From China, lessons in preparing for the opportunities (and risks) you don't know are out there.n Made in China: What Western Managers Can Learn from Trailblazing Chinese Entrepreneurs by Donald N. Sull with Yong Wang Harvard Business School Press, 2005 $35.00 CIOs 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 industriesIT, telecom, appliances, and food and beveragethat 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 brandpost Sponsored by SAP Generative AI’s ‘show me the money’ moment We’re past the hype and slick gen AI sales pitches. Business leaders want results. By Julia White Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler How customers capture real economic value with zero trust Unleashing economic value: Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange transforms security architecture while cutting costs. By Zscaler Nov 30, 2023 4 mins Security brandpost Sponsored by SAP A cloud-based solution to rescue millions from energy poverty Aware of the correlation between energy and financial poverty, Savannah Energy is helping to generate clean, competitively priced electricity across Africa by integrating its old systems into one cloud-based platform. By Keith E. Greenberg, SAP Contributor Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation feature 8 change management questions every IT leader must answer Designed to speed adoption and achieve business outcomes, change management hasn’t historically been a strength of IT orgs. It’s time to flip that script by asking hard questions to hone change strategies. By Stephanie Overby Nov 30, 2023 10 mins Change Management Change Management IT Operations 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