Russell Reynolds Associates: How to Develop China’s Next Generation of Strategic Regional Leaders

A study from Russell Reynolds Associates on the candidate pool in the China market indicates customer services and functional roles are filled by Chinese locals, positions such as general management, strategic planning and marketing still are predominantly filled by Westerners. In the past the main reason behind the localization was cost savings, while nowadays, the salary gap between locals and Westerners has diminished.

The analysis of talent at country-level vs. regional leadership positions revealed large capability gaps between the two groups.  People who are successful at the country level are execution-and-results driven with a strong entrepreneurial mindset, whereas regional leadership roles require consensus.  Often what adds to this challenge of closing the capability gap is the reluctance of local talent to leave China to gain the experience they would need to perform at the regional level.

To address this some companies are creating short term assignments that are tailored to personal situations. Other organizations are exporting top Chinese talent to other countries and simultaneously sending in the same number of people from outside in order to create a more global organization.

The full article is published on Russell Reynolds Associates’ website. Read the full report.