Global Leadership Development

Industry: Industrial Manufacturing

A US-based industrial equipment manufacturer with annual sales of USD 10 billion was moving from a centralized, US-based management structure to a more regionally-directed management structure as a part of a corporate restructuring. An American vice-president was being sent to Shanghai as the Asia regional VP. The overall goal of our engagement was to help the executive identify possible barriers to transition effectiveness prior to the move and to create a plan for overcoming them.

Our approach:

• Seek to understand the context of the executive's move and his key early-stage objectives
• Help the client identify key stakeholders relevant to his new position
• Define priorities in building local relationships within the Chinese business context
• Create an action plan for building local relationships and establishing credibility in the new role
• Create a internal management training workshop on effective communication between Chinese and American teams—for both China and the US
• Create a feedback process to check progress

Results:

• A smoother than expected transition for the executive, as well as an increased level of comfort with the move and a clearer understanding of "what do to first" in the early weeks and months in Shanghai.
• Executive was able to produce value in his role at an earlier stage.
• The team training mapped out processes and methods for better communication and resolution of misunderstandings for both sides.

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