The last two sessions were quite interesting. These lessons alleviated my fears on SES, because the thought of Reflective Journals and Research Papers (this especially) was very intimidating. Having gone through these two lessons, I feel that the topics of discussions are quite easy to discuss and really can improve my thoughts.
I wasn't really prepared for these lessons though. For the first one, I didn't make notes. For the second one, my notes were minimal. Thus my participation in class was probably greatly compromised. I tried my best to participate though.
It was about Google, Apple and Lenovo. The work cultures in these three companies are ever so different. All of them have their pros and cons. I personally feel that The Google Way of management is very innovative. Who wouldn't want freedom during work! I mean, there's free lunch, free facilities, subsidized services.... It's great! How does this work though? You give them so much freedom, and provide for their welfare, how do you make sure that the company actually profits?
Google
I feel that there actually is no guarantee. Google is placing a large bet that the workers would actually do work. Perhaps it's because the workers feel indebted to the carefree lifestyle provided in work. But won't all the free food and such distract the workers. Well, maybe these 'distractions' become so common that workers don't get distracted at all! There are many pros and cons to the Google way, but one cannot deny that it is being implemented in Google, and it's working very well!
Is this system productive? Or is it counter-productive? I feel that it might potentially go both ways. The only thing that is keeping this system productive is the workers themselves. They seem to possess a work attitude that can accomodate the Google way. I think that this is because of the education system in America. Students are encouraged to ask and be curious about things.
The issue here is not whether the Google way is good or not, but rather whether it can be implemented worldwide. This is where Apple and Lenovo comes into play.
Apple and Lenovo
In Apple, it is very clear who's the boss - Steve Jobs. Work is very strict compared to Google, and there is a strict hierarchy. This is even more exaggerated in Lenovo. The workers do not ask questions, but only obey orders. Orders, orders and orders. That's what the Chinese want.
I think this is due to the fact that the Chinese are taught really differently. The cultural difference between China and the West is just too big. Perhaps it's all about the Confucian idealogy, where respect is really important. Perhaps to the Chinese, questioning and coming up with new ideas is just disrespect?
This causes a problem. It really stifles innovation and creativity. Alot of Chinese products are purely copies! Now there's nothing wrong with getting inspirations though. The iPhone was inspired by touchscreen phones. However, what China needs to do is to change their product somehow to make it better than the "copied products" ! This is severely stifled by the oppressive work conditions. China needs to be more enthusiastic in their work.
No matter how you think about it, the Google Way is a no-no in China. They are probably more comfortable with the strict hierarchy in China
However, the way this works might not be so bad after all. Although creativity might be stifled, Chinese generally get things done. You have to admit it, the Chinese copy very well. The thing is, since distractions are not allowed, work is finished very efficiently. Maybe something innovative will come in awhile, and when that happens, I suspect something great is on its way. This something could potentially boost China's economy and place it as the economic superpower.
This is evident by the fact that Lenovo is doing quite well. In my previous class 2i2, there were 3 out of 25 people who were using Lenovo computers. Not that bad, in my opinion, considering the fact that it is a Chinese company. However, I find it lacks a certain something. The design isn't particularly appealing. They all look the same - plain. This is what China needs to change. They have to innovate and think up of new ideas to please their customers.
To wrap this up, the most important thing China needs to do now is to be more culturally intelligent (linking back to the first lesson). It needs to be able to adapt to different systems so that it can really become the economic superpower of the world
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ReplyDeleteHi, Akira, a quite good analysis of the "Google Way" as well as its culture, your choice of words and sentence structures are also what I should learn from. But there are some points I disagree upon your analysis of Chinese culture and Chinese companies. Sure enough, China lacks creativity and innovation, and it's also truth that China doesn't have as much enthusiasm as westerners have on working. But you haven't seen one thing, which is China is not as advanced in technology as the European countries and America. Sometimes it's not a matter of our lack in creativity but a matter of lack in advanced technology which we have no choice but to turn to America and other countries for help. China has its unique culture which is basically different from other cultures. And, as far as I'm concerned, what you should notice is not that whether China way is good or not but in China's unique culture, has China done it's best or made much progress and in China's unique culture, whether the China way is good or not for Chinese prople. As a whole, I like your reflective journal and your analysis. That's my comment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment!
ReplyDeleteHi Akira,
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty in-depth reflection on Lenovo's and Apple's management ststems. I agree that the education system of a country plays a important role in stereotypical business management system. For example, creativity and freedom are commonly associated with American management systems since American education focuses mainly on self-discipline and creativity, which is why independent learning is more common there and you will never find essay questions such as "Does social network make people abusive" in Ivy-League entrance papers but get questions like "How is Plato similar to Playdough" which requires you to squeeze out your creative juices. However, what truly determines the management system of a company are the ideologies and values of the boss. No matter how liberal or authoritarian he or she is, he or she still holds the highest position in the company and therefore is the only one who has the power to introduce or change business management styles. Apple is a very good example. Despite its former CEO, Steve Job, being educated in America, he does not grant his employees as much freedom as the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt.
I also agree that cultural intelligence is an important factor in business management as interactions between people of other cultures will be common when working in a multinational corporation. Therefore, only with high cultural intelligence can both employees and employers work well with other multinational corporations. However, I disagree to a certain extent with your statement on Chinese only being able to copy ideas. The stereotype of Chinese only being able to manufacture or copy products but not come out with its own product is definitely relevant in the 21st Century. Nevertheless, all stereotypes have exceptions and although it is acceptable to discuss stereotypes while ignoring the presence of possible exceptions, the exception to the stereotype of Chinese, Lenovo, is a main part of your reflection which is why I have to disagree with your stand the stereotype. Lenovo does come out with creative products such as a hybrid of computers and tablets and computers with a detachable screen. Lastly, I feel that you can discuss the application of such business management systems in Singapore and your preferred system as this would make your reflection more holistic. All in all, I feel that this is a good reflection as it is very detailed and covers several aspects of Google's and Lenovo's management systems.