a short description on differences in business management between chinese and western, based on brief personal experience

1. ir, Dominique Vanhamme
Walking on the
New Silk Route

2. DISCLAIMER

3. the New Silk Route
From 1st century BC until the 14th century AC, the Silk Route was the
main exchange and trade route between Western and Eastern
civilizations.
Spanning more than 6.500km between Rome (Italy) and Xi’an
(China), it carried various goods like silk, gold, jade, but also wool,
laquer, glass, fuits, wine, etc …
Not only goods travelled, but also culture was exchanged, including
art and religion like Buddhism.

4. Walking on the New Silk Route
• With globalization and communication technologies, East and
West are walking along a new Silk Route. Exchanges flow back
and forth, with concepts and models being (re-)discovered.
• Just like the Silk Route of the past upon which culture travelled
with the caravans, today distant cultures are coming in contact
closer together than ever.
• Technologies, culture, arts, and management style are now
coming into increasing contact.

5. City of Samarkand : midpoint of the Route
• In response to many requests, here’s a way to share personal
experience, reading, learning, …
• This is basically an ‘eye of the beholder’-type of summary from
the recent 18 months, « spanning Rome and Xi’an », within the
ICT business.
(a « Disclaimer » in which I basically decline any harm and/or negativity, only focusing
on the positives of learning.)

6. New Silk Route Markers
• Of old, there was in fact, not just one Silk Route, but
many roads from East to West and back, including even
sea routes.
JUST LIKE
• Many road markers can be found on the Silk Routes,
allowing each and everyone to chose the best path to
travel.
• Road Markers were sort of milestones, regardless if
travelled east- or west-bound.
• Just like those route markers of old, my 18months worth
of year notes can be in experience markers. Surely was
for me.
• Hopefully they can help the journey of someone else.

7. List of « Route Markers »
1.Group mass vs individual performance
2. Empowerment vs task management
3. Belief to adapt to business environment
4. Last minute organization
5. Notion of success : Superman vs RiceMan
6. Collaboration and the Boss
7. So « alien » to each other : beyond the language barrier
8. Face, reputation and the Western appearances
9. Ten words in chinese you need to know
10.Talent management vs on-the-job training
…

8. List of topics (cont’d)
11. Vision&Strategy vs Chengyu
12. Value Proposition & Solution selling vs product swamping
13. Evaluation & reviews vs Confucius
14. Motivational speech vs legendary stories
15. Ego of the leader
16. Collaborative Directions or Topdown partnerships
17. Event vs workshop : internal alignement methods
18. On innovation, inventions and product design
19. Peter Drucker vs LiBai
20. The Heart : center of the universe
…
I picked up four markers (in bold) in this presentation and detailed them

9. Marker #5 : Superman vs Rice Man
TRAVEL EAST
Strength dirives from numbers. And being humbly at the service
of the nation. Pick Mr Y. Longping : he invented hybrid rice that
doubled yield of rice fields, feeding the population and avoiding
famines and will work until his death to reach 4x yield.
A humble ‘rice man’ at the service of the nation, a national hero.
TRAVEL WEST
Man of Steel, Superman, faster, stronger, brighter, he is the
super-hero, protecting society.
The cult of the individual hero helps forging the ideal model
and be an aspiration for success.

10. Marker #11 : Vision&Strategy vs Chengyu
TRAVEL WEST
To struture and manage companies, Western management
culture teaches in business schools and books and preaches
inside corporations for the use of casting a Vision, defining
a Mission, articulating a Strategy with Objectives,
measuring performance with Dashboards, drive Execution
with clear team Tactics, …
TRAVEL EAST
Chengyu is a way to tell a lot with little words. In four
characters in fact. It summarizes in keywords a whole known
story, historical or mythical, but of public knowledge. There are
more than 30.000 chengyu to chose from.
Giving company directions and winning corporate battles today
are more a question of relating to a clear story with
documented chengyu explaination.

11. Marker #14 : Stories: speech vs legendary
TRAVEL EAST
History and Legends. Pick among more than 100’s of historical
scenes and legends : what did Three Kingdoms’s warlord Cao
Cao that is relevant to the audience, for instance.
Reminding the audience of past scenes and actions (historical or
legendary) to gain aligment and also understanding of the
directions taken beyond the simple words.
TRAVEL WEST
Storrytelling is used to appeal, capture and move the
audience, motivating corporate troups.
Picture the on-stage speeches that are motivational and
inspiring, personal and touching, energetic and enthousiastic.

12. Marker #19 : Peter Drucker vs Li Bai
TRAVEL EAST
Based on cultural heritage, 19th century Empress Cixi, 230AC
cancellor Zhuge Liang, First Emperor Shi Huangdi, 220AC
warlord Cao Cao, paper inventor Cai Lun, 8th century poet Li
Bai, etc … and of course Chairman Mao are references.
The teaching from situations and reactions of historic and
national heritage leaders provide principles and lessons.
TRAVEL WEST
Business strategy and management, references are prestigious
and expert thinkers and authors. Think of Peter Drucker,
Michael Porter, FW Taylor, Geoffrey Moore, Stephen Covey and
their teaching : ‘five forces’, ‘crossing the chasm’, ‘7 habits’,
‘time & motion study’, ‘decentralization’, etc …
These authors provide a series of principles, models and
learning.

13. THANK YOU FOR READING