lose a single minute. We have a lot of confidence, and we are very comfortable with risk."
The part of the myth that's true: Chinese workers often hesitate to give individual opinions or brainstorm openly when more-senior people are present.
1. Has this presentation challenged any assumptions you had about China and the Chinese people? Explain.
2. Using your best cultural intelligence, how would you adjust your behavior on a business trip to China?
3. What cultural adjustments will Chinese managers need to make if they want to effectively manage Americans in the rapidly growing number of Chinese-owned busi- nesses in the United States?
4. Based on what you just learned in this chapter, are you more or less interested in getting a foreign assignment some day? Explain.