Back in the days of the Han dynasty, and for centuries after, to successfully become an imperial official, candidates had to go through a gruelling examination system. This system worked fantastically well as a method of identifying the most talented young scholars from across China. After they were selected, these scholars would then develop and progress through the imperial ranks, perhaps even one day advising the emperor himself. This system may now be a relic of China's ancient past, but there are some valuable lessons we could learn from it.
China is currently experiencing a level of growth and development the likes of which we have never before seen. As the world's largest population transitions towards an open market economy, we are confronted by a myriad of opportunities and challenges on a daily basis, at all organisational levels. Local and multinational companies are racing to establish a foothold in the Chinese market and secure their place in what, over the next 25 years, will become the world's largest economy. Ironically, given its 1.3 billion inhabitants, one of the most perplexing challenges facing companies in China is the undersupply of qualified and capable talent to drive this growth into the next decade. Dubbed the ‘War for Talent', HR professionals China-wide are struggling with staff acquisition and retention as employees make excessive demands and job-hop from position to position at unsettling rates. In an effort to uncover some answers to the problematic question of ‘how do I attract and retain the best staff?' I spoke to the managing directors of 4 of China's leading recruitment firms.
Last time out, I began my Synchronicity series by discussing the first two key elements of building your dream team - sharing a common goal and establishing defined roles within your team. This time around, I will take in the other two key factors to ensure you have a full understanding of what it takes to forge a fantastic team.
China currently suffers from a chronic shortage of talented, qualified managers. With such talent becoming increasingly difficult to recruit, it is vital that you do everything you can to develop the talented individuals you already have, so that they can fill managerial roles in the future. With this in mind, I thought I would introduce some techniques that could help you to develop your existing staff, and help you develop yourself, so that you can manage your organisation's HR needs with greater effectiveness.
If I were to use the words ‘training contract', I am sure you would instantly assume that I were talking about an agreement that you might sign with a training provider. That would be a pretty safe assumption, right? However, you would be wrong. When I use the words ‘training contract', I am actually referring to a bond between you and your employees that could work to transform the way you train your team.
In the last issue of Network HR, Allan Nee of Baode Law in Tianjin wrote a detailed and insightful article about the ways in which your organisation needs