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“變革管理”
最近我從北京去了趟山東首府濟(jì)南,，是當(dāng)天往返,。濟(jì)南和北京相距大約500公里，上午11點(diǎn)我從北京乘高鐵出發(fā)（列車的終點(diǎn)站是上海虹橋站）,，晚上9:45就又回到了北京,。中間我開了幾個(gè)會(huì),，做了個(gè)演講，還在淄博宴會(huì)上品嘗了美味的山東菜,。
高鐵的平均時(shí)速為300公里左右,，我們用了不到兩小時(shí)就抵達(dá)了濟(jì)南。即便是全程乘坐的旅客,，也只需6個(gè)小時(shí)就能從北京抵達(dá)上海,，速度真是太快了。
現(xiàn)在,，中國(guó)已建成了世界最大的高鐵網(wǎng)絡(luò),，雖然在安全上還遺留一些形象問(wèn)題，但它改變了中國(guó)很多地方的商旅現(xiàn)狀,。
上世紀(jì)七十年代中,，去中國(guó)出差仿佛上演慢動(dòng)作電影。首先要說(shuō)服中方接待單位出具正式的邀請(qǐng)函,，有了它才能申請(qǐng)簽證,。等好不容易把手續(xù)都辦完了，還要坐上一整天的火車才能從香港到達(dá)只有135公里之遙的廣州,。而接下來(lái)飛往北京的航班,，非得等到第二天才能起飛。
直到好幾年之后,，香港和北京才有了直飛航班,。而在那之前，從香港到北京（1,971公里）,，即便是搭乘最快的公共交通工具,，也需要將近36個(gè)小時(shí)。
按現(xiàn)在的標(biāo)準(zhǔn),，這聽起來(lái)真有點(diǎn)兒嚇人,。
以上交通變化的重要意義并不僅僅在于顯著縮短了從甲地到乙地的時(shí)間。
從上世紀(jì)七十年代末開始,，中國(guó)人口和各種意識(shí)形態(tài)上的流動(dòng)也一直在加速,。這是一個(gè)龐大的過(guò)程，如果沒有中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)奇跡般的騰飛,，根本就不可能實(shí)現(xiàn),。但這也為“變革管理”提出了諸多課題,。
對(duì)普通中國(guó)人來(lái)說(shuō),，這無(wú)疑是個(gè)福音，因?yàn)樗麄兊纳钏降玫搅孙@著的改善,，也享受到了更大程度上的行動(dòng)自由,、選擇自由、教育機(jī)會(huì),，以及與親朋好友的廣泛交流,。
而快速變化帶來(lái)的挑戰(zhàn)迫使人們將應(yīng)對(duì)能力發(fā)揮到了極致，不僅是對(duì)個(gè)人,、家庭,、組織，乃至整個(gè)社會(huì),，都是如此,。
應(yīng)對(duì)這種大變革的管理也催生了對(duì)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)行為的巨大需求，要求他們?cè)诠ぷ髦斜仨毿兄行А?/p>
此去濟(jì)南,，我主要是應(yīng)一些企業(yè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)之邀,，為他們講講赴美經(jīng)商的情況，重點(diǎn)是商業(yè)習(xí)俗和禮儀,。
當(dāng)我跟女兒提起正在準(zhǔn)備這次演講時(shí),，女兒反映出些許驚訝，接著就用略帶揶揄的口吻說(shuō)：“你還有資格講這個(gè)嗎,？”她的意思是我已經(jīng)離開美國(guó)快40年了,，也許我和當(dāng)下美國(guó)的商業(yè)習(xí)俗及禮儀早就脫節(jié)了。
她的疑問(wèn)讓我想起中美兩國(guó)在過(guò)去40年間的變化速度,，以及如何才能與兩國(guó)的變化保持同步,。
雖然在過(guò)去兩代人間，世界發(fā)生了巨大的變化——其中很多都要拜高科技所賜——但沒有任何一個(gè)大國(guó)能在變化節(jié)奏和范圍上與中國(guó)相提并論,。
最明顯也是最常提及的就是改革開放帶來(lái)了市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)及相關(guān)的變化,；其中不可或缺的是賦予了中國(guó)人在個(gè)人生活上更多的選擇權(quán)和行動(dòng)自由。
在電訊方面,，中國(guó)迅速跨越了模擬時(shí)代,，建立起世界級(jí)的全國(guó)網(wǎng)絡(luò)，其手機(jī)用戶數(shù)已居全球首位,，網(wǎng)絡(luò)用戶數(shù)很快也將成為世界第一,。交通方面，中國(guó)鋪設(shè)了最大規(guī)模的高鐵網(wǎng)絡(luò)（一種造價(jià)昂貴的新型鐵路系統(tǒng)）,，新建的機(jī)場(chǎng)也超過(guò)了全世界的總和（到2016年底，計(jì)劃將新建機(jī)場(chǎng)56座）,。就廣泛的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施而言，相關(guān)的例證更是舉不勝舉。
