Tips To Help Top Managers Lead A Multinational Team To Success In China

Hiring professionals belonging to different nationalities and cultures has become a norm for most modern business organizations. This holds true even for a country like China, which is believed to be an extremely conservative marketplace. However, despite having adapted the trend of multinational hiring, a large number of Chinese organizations have yet to enjoy the expected levels of success. This is due to the fact that in most such cases, the top managers have no idea about the best ways to harness the differences between team members. In this context the top headhunting firms in China advise the managers to follow the below discussed tips to lead their multinational teams to success.

Work Towards Building Trust

Trust is one of the key driving forces that inspire the members of a multinational team to perform their best. The individual team members should feel that their leaders and peers sincerely care about them. Lack of such trust leads the team members to become sceptical, suspicious and distrustful about everything that the leaders do or say. Here it is important for the managers to understand that they need to work towards building trust on both a personal and professional level with their team members. This means that they need to invest time and effort in understanding the diversity of individual team members and learning about their strengths and weaknesses. The team leaders also need to take the initiative of establishing strong and open lines of communication with the team members so that they can put forth their ideas and opinions freely and frankly.

Gain An Understanding Of The Cultural Differences

While working with a multinational team, handling the cultural differences between team members is often quite challenging. For this the team leaders need to first educate them about the various cultural differences in their team and how they affect the concerned individuals. The next step is to gradually overlay these differences with a common company culture. At the same time the managers need to eliminate words and phrases that might remind the employees of the differences in their cultures, from the organization vocabulary. As the managers become aware of the work culture and dynamics of their team, they can use different ways to engage with different cultural groups. The managers also need to familiarize themselves with aspects that help in bringing out the best in each group and how to find a common ground for the entire team.

Unite The Team Under A Single Corporate Culture

The leading recruitment firms in China stress on the importance of managers never loosing focus of the corporate culture. This culture should be based on working as a unified entity towards attainment of organizational goals. In this cultural the success of one is celebrated by all and the responsibility of failures is also not laid on the shoulders of a single individual. The culture helps the teams in moving from the concept of me to us. This type of culture helps in improving the level of trust and transparency within the team. Most importantly it helps in blurring the differences of nationalities amongst team members and strengthening their bonds of unity.

Learning The Truth About Hiring Independent Contractors In China

The number of foreign businesses seeking to set up operations in China is still fairly large. This is despite the fact that many such businesses do not possess the resources or the funds to set up a big operational base in the country. This lack of resources leads many such organizations to hire the services of the so called “independent contractors” in China. Hiring such contractors seems to be the best way to cut down the operational costs of the business set up in China. Sadly, most organizations opting for this solution are ignorant of the fact that it makes their China operations completely illegal and exposes them to the risk of losing their assets.

Key Facts About Independent Contractors In China

The first and the most important thing that foreign business organizations need to understand is that hiring independent contractors in China is illegal. Sadly, rather than opting to believe the professionals from the best executive search firms in China, most overseas business organizations take the advice of their Chinese lawyers on the issue. Hence, it is not surprising that such companies often end up unwittingly breaking the law as Chinese labour law does not support any form of employment where the employer can avoid paying minimum benefits. In fact over the past several years, China has adapted an increasingly aggressive approach towards establishments that are following such practices.

What Drives Foreign Businesses To Hiring Independent Contractors

One of the reasons that drive foreign businesses to consider hiring independent contractors is that it cuts down their operational costs considerably. For a small organization with 12-15 employees, this can prove to be a major boost. Such organizations do not register themselves and they do not have to pay the usual employment benefits to the local people working for them. They also get to save a considerable amount of money in taxes as well as the rent for setting up a formal office for the business. Most importantly they do not have to go through the formalities of forming a WFOE in China, which is mandatory for every legal business set up.

Risks Associated With Hiring Independent Contractors

As any professional executive search firm in China informs its clients, the risks of hiring independent contractors are far greater than any benefits that may be obtained. The most obvious risk of hiring independent contractors is that it makes the business operation totally illegal. Opting for this method of recruitment also puts the China IP assets of the business at a huge risk. This is because contrary to what their belief, the business organizations do not actually own these assets and they can be seized by the government in case of a crackdown. They face the constant threat and stress of being shut down any time and losing all their investment and credibility. The businesses might also have to pay a huge penalty in lieu of the taxes that were evaded by the business during its operation. In addition, the businesses operating in this manner are not able to carry out their day to day operations in a free and fearless manner, which can affect their profitability and growth in a significant manner.

Five Tips Offered By The Best Outplacement Coaches

One of the key responsibilities of outplacement coaches is to provide the right guidance to the outgoing candidates for finding career options that match their skills and experience level. For this the professionals offering outplacement coaching in China need to work not only towards enhancing the confidence level of the trainees but also the way they present themselves to future employers. In this context, the best outplacement coaches may offer the following five key tips that can help their clients to ensure a fair and satisfactory exit for their outgoing employees.

Clearly Establish Their Needs

It is important for the outgoing candidates to have a clear understanding of their needs with respect to their career.  They should be well aware of their strengths and weaknesses and interacting with their other professionals from their current organization can prove extremely helpful in this respect. Most organizations offer a lot help and support to their outgoing employees and are willing to share any information that can help improve their job prospects with other employers. So, case the candidates do not have a enough knowledge about what would suit them the best, they can learn about the same by taking to their current colleagues and managers.

Being Vocal About Their Key Successes

The outgoing employees should make sure that they seek written proof of their key successes within their current organization. A simple statement about the same on office letterhead signed and stamped by their immediate superior will suffice in most cases. They should make also make sure that any prospective employers are made aware of these successes as these can deeply influence hiring decisions.

Promote And Enhance Their Skills

It is extremely important for the outgoing candidates to not only promote their niche skills but also gain new ones. They can seek advice from their organization’s career partner in China about the skills that are currently in demand for their specific role and level. Some organizations might even provide help and guidance about the best ways for their outgoing employees to enhance their skills as per the market needs.

 

Be Frank About Their Likes And Dislikes

For overseas employees in China, ensuring a cultural fit within a new organization can prove to be a major challenge. One way to overcome this challenge is to be frank about their likes and dislikes with the people around them. This aspect should especially be taken care of while considering a new work environment, which might be completely opposite to that of their present company. The outgoing employees should also be willing to make minor adjustments to avoid losing a good position.

Communicate Directly And Honestly

Direct and honest communication with is the key to ensuring a smooth and successful job transition. Most business organizations seek feedback from their outgoing employees and this it is important for them to offer the same in a straightforward and honest manner. The outgoing employees should make sure that they do not let their emotion of anger or disappointment to cloud their honest opinion about the company they have been working with. Even if they have some negative feedback to offer, it should be given in a direct yet polite manner.

The Secrets Behind Training Chinese Workers Successfully

One of the key challenges faced by overseas organizations operating in China is that of coaching and training the Chinese workers to work as per their specific corporate culture. While this does not mean that the local workforce is not willing to enhance its skills, they are averse to the idea of using formal training methodologies imported from outside the country. Even the professionals offering services of executive coaching in China have acknowledged that training Chinese workers is no easy feat. Further proof of this fact can be found in that even the best trainers in China rarely change the age old methods of imparting training followed within the country.

In view of the above facts it would not be wrong to state that Chinese workers are unwilling to learn unless the strategies adopted for training adhere to their own training practices. However, since this might not always be possible the professionals from leading ICF coaching firm in China advise the overseas business organizations to adapt the following methodologies for training.

The Secrets Behind Training Chinese Workers Successfully

Five Interviewing Goals An Organization Should Have To Ensure A Good Hire

One of the key parameters that hiring organizations seek in a good candidate is for them to be truthful and honest. While almost every candidate claims to possess these key qualities, only a handful of them actually do so. That is why the professionals from the top leadership coaching firm in China advice their clients to ensure that they make learning the truth from the candidates an interviewing goal. For this the interviewers might ask twisted questions which might force the candidates to reveal the truth unwittingly, in case they are lying. The interviewers might also use the strategy of making the candidates feel somewhat uncomfortable.

When it comes to hiring good candidates as per the needs of a specific job position, most hiring organizations focus on the skills and capabilities of the prospective candidates. However, it is not uncommon for candidates to lie about these two key aspects that the recruiters tend to focus on. Thus finding the right candidates can prove to be a major challenge. In order to help their clients overcome this challenge, the top retained executive search firm in China stress on the importance of setting interview goals. The five key goals that the organizations need to set up in this context are discussed below.

1) Understand Candidate Response To Challenging Situations

2) Gain An Detailed Information About Their Career History

3) The Reason Behind Them Trying Too Hard To Impress

4) Learning The Truth From The Candidates Themselves

5) Learning The Truth From The Candidates Themselves

Vision And Values That Help In Building An Effective Team

Having a shared set of values ensures that all members of a team follow the same guidelines towards fulfilment of the team objectives and shared vision. Establishing this set of values should be done after investing considerable time in discussing and defining them before they are enforced. The shared set of values helps in establishing common rules of engagement and communication for the entire team to follow. The consultants from the best retained executive search firm in China, a shared set of values also makes it easier for new employees to learn about the ways of working of the team in a relatively lesser time.

Every organization, irrespective of its size and type, is driven by one or more teams of professionals, working towards fulfilment of organizational objectives. In some business, the teams are built right from the scratch while others are modified over time as new members replace old ones. The size, number and characteristics of the teams vary from one organization to another. However, all teams share two factors which deeply influence their ability to succeed. These factors include a shared vision and a shared set of values. The experts from the top leadership coaching firm in China stress on the importance of team leaders gaining an in-depth understanding of these factors to build an efficient team.

Vision And Values That Help In Building An Effective Team

Aspects For Leaders To Think For Ensuring Efficient Change Management

In order to ensure efficient change management, it is important for the leaders within business organizations to first understand the reasons that make employees detest change. According to the experts offering career transition coaching in China, this information helps the leaders get the professionals necessary for implementing the change on board in a smooth and hassle free manner. This in turn makes the change more sustainable and less likely to fail.

This is essential not only for extracting a positive response from the employees to be affected by this transition but also to maximize the benefits organizations expect to obtain from the same. In addition it will help them to partner with the right interim executive search firm in China, for getting the right candidates for implementing the change. Discussed below are the key contributing factors that the leaders need to educate the members of their workforce about for ensuring efficient change management within the organization.

Aspects For Leaders To Think For Ensuring Efficient Change Management

Three Vital Stages Of Successful Outplacement Strategies Adapted By Chinese Business Organizations

Most importantly, the business management should emphasize on providing the necessary support to the employees. This might include provision of a severance package, and career transition services offered through coordination with a reliable career partner in China. The management needs to assure the employees that they will not be left alone and in fact would be provided all the assistance and support to move forward to a better and rewarding career. At the same time, many organizations feel the need to change the structure of their workforce or even downsize it to cut costs. However, when faced with such situations, many business organizations in China feel unsure about how to proceed with employee layoff in the measured way. That is why most such companies seek the services of companies offering outplacement coaching in China. Discussed below are the three vital stages of the successful outplacement strategies suggested by such companies and adapted by Chinese business to ensure a smooth send off of the outgoing employees.

Three Vital Stages Of Successful Outplacement Strategies Adapted By Chinese Business Organizations

Five Workforce Challenges That Organizations Need To Address To Make Their Business Future Proof

Global economy is driven by constant changes and in order to get the best benefits, organizations need to have different strategic capabilities. In this context the workforce of the future needs to adapt new and different approaches to talent. Sadly, most organizations today tend to maintain undifferentiated brands of employee and value propositions. In addition, the companies lack an understanding of the changing needs of their current and potential employees. In order to create a winning strategy that makes their business future proof, it is essential for the organizations to acknowledge and address the below discussed five major workforce challenges in a timely and effective manner.

·         Retaining Their Best And Brightest Talent

Despite the unique and specialized talent needs within each industry, the demand for professionals with a wide range of technical and analytical skills cuts across industries. This creates a major imbalance in the supply and demand of such professionals, leading to a rise in the attrition and costs of hiring them. That is why the consultants from ICF coaching firm in China, stress on the need of organizations to minimize the turnover of the best and brightest members of their workforce.

·         Opting For A Multigenerational Workforce

Business organizations can no longer afford to have an undifferentiated talent approach. Rather they need to adapt themselves to the nuances of a new and varied workforce comprising of professionals from different generations. However, in order to get the best results from this multigenerational workforce, it is important for to create a balanced work environment. This can be ensured by focusing on factors other than compensation and benefits and might include aspects such as flexible work arrangements, more varied career opportunities, and recognition and appreciation of achievements.

·         Taking Advantage Of The Gig Economy

Most business organizations in China follow the tradition of relying on a permanent workforce. However, such companies need to modify this traditional approach and make a significant shift toward the gig economy. This is due to the fact that modern day workers across all generations seek a more flexible work environment. The growing preference for freelance careers, especially amongst the millienials makes it imperative for the organization to adapt the nuances of the gig economy to enjoy the benefits f enhanced productivity and greater efficiency.

·         Embrace Diversity Within Workforce

With the world becoming a small place, it has become essential for usiness organizations across the world, including China to have diverse work force. The diversity should be in the form of age, gender and even ethnicity of the employees. The inability of companies to adapt to this significant change will make them lag behind their competitors and lose out on valuable talent.

·         Ensuring Continuous Evolution Of Company Culture

According to the firms offering executive coaching in China, it has become imperative for business organizations to create a work environment that encourages collaboration between the management and employees. Such organizations are focused on employee well-being as it plays a key role in improving their overall performance. This is even more essential because modern employees are increasingly seeking inspirational environments that enable them to lead  balanced lives with greater satisfaction.

Three Vital Mind-Sets That Every Great Leader Must Have

There is doubt about the fact that great leaders can help in accelerating the performance of an organization quite significantly. This in turn can help boost the economic benefits of the organization by as much as 30%. However as the experts from the top headhunting firms in China would confirm, finding great leaders is not an easy task. That is why most business organizations today focus on the development of their on-house candidates having the potential to become influential leaders. The first step in this direction is to identify the important mindsets that define a great leader. The three most important of these mind-sets are described as follows.

Most professionals in leadership roles face situations where they face conflicting pressures. In order to overcome the either/or paradox created by such situations, great leaders need believe that they can do thing that others cannot. At the same time the leaders need to have a humble attitude, which according to the experts from leading recruitment firms in China makes it possible for them to learn from their mistakes. This enables the leaders to turn any conflicting pressures into an opportunity that proves beneficial for the business as well as the workforce. It also helps the leaders to find the most effective ways for making two conflicting objectives compatible as well as reinforcing for the overall growth of the organization.

Three Vital Mind-Sets That Every Great Leader Must Have

Most Sought After Qualities That Recruiters Look For In Senior Executives In China

Even though China boasts of a strong talent pool suited for various junior and mid level organizational positions, there is major shortage of similar professionals for top management positions. Business organizations, irrespective of whether they are locally established or internationally run, face a major challenge, when it comes to finding senior executives with the right set of skills. In fact the best executive search firms in China are also not able to easily fulfil their client needs for a senior executive possessing strong leadership competencies, an international mindset and extensive local know-how. This is especially true for firms offering end-to-end services by providing the most appropriate candidates in accordance with the specific company culture of their clients. The one trait that most executive search firms in China value in candidates for senior executive roles is their ability to empower and energize the workforce. Their focus is on creating a positive work culture driven by creativity and rewards. Such a work environment helps in motivating the employees to take risks and think outside the box. They work towards motivating their subordinates to give their 100% by acknowledging and appreciating even their smallest achievements. Such executives are not averse to communicating openly with the members of their workforce and seeking their inputs about various issues.

Most Sought After Qualities That Recruiters Look For In Senior Executives In China

Common Western Business Habits That Lead To The Downfall Of CEOs In China

Running a business in China is extremely complicated and time consuming and it is not possible for a single person to handle its various aspects. That is why the professionals offering CEO advisory in China services advice their clients to stop trying to control things that they do not understand. Rather they should focus on things that they are strong at and which in turn can help in the growth and development of the organization.

Contrary to the popular belief, this problem is prevalent not only at lower and middle level positions within an organization, but at the top levels as well. This essentially means that business organizations often have to face the problem of replacing unsuccessful CEOs and board members. According to the companies offering services of board advisory in China, this problem is more prevalent in organizations where the top leaders tend to exhibit specific western habits. Discussed below are some of the most common habits that can lead to the downfall of CEOs in Chinese organizations.

Common Western Business Habits That Lead To The Downfall Of CEOs In China

Outplacement Coaching As An Effective Talent Management Opportunity For Recruiters In China

The growing competition and the lack of enough talented professionals within the Chinese job market is one of the major challenges faced by recruiters across the country. While most professional recruiters have opted to expand their talent pool across the borders to overcome this challenge, many other are adapting new strategies of talent management for solving the problem. In this context, the trend of exploiting outplacement coaching in China as an effective talent management strategy is becoming quite popular. Discussed below are the various ways in which adapting this relatively new talent management strategy has been proving beneficial for both professional recruiting firms as well as organizations looking to hire the best talent.

Helps Recruiters Gain Access To Suitable Candidates

By offering outplacement coaching services, the recruiters in China gain easy access to talented candidates from various business niches. They are able to gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of these candidates in a relatively effortless manner while coaching them move between careers. Most importantly, they are able to ascertain the suitability of the candidates for the various job positions with their existing clients and thus advice them accordingly.

Learn About The Concerns And Motivations Of Candidates

One of the key parameters that define successful recruiters is their ability to have a clear understanding of things that motivate prospective candidates. The recruiters offering outplacement coaching services gain this perspective naturally by interacting closely with the candidates. The candidates look upon the coaches to guide them in their career path and hence are able to share their concerns and motivations with them more freely. This information can then be used by the recruiters to create the most effective strategies for managing similar talent.

Provide Better Candidates To Their Clients

Most business organizations in China, are constantly facing a shortage of desired talent to full various job positions. In such scenarios, the recruiters, offering the services of career partner in China for outgoing candidates, can direct them to such clients. Their thorough understanding of the skill and competence level of the candidates helps them to ensure that the clients get better professionals than they are actually seeking. This helps in further strengthening their relationship with the clients based on mutual trust and understanding. Depending on the experience level, knowledge and needs of the candidates, the recruiters might one some rare occasions even convince them to take up roles that require them to cover multiple positions.

Make The Overall Recruitment Process Extremely Cost-Effective

One of the biggest benefits of using outplacement coaching as an effective talent management strategy is that it helps in reducing the overall recruitment costs. The recruitment firms do not need to invest time and money in seeking out the candidates and accessing their suitability for specific roles. In addition, they also do not need to invest their efforts in conducting preliminary interviews and completing background and other checks. Rather they are able to save considerable time as they have already familiarized themselves with the candidates and their skills, expertise and competence level during the outplacement coaching process. This not only makes the overall recruitment process extremely fast but also quite cost-effective.

Features That Are Integral To A Leading Retained Executive Search Firm In China

One of the most effective ways to overcome the recruitment challenges within the country successfully is by hiring the services of a retained executive search firm in China. These firms possess extensive knowledge about the various aspects of recruiting the right candidates in China. In addition, they have access to a vast talent pool of suitable professionals from within the local community as well as foreign nationals. Whether it is the leading recruitment firm or the top leadership coaching firm in China, the ability to use data efficiently for maximum client benefit is a key trait that sets them apart from the crowd. This essentially means that these firms not only possess up-to-date information about the talent demands within specific industries but also the various aspects that might be inspiring the most talented candidates to move. They should also be able to use this data to gain an insight about the niches that offer the greatest growth potential and how these are related to their client business.

Features That Are Integral To A Leading Retained Executive Search Firm In China

Major Features To Consider For Efficient Managing Of Boards In China

Given that most foreign businesses in China have a considerable number of local people working for them even at top management levels, this single fact influences the working of their boards quite significantly. That is why it is not uncommon for foreign businesses to hire the services of companies offering board advisory in China. These companies help the foreign business investors gain a better understanding of the below discussed key concepts to be considered for efficient management of boards in the country. According to the professionals offering the services of CEO advisory in China, it is important for the Chinese people to be assured that the decisions of the board are actually the decisions of the CEO/Chairman/ President of the board.

Major Features To Consider For Efficient Managing Of Boards In China

The Aspects That Influence Hiring Of Expatriate Executives In China

There is a wide gap between the demand and the availability of professionals suited for senior business executive roles in China. This has naturally led to a rise in the trend of companies competing in terms of trying to attract and retain international executive talent. In order to gain maximum efficiency and best results in terms of the quality and competence of candidates, most organizations choose to hire the services of the best retained executive search firm in China. However, even these professional firms need to consider the various factors that influence the hiring of the perfect expatriate candidates to maintain their own efficiency and fulfil the objective of the client in a reliable manner. Discussed below are the most common factors of these factors that need to be considered by search firms for recruiting international talent.

The Aspects That Influence Hiring Of Expatriate Executives In China

Awareness About The Key Parameters That Influence Group Coaching

The top executive search firms in China are well aware of the importance of efficient communication in any business process and relationship. That is why they advice their clients to hire group coaching professionals having extremely strong and efficient communication capabilities. It is only through efficient communication that the coaches might be able to uncover the various issues that hinder optimal team performance. Most professionals attribute this trend to the growing awareness amongst entrepreneurs about the important role played by employee groups and teams in enhancing the growth and success of the organization. The top leadership development firms in China have been encouraging their clients to ensure proper group coaching for enhancing the productivity and efficiency of their workforce.

Awareness About The Key Parameters That Influence Group Coaching

Learning About The Importance And Ways Of Building High-Trust Organizations

For most business, the level of trust amongst the members of its workforce is one the key factors responsible for its success. In fact, despite the significant role it plays in building a growth-oriented and culturally rich organization, trust is often taken most for-granted within an organization. Building a high-trust organization is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Rather, it is requires investment of considerable efforts and a great deal of care on part of each employee within the organization to attain this objective. In this context, the executive search firms in China, stress on the importance of using correct tools and methodologies for building a high-trust organization.

Benefits Of Building A High-Trust Organization

As mentioned before, high-trust organizations tend to show greater growth and efficiency as compared to lo-trust ones. This is because such organizations boast of a more efficient leadership and better corroborative efforts across the various levels within the organization. In addition, the workforce of such organizations shares a strong sense of purpose and enjoys an organizational culture that values tolerance and co-operation. In such organizations, the leaders also take up the responsibility of coaching their teams in addition to managing them, besides seeking the inputs of team members for effective decision making. High trust organizations also pay greater attention to employee empowerment and ensure transparent and authentic communication within the workforce. They believe in practicing what they preach and offering a fair chance of growth and development to all employees to create a loving a caring culture.

Ways To Build High-Trust Organization

The process of building a high-trust organization is continuous one and needs to be carried out through the use of right methods. The top executive search firms in China have identified the following ways that can help businesses to become high-trust organizations in effective manner.

Encouraging Transparency In Communication

Transparent communication is the most basic requirement for building trust in any relationship. So, it is essential for organizations to encourage transparency in all types of intra-office communication. The employees should be motivated to inculcate a habit of speaking clearly and honestly without feeling worried about being embarrassed or reprimanded.

Ensure Greater Employee Engagement In Decision Making

Involving the employees in the decision making processes can go a long way in building their trust in management. Such initiatives make the employees feel like being an integral and vital part of the organization and this naturally enhances their level of loyalty. On their part, the employees need to trust the organization management about having their best interests in mind while making key policy decisions.

 

Developing A Positive Attitude To Constructive Criticism

Constructive criticism, if taken in a positive way, can help the members of a workforce to grow and evolve. Helping the employees understand this basic truth can go a long way in creating a work environment based on mutual trust and understanding. The leaders can play a key role in helping their team members to develop a positive attitude towards constructive criticism, irrespective of the level of the person offering such feedback. In fact, it is highly advisable for the organization to inculcate the habit providing regular feedback to peers amongst the employees. 

Understanding The Prospect Of Team Leaders Turning Into Efficient Team Coaches

This leads many organizations to delegate the task of team coaching to professionals offering individual leadership and executive coaching in China. In most such cases the organizations fail to get the desired results and end up wasting valuable time and money. But now, some organizations have come up with an innovative solution for the problem of team coaching. However, the one question that everyone is asking is about the feasibility and practicality of the idea. In this respect the organizations are seeking the advice of the consultants from the top headhunting firms in China. This is because in the recent times, these firms have been focusing on providing candidates for team leadership possessing basic leadership and coaching skills. While this has been done in accordance with changing market needs, this trend has proven to be beneficial in an entirely new respect.

Understanding The Prospect Of Team Leaders Turning Into Efficient Team Coaches