The disconnect between China hands and corporate life - Janet Carmosky

Janet Carmosky

China is here too stay, in corporate life, writes China hand Janet Carmosky in Forbes. But between the China hands and that corporate life there is a huge disconnect, that needs to be repaired, she argues. China hands are used as painkillers, not as part of a long term strategy.

Janet Carmosky:

My theory of China Business Competency for American business: given that business with China is in our lives, not going away, and getting harder to deal with, one would think business people with China skills would be valued players on the strategy team. 

What I see instead: a pattern of using China Business Problem Solvers (Painkillers), while keeping long term strategy as a separate process, and wishing fervently that China could just be easier... 

Human resources department, corporate leaders,  the way through this is to build an interface that connects China and HQ.  A safe, non-polarized interface that taps best thinking on both sides.  [Andrew] Hupert wants to train your teams to have that interface. And I guess, so do I.  So do a lot of of other people with China experience.  Let’s get rid of the Mob Wife, the Ugly American, and the Old China Hand. – the whole Figure Eight. Long live something more effective: a pretzel populated with New China Hands.

More in Forbes. (with a reference to Andrew Hupert.)

Janet Carmosky is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in  our speakers' request form.

At the China Weekly Hangout in November, Janet Carmosky, Greg Anderson and Fons Tuinstra discussed how China is dealing with innovation.

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