For those who have been around China for a while, this is nothing new, but applied to business, this is a trait that China desperately needs: creative problem solving. Without it, China will never be able to come up with new and better solutions, but can only continue to copy what the rest of the world does.
Creative problem solving is the foundation for development and innovation. This is not only the solution to help China move from low-tech manufacturing to more advanced. It is also the key factor in whether China can truly exceed the world's perpetually developing nations. This is not a division between developing and developed, but rather between those who copy and those who creatively come up with new ideas.
There is a line past which replicating others' achievements cannot pass. That line is creative thought. If I can only copy, I cannot surpass the one who invented something. I can keep up the cheap and easy way, but life is about more than keeping a status quo. Life requires us to make decisions, and creative thinkers always excel in making the decisions that need to be made when somebody is not around to hold their hand.
DiligenceChina just yesterday posted an article about China's strong hardware and weak software, in other words, China's great infrastructure and weak management. In that article, author Andrew Hupert says this, "The general standards of front-line management...have only inched up in the past few years. Lack of creativity and independent thinking are still hobbling the potential of China’s graduates, with or without an MBA. And you are going to have to plan accordingly."
Absolutely right! I would put special emphasis on the planning accordingly. Chinese culture and education does not foster such thought as much as other nations. It is memorization compared to essay questions. One is easier to score, but one develops creative thinking skills in the learner.
Any business manager will have to make decisions, and when working with Chinese managers, this will be a tough struggle. Though the younger generation is different in many ways, the lack of independent thought is still a real struggle.
