Does Culture have a role to play in talent management?

Photography by Richard Williams - 魏鷺安

As a person of Moroccan origin who grew up in France and worked in London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore and now Shanghai, I count myself lucky to have worked across multicultural teams in Europe and Asia. Living and working in Asia over the last 6 years, I have realised that company culture can play a very important role in holding teams together. Especially in China, where the war for talent is intense and the landscape transforms at a rapid pace, developing a culture even within the teams can be the key to growing and strengthening business. As the old Chinese adage says: “If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people.”

In my years in this corner of the world, I came to realisation of a great truth about China?—?Its evolution is very organic/tentacular and a lot more Innovative than most people think. Including when it comes to human capital. Here are four lessons I have learnt.

1?—?Never ending Time of change

There is no doubt about how China has proven in many ways that it is constantly shifting and reshaping itself. During the last decades the Chinese landscape has been economically, culturally and politically rebalancing. To a point, where it is not possible to ignore or not notice, the repercussions it has on its local and western human capital. And therefore how it will impact the future of this workforce. With a more educated workforce (increasing rate of overseas students coming back home), China is absolutely in a position to build a more flexible talent pool that is able to adapt foreign practices and technologies to local situations. Not to forget that despite the past under-investment in human capital through its education system, China is still benefiting from the import of its own overseas Chinese grey matter.

2?—?Evolutionary Leadership

When it came to China leadership, my professional experience really started outside of the walls of an office.

It’s in the every day life and mingling with my team that I witnessed interacting cultures from different corners of the world getting the best out of each other. It’s also where my first lessons on how to connect on a deeper level and be a leader for a Chinese team happened. The days of authoritative leadership remained the stronger type of leadership in China for years. However, this aspect of the Chinese human capital, legacy of a Communist mindset, has matured fast and given way to a more strategic and relationship-driven leadership. In my team, the most junior person is being empowered and given a voice to express opinions, solutions and ideas. The fact that China is not relying only on foreign companies to stimulate this new breed of leadership is showing with non State owned organisations for example. Non SOEs owned by younger Chinese generation tend to dissociate themselves from the traditional ways and be more progressive and innovative. They come with a sound understanding of how important company culture is to their business and they will contribute to the development of future Chinese leaders by Chinese leaders. My learning curve was to find ways to inject some of the progressive Chinese leadership style in my foreigner leadership style.

3?—?Two way glass–ceiling?

This is the next aspect of this intricate landscape. Lets give some thoughts to the reality of a Glass ceiling felt by Chinese but also expatriates. A common phenomenon for both, local and foreigner workforce, who respectively find themselves on the other side of the fence trying to evolve in Western or Chinese companies. A phenomenon accentuated by the fact that Chinese employers call for nationalistic sentiments amongst a Chinese workforce who proud themselves to work for a Chinese company. The result reflects in Chinese workers behaviour who are turning to local companies increasingly becoming more attractive and where glass ceiling is not a brake to their careers. This put further strain on foreign companies who in past years were only struggling with the strong competition talents occurring between Western multinational Corporations (MNCs). But it is obviously not black or white and that’s where China is also about finding the right balance. That is where foreigners (like me) are facing new challenges with a market becoming less dependant to Western talents but also requires more and more to be able to speak Chinese.. The other side of the two way glass-ceiling.

4?—?Company culture & Work environment

I am a strong believer that company culture starts within your own team. It is the world you can directly impact with your personality, attitude and usual social skills used in a work environment.. The necessary substance to creating a culture is there. Not so much in the fluffy and cold corporate programs. With your own team, once the right ingredients are put together.. The chemistry is easier to spread. It should almost feel like a contagious effect on workmates who are exposed to it.

In my experience, the traditional Vision & Values in companies struggle to capture the human depth, the drive for passion or even connect with employees in some levels. And that is exactly what organisations need to empower, retain, growth and build the dreamed and stimulating environment very few organisations achieved in the past.

Looking more specifically at China, we can see that it is fast getting on with the idea that company culture is a crucial soft benefit to the prosperity of all business. Not to mention, a must when it comes to any business strategy aimed towards growth.

China is in a maturing stage (different industries react differently to the evolution) but there is out there a developing pool of sophisticated talents with expectations related to work environment and work-life balance. Several companies have adopted an approach towards building positive emotions through cross-functional collaboration and by encouraging diversity to address as many cultural factors as they are. Most importantly, they understand that culture is also about nurturing entrepreneurial minds and harvesting efforts by providing bright career development plans for all.

My view and advice. Corporate cultures give you a healthy fallow field.. Don’t be rigid and start cultivating it to grow your own. Find out what that field you stand on is propitious to!

Written by Omar Hadoui - June 2016