As China’s economy escalates in global standing, certain challenges in the distribution and sharing of knowledge emerge where companies expand into that more guarded of terrains. Researchers at The University of Bremen advise that it falls to the direct superiors of Chinese staff to facilitate an atmosphere which fosters the sharing of information. Here lies the strategy by which HR can assist in cultivating cultural change to progress seamlessly through these shifting times.
According to a research project at the Department of Applied Sciences, University of Bremen, when foreign companies have invested in the Chinese mainland to the point where a significant number of local employees are appointed in management positions, the problem of sharing knowledge within the company takes centre stage. While a ‘knowledge is power’ attitude does remain prominent in many countries, this is ubiquitous in regard to China. How then can HR encourage knowledge-share?
The paper produced by Renate King, Constanze Müller and Monika Schädler, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education, advocates that the direct superior of an individual employee is the crucial factor for getting him or her to share knowledge. It is customary in Chinese business for the superior to be tasked with personally encouraging employees to provide knowledge and experiences to their colleagues. Although the success of such encouragement depends on a number of factors, employee age is found to be of particular significance. The authors categorized the following three groups of employees: those less than 25 years old, those between 25 and 40 and employees of over the age of 40.
Effects of age
Having just ‘entered society’ (进入社会) those of less than 25 years of age are coming to terms with both their new responsibilities and their new colleagues and will acquire the necessary communication competence. Nevertheless with so much uncertainty involved at the beginning of working life, the initial role of a direct superior/line manager should be to show them how they can adapt themselves and their existing knowledge to the company climate. Secondly, as knowledge sharing is mostly not encouraged by the current Chinese educational system, these staff should be made aware of what knowledge is worth sharing and with whom this should be shared. Lastly but of great importance, the direct superior should reassure the employees that no negative consequences will arise from such a practice.
Employees within the age group of 25-40 with work experience of at least two years are usually keen to increase their value in the labour market. Whilst Chinese employees have previously appeared passive and unwilling to take on responsibility, this is usually no longer the case—they are eager to advance their career. They become increasingly aware of the value of the knowledge and experience they possess, but do also realise that knowledge is far from static and independent; it is constantly developing. Moreover, they acknowledge that many tasks cannot be accomplished merely with the knowledge of a single person. In this case the line manager or supervisor concerned should make them realise the benefits of a sharing approach—both for the company in general and for their efficiency as individuals.
The most problematic group is that of employees above the age of 40 who often have a lesser propensity to share knowledge as this habit has not been established in their formative years. The slogan ‘the master will starve if he passes everything to the apprentice’(教会徒弟，饿死师傅) is especially cited within this age group in order to explain this phenomenon. Yet these staff are also aware that management objectives and knowledge-related tasks require information from others and that this needs to be exchanged on a frequent basis.
For those employees who have been with the company for a longer time it may not be prudent to hire from outside—promotion from within is clearly preferred. The direct superior’s task should be to include step-by-step encouragement of the employees to share their long-term experiences. It is advised that this should be done in person and not explicitly in written form.
Conflicting interests
Although company culture tends to permeate from top to bottom, it is the line managers who should shoulder the responsibility of creating an atmosphere conducive to sharing. If a conflict of interest arises between departments, an employee might choose to communicate carefully only the immediate necessary information. Here again, it is the role of the direct superior to settle this conflict and to make clear the ranking of the different, often conflicting interests of company, department and person.
Growing relations and actively asking
This supportive work atmosphere must take into consideration the information and communication channels on which employees rely. Communication must be softened with the foreign headquarters, removing barriers where needed. Regular team-building activities—not just for certain projects—are a healthy and productive option. Although the employees are very much aware of the fact that they must cultivate relations – guanxi – there is an expectation that to enable work to take place smoothly this should be coordinated by those in immediate authority. One way that this could be done is by an effective office layout for example.
Foreign employees in the role of the direct superior naturally have the expectation of employee knowledge-share. However, this expectation is contrary to the implicit rules in China in which employees focus on gathering instead of sharing knowledge. Foreign employees should actively ask for information, as Chinese employees, apart from some new entrants, likewise do. In fact, the frequent rotation of foreign expatriates more often than not proves detrimental. They are unlikely to be able to gain the trust of the employees or be aware of the various informal flows of knowledge and conflicts within the environment. Besides the likely language barriers, they are not able to enter the information networks which have long been embedded within the company.
It seems that the role of the direct superior is paramount in the eyes of Chinese workers. HR should take strong note of this deeply ingrained factor. But once the communication culture is right, staff will feel cared for and supported, work can take place slickly and they will be able to develop—all of which are important factors for the long-term retention of Chinese employees.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
