China HR: Management Shortage Requires A Plan — Not Hand-Wringing
The China HR crisis is finally hitting mainstream business media, and now it is time for international managers to quit wringing their hands and start coming up with solutions.
But DilChina has been talking about the Chinese management dilemma for so long that we feel we are in danger of sounding like something of a Chicken Little on the issue. Well, if you don’t believe me – look at yesterday’s All Roads Lead To China post entitled: “China’s HR Canary Needs a Little Oxygen”.
‘Well, for some industries, finding people is becoming a huge problem, and more and more I am being exposed to this. To be honest, if you had asked me 6 months ago if there would be ever be a shortage of labor in China… I would have laughed. Middle managers sure… but labor?
However, over the last year there have been signs of this, and it was in a place I never thought I would find it, and it wasn’t until this weekend that I recognized that the canary in the mine was on a respirator…’
Richard Brubaker, publisher of All Roads Lead to China (www.allroadsleadtochina.com) is no China lightweight. He has 15 years of Asian experience, 5 years in the Mainland, a leader at AmCham, part of the Thunderbird Clan, etc. He epitomizes the China Ex-Pat Management Establishment at its best, and when he starts banging the drum on ‘a China Labor Shortage’, new entrants and incumbent managers had best start paying attention.
So I’m going to say this again – loudly and clearly. EVERY CHINA BUSINESS PLAN NEEDS AN HR & TRAINING PLAN. It’s not something you can just figure out once you are on the ground. It’s not a detail. It’s not something you can just throw a little cash at once you have your office set up. It is part of your BASIC planning for success in China.
Too many ex-pat managers take the approach that all they have to do is hire an experienced local HR manager once they get here. Nonsense. Local HR managers are part of the problem – not the solution. If you – senior strategic planners – don’t take the lead on HR planning, your companies will never break the cycle of higher salaries for shorter tenures. There is a tremendous pool of YOUNG talent out there, but if you don’t have the budget, system and commitment to train and develop them, you are going to play the revolving-door game with the 35-35s (35 year old local managers making 35,000 per month). You will spend ALL of your time putting out fires and listening to drawn-out rationales for lowering your standards.
Ok. I’m done now – read these articles and get to work on that HR Plan.
Posted: May 16th, 2007 under Business Entry.
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