Made in China: What Western Managers Can Learn from Trailblazing Chinese Entrepreneursby Donald N. Sull with Yong WangHarvard Business School Press, 2005$35.00CIOs who are loath to do too much long-term thinking will find a lot to like in Made in China: What Western Managers Can Learn from Trailblazing Chinese Entrepreneurs by Donald N. Sull. In his examination of leading entrepreneurs in China, Sull posits that in truly unpredictable markets, a long-term vision is pointless at best and perilous at worst. On the surface, the book is a collection of case studies that uncover many of the idiosyncrasies an executive faces in the Chinese market (murky ownership structures, inconsistent access to capital, shifting industrial policy). But CIOs, who also seek to survive amid uncertainty, could glean potentially valuable best practices as well.The impetus for the book is straightforward. American companies such as Wal-Mart, and U.S. entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates have been examined and emulated for years. But there’s precious little written about the corporate pioneers operating in the world’s second largest economy. So Sull, an associate professor of management practice at London Business School, sought to identify the business leaders of China today. He settled on four industries—IT, telecom, appliances, and food and beverage—that he thought were the most integrated into global markets, and then identified two leading companies in each that had thrived during the economic, political and regulatory turbulence of the past decade. Through in-depth interviews and access to corporate archives, Sull has created an outline of China’s current winners’ successful strategies and introduces some fascinating new business and management concepts that work for Chinese executives. An example is “active waiting”—anticipating and preparing for opportunities and threats one can neither fully foresee nor control. During periods of relative calm, successful managers in China focus on midterm priorities that provide their companies direction over periods of one to three years, such as building reserves of cash and resources, improving operations and managing risk. As a primer for dominating the Chinese market in the long run, it’s not clear how helpful this book will be. But it can be a valuable playbook for flourishing in an environment of insecurity and ambiguity—a state in which many companies operate these days, no matter where they are in the world. Related content how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business IT Skills Backup and Recovery interview WestRock CIDO Amir Kazmi on building resiliency Multidimensional resiliency is vital to setting yourself, your teams, and your organization up for success. Kazmi sets the tone at WestRock by recognizing the pace of change, instilling a learning and growth mindset, and being transparent with his te By Dan Roberts Dec 07, 2023 8 mins IT Strategy Staff Management IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by FPT Software Time for New Partnership Paradigms to Be Future-fit By Veronica Lew Dec 06, 2023 5 mins Vendors and Providers brandpost Sponsored by BMC Why CIOs should prioritize AIOps in 2024 AIOps empowers IT to manage services by incorporating AI/ML into operations. By Jeff Miller Dec 06, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe