Shanghai Study Trip – Day 2 Learnings

Goal of this post / disclaimer

This is primarily for myself in order to learn and repeat the key takeaways from a study trip in Shanghai.

If you also can benefit from the below information fine; if not, also fine for me and my words are of course not exhaustive.

Learings and Take aways

All about China 2025

Just some interesting screens on this well known topic. Impressive how the Chinese Party is thinking long term. By the way, there is currently congress time in china:

https://www.nzz.ch/international/aktuelle-themen/xi-jinping-warnt-vor-gefahren-fuer-china-ld.1322535

China 2025 overview until 2049

All about China One Belt one Road – Increase people-to-people bond and Speed is king

• Shortly called also „Belt and Road Initiative“ and proposed by the government, President Xi Xingping in 2013
• Consisting of two pieces: A new land route (old silk route) and a new sea route (maritime)
• AIIB: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has been established because of this
• Maritime route poses risk of conflicts with other superpowers such as the US, the land route seems to be more secure and mostly under direct or indirect control of China
• Five goals
  • Policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds (most important)
• But also: Speed is King! Faster deliver products to asia, africa and europe with lowest costs as possible
• Confucius:
  • Junzi (the virtuous men) maintain harmony in diversity
  • Xiaoren (the vilen men) made discord even sharing commonness.
• Democracy vs People-Centralism (View from Chinese Professor)
  • Democracy: People focus on the process, less on the result (e. g. Switzerland)
  • People-Centralism: People focus less on the process, care most about the result (e. g. China)

Discussions with Chinese MBA Alumnis

• Setup was mainly about cultural differences where we discusses some real world cases regarding cultural differences
• Main take aways here
  • It was fun and a very open and productive environment
  • All statements depend of course on a certain stereotype; every human being is different
  • Friend and Trust vs. Business talks
    • Chinese: Let’s make friend first and then talk business
    • Swiss: Let’s talk business and then make friend (in the extreme version => Only if project is a success)
  • Trust vs. „Tüpfschlischiessere“
    • Chinese: We signed an NDA, meaning we trust each other in general
    • Swiss: You signed an NDA, but only for the given purpose / product, if theres more to come, let’s sign another NDA
  • People Management in China
    • There is still the impression that in China the boss still sits on „top“ of the organization with large personal distance
    • Western world has a more team-oriented / team play style of leadership
    • The MBA Alumni’s could confirm that more and more in China also the team-oriented Leadership style is beeing applied
  • Social : Losing your face
    • This is still an important point in asia; specially in China
    • Find more information about this topic here
    • https://www.tripsavvy.com/saving-face-and-losing-face-1458303

Just another funny discovery

There was a Nicolas Hayek Watchmaking School in the University of Shanghai:

Visits / Sessions today

• University Shanghai – SHU MBA – http://www.shumba.cn/