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Personal Data Name: Thomas WetherellCountry of Origin: USA Location: Shanghai Time in China: 17 years. Shanghai 7years |
You must dig deep to find out the true status of any Chinese company. Sometimes you will find the company is worse that the on-paper data shows, but sometimes you will find it is much better. | ||
| About Thomas: A former Fortune 500 China CEO and recipient of Shanghai’s prestigious “White Magnolia Award”, Thomas Wetherell founded Innovatize in January 2006. |
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| With unparalleled expertise in the consumer product markets in China, Innovatize provides a range of services to assist your business to successfully enter the China market. Our many years of hands-on experience in China include local acquisitions, distribution to Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities as well as the rural markets, distributor network development, brand building, production of finished goods and packaging sourcing. | ||||
Chinese people do not like to communicate
directly, so you always need to listen carefully and read between
the lines. On the other hand, be yourself and communicate in your own direct
style.
The Chinese are skillful followers and most often afraid of change or innovation. Don’t expect them to suggest new ways of doing something, and expect them to be very pessimistic when new ways or products are suggested by you. The good news is that once something new is put in front of their faces, they are quick to adopt it and support it.
Daily life in China consists of a series of roadblocks and the winner of the game is the one who gets over, around, or under those roadblocks in the most skillful and energy-efficient manner.
The Chinese are skillful followers and most often afraid of change or innovation. Don’t expect them to suggest new ways of doing something, and expect them to be very pessimistic when new ways or products are suggested by you. The good news is that once something new is put in front of their faces, they are quick to adopt it and support it.
Daily life in China consists of a series of roadblocks and the winner of the game is the one who gets over, around, or under those roadblocks in the most skillful and energy-efficient manner.
My management style seems to fit the Chinese
well: I delegate authority and power to my direct reports and expect
them to take responsibility, but I also monitor their work very closely,
coach them on a nearly daily basis, and sometimes check some random details
to the nth degree. If I was back in the US, this detailed checking would
probably make senior managers angry, but here it seems to be appreciated
and/or tolerated.
I am an optimistic person and I think this has been my best “survival armor” in China over the years. My attitude is that anything is possible. So, for example, if some government department says something is not possible, I will sit there and have a friendly chat with them for 3 hours or 3 days until we find a way to “make it possible”.
I am an optimistic person and I think this has been my best “survival armor” in China over the years. My attitude is that anything is possible. So, for example, if some government department says something is not possible, I will sit there and have a friendly chat with them for 3 hours or 3 days until we find a way to “make it possible”.
When acquiring a company in China,
the on-paper data regarding the company is only of secondary importance.
You must dig deep into the real world to find out the true status of any
Chinese company. Sometimes you will find the company is worse that the on-paper
data shows, but sometimes you will find it is much better. Those, of course,
are the ideal companies to acquire!