與此同時(shí),，人類歷史上最大規(guī)模的農(nóng)村人口向城市的流動(dòng)也在進(jìn)行當(dāng)中,，對(duì)地區(qū)和國(guó)家都產(chǎn)生了深遠(yuǎn)的影響。
在商業(yè)方面,，國(guó)有企業(yè)從臃腫的老舊工業(yè)區(qū)改組為大型上市公司，僅用一代人的時(shí)間,，就從無(wú)到有,，締造出73家躋身《財(cái)富》世界500強(qiáng)的大型中國(guó)企業(yè),。非國(guó)有企業(yè)也涌現(xiàn)出大批成功的案例。在國(guó)際舞臺(tái)上,，中資企業(yè)已開始通過(guò)并購(gòu)、上市,、合資、獨(dú)資等多種形式,，涉足國(guó)際市場(chǎng)。
總之,，盡管我在大中華區(qū)已經(jīng)生活了38年，但仍認(rèn)為談?wù)摗懊绹?guó)經(jīng)商之道”比妄言“中國(guó)經(jīng)商之道”更為容易,，這主要是考慮到中國(guó)的變化節(jié)奏和程度,。其實(shí)在美國(guó)也發(fā)生了許多變化,，但和同一時(shí)期發(fā)生在中國(guó)的根本變化相比不可同日而語(yǔ)。另外,，在信息流通上,，美國(guó)相對(duì)來(lái)說(shuō)更透明易懂。
我在濟(jì)南的演講中曾建議大家不要臆斷普通美國(guó)人（或其他外國(guó)人）對(duì)中國(guó)都是了解的,。其實(shí)在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中,，他們很多人都對(duì)中國(guó)一片茫然，如墜云里霧里,。
達(dá)成長(zhǎng)期合作并不是一件輕而易舉的事,，需要相互理解和信任。尤其是在背景完全不同的兩方之間,，只有通過(guò)堅(jiān)持不懈的溝通才能實(shí)現(xiàn),。理想狀態(tài)是，在任何新合作關(guān)系建立之初,，也就是背景調(diào)查階段,，雙方就達(dá)成共識(shí)，優(yōu)先來(lái)解決溝通問(wèn)題,。
順帶說(shuō)一下,，能再回到山東真好，那里是我太太的出生地,，也是我中文啟蒙老師的故鄉(xiāng),。我第一次吃山東菜是在北京豐澤園飯莊，時(shí)至今日我對(duì)魯菜仍情有獨(dú)鐘,。
這讓我想起此次旅行中的另一個(gè)問(wèn)題,，為什么在香港和外國(guó)有那么多中餐廳——包括粵菜、上海菜,、北京菜和川菜——卻好像獨(dú)缺魯菜呢,？ |
Change Management
I recently made a same day trip from Beijing to Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. Jinan and Beijing are about 500 kilometers apart. I left Beijing on the 11:00 am high speed train (ultimately bound for Shanghai's Hongqiao Station), and arrived back in Beijing at 9:45 that evening, following a series of meetings, a presentation which I gave, and a scrumptious banquet of Zibo, Shandong cuisine.
The high speed train averaged 300 km per hour. We arrived in less than two hours. For those who stayed on the train for the full journey, scheduled arrival in Shanghai was about six hours from departure time in Beijing. Really fast.
China's high-speed rail network is now the largest in the world, and despite some lingering image issues relating to safety, it is changing the face of business travel in many parts of the country.
In the mid 1970s, the experience of business travel in China was akin to watching yourself in a slow motion film. The first step was persuading a Chinese host organization to issue you a formal invitation letter, which in turn enabled you to apply for a visa. Once that process was eventually complete, you boarded the one daily train service from Hong Kong for the nearly full-day journey to Guangzhou, some 135 kilometers away. The next flight to Beijing was not available until the following day.
There were no direct flights linking Hong Kong and Beijing until some years later. Until direct air links were opened, it took nearly 36 hours to get from Hong Kong to Beijing (1,971 kilometers) on the fastest available modes of public transport.
This seems shockingly, unimaginably slow by today's standards.
The significance of this dramatic change is not simply about the greatly reduced time required to go from point "A" to point "B".
There has been a phenomenal acceleration in the movement of people and ideas in China since the late 1970s. This is huge progress, without which China's economic miracle would not have been possible, but it also poses many challenges relating to change management.
It's an obvious blessing for the vast number of ordinary Chinese people whose standards of living have been dramatically improved, who also enjoy greatly enhanced personal mobility and choice, educational opportunities, and connectedness with friends and family.
The challenges arise because such rapid change stretches the limits of people's ability to cope. That's true for individuals, families, organizations, and for society as a whole.
Managing phenomenal change also places enormous demands on what leaders need to do to be effective in their jobs.
My trip to Jinan revolved around an invitation to speak to a group of business leaders on doing business in America, with a focus on business customs and etiquette.
When I mentioned to my daughter than I was preparing a talk on this subject, she reacted with some surprise and asked in a slightly humorous tone: "Are you still qualified to talk on that subject?" Her point was that since I've lived outside of America for nearly 40 years, perhaps I might be somewhat out of touch with current business customs and etiquette there.
Her question started me thinking about the comparative rates of change in China and America during the past 40 years, and the relative challenge of keeping abreast of those changes in both countries.
Although the whole world has experienced big changes during the past two generations -- many of them driven by the impact of new technology -- no major country has experienced the pace and scope of fundamental changes that China has.
Most obvious and often cited are the embrace of market economics and other changes resulting from the Open Door and Reform policy; an integral part of which was granting Chinese citizens a far greater degree of personal choice and mobility in their lives.
In telecommunications, China leapfrogged the analog era and installed a world class national network, with the largest mobile and (very soon) internet user base in the world. In transportation, China built the largest high-speed rail network, an extensive new highway system, and more new airports than the rest of the world combined (56 more are planned by the end of 2016). In a wide range of basic infrastructure, the examples are too many to name here.
At the same time, the largest movement of people from rural farming communities to cities in human history is well underway, with profound effects at the regional and national levels.
In the business sector, the restructuring of state-owned enterprises from rust-belt behemoths to large listed companies has produced 73 Chinese companies big enough to be ranked on the current Fortune Global 500 list, up from zero a generation ago. In the non-SOE sector there has also been an explosion of new corporate success stories. On the global stage, Chinese companies have begun the march into international markets through mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, joint ventures and wholly-owned operating units.
On balance, despite having lived in Greater China for the past 38 years, I still think "doing business in America" is a much easier story to tell than "doing business in China" is. A big part of the reason why is the phenomenal pace and degree of change here. America has changed a lot as well, but not in as many fundamental ways as China has during this time frame. America is also a much more transparent environment regarding the flow of information.
One piece of advice I offered in my presentation in Jinan is to avoid making the assumption that the average American (or other foreigners, for that matter) understand China. In reality most of them find it confusing and complex.
Sustainable partnerships depend on mutual understanding and trust, which are not easily achieved. This outcome can only be achieved through consistent efforts to communicate, especially between groups with such different backgrounds. Ideally, this communication process should be elevated to a mutually agreed priority starting from the early stages of due diligence on any new partnership.
It was good to be back in Shandong, which is where my wife was born and also the home province of my first Chinese teacher. I first sampled Shandong cuisine in Beijing's Feng Ze Yuan restaurant, and remain a big fan of Shandong cooking to this day.
Which brings me to another question which occurred to me during this recent day trip. Why is it that among all the Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong and overseas -- including many offering Cantonese, Shanghai, Beijing, and Sichuan cuisine -- there seem to be no Shandong style restaurants? |
