The Chinese Business Way: Grind it Wherever, Bring the Flour!

My company had worked and is working with Chinese companies and the way the Chinese companies work is a ‘do it your way, bring the profit’ type. It seems that each employee or team of the company is a company by itself. The owner or the boss does not interfere with the individual or team, especially in the marketing area. This goes with the saying in Ethiopia ‘grind it wherever, bring the flour’

This style of business gives freedom to employees to work in the way s/he or the team likes.  It also induces creativity and innovation unlike the old bureaucratic style of management. Perhaps, this may be one of the reasons for China’s fastest development.

But this type of business has also drawback as I observed it practically. The individuals and/or teams of a company are in fierce competition to each other. One team wants to confiscate the customer of the other. Although, the internal competition is good for the company, there is a danger of losing customers for the company as a whole. This is because customers lose trust and honesty and building loyalty would be difficult. This was a reason our company divorced partnership from two Chinese companies.