Delivering returns in China

The client challenge

This food retail group had invested £600m in China across 3 businesses. With thirty plants, a headcount of 10,000 and a turnover of RMB 4bn, China’s importance in the client’s global operations cannot be overstated. The client wants to develop its senior and middle management teams across three of its Chinese operations. By investing in this talent pool, the company is seeking to deliver an enhanced year on year performance and greater shareholder value.

blackswan needed to ensure that its learning methods were in line with the Chinese culture and recognised this lends itself to the presentation of facts, to the demonstration of methods and principles that have been proven empirically. We also had to recognise the importance of demonstrating knowledge, credibility, respect for seniority, the role of Gei Mian Zi and how personal relationships underpin business ones (rather than the opposite that characterises business engagements in the west)

The blackswan solution

The blackswan solution tailored the interventions to key strategic business objectives and challenges. We focussed on what collective leadership the business required to deliver its agenda and the gap between the desired and current team profile.

Establishment of a ‘steering group’ to guide and support the on-going programme and ensure buy-in and context
Establishing baselines of current group performance/competence so that progress can be quantified and reported organisationally
Review of key findings to shape the delivery for the team workshops
Creating a common frame of reference across the three businesses, therefore combining a collective mentality while still allowing for particular business needs and priorities.
Use of the client’s and other Chinese business case studies to develop strategic thinking and to ensure that the transfer of knowledge is within a recognised, relevant context
1:1 executive coaching to individual leadership team members to integrate and embed the learning for the business

The client outcome

The business is performing successfully and the success of this is down to its people.

Working remotely in China is challenging, not only for the people, but for the businesses supporting them.

blackswan were able to deliver a solution which met individual, business and the group parent’s expectations: