Challenge

Tensions between management culture, leadership and project management.

• Chinese never report problems to their superiors
• Chinese never ask their superiors and rarely ask their colleagues for help or support
• Proof or admission of mistakes means a loss of face for the Chinese and thus the end of the relationship
• Procurement of missing information takes place via the personal relationship environment (Guanxi 关系)
• This increases the following effects:
  - Experienced Western managers do not reach their goals based on their methods
  - Problems are detected too late or not at all
  - A lack of open communication between parties leaves managers uninformed when Chinese employees resign for no apparent reason
  - Approx. 70% of all projects fail, run out of time or go over budget

Solution

Our approach for successful cooperation is the China Management Model (CMM™).

• CMM™ is a management hybrid of scientifically validated information on Western management methods and Chinese social values.
• CMM™ is designed for Chinese and Western managers at all levels. It focuses on developing personal leadership skills while being flexible enough for any business situation.
• CMM™ provides coaching & training for all managers on the basis of real cases and is backed up by theory.
• Ventum's trainers and coaches have had experience in the Chinese market for joint ventures of German OEMs since 2006.

Customer Value

The benefits for participants:

• A toolset and recommended practices for successfully managing multinational projects and organizations in China
• Mutual respect, understanding and acceptance of different patterns of behavior
• A working and mutually accepted model of cooperation
• A self-Assessment according to the CMM™ program

The success of CMM™ is clearly measurable, as the project results improve and the employees' satisfaction increases. This is due to a mutual understanding of management and project culture by both sides.
CMM™ is already being used with great popularity by, among others, three automotive OEMs. These practices are being implemented within their organizations and applied to their projects in China.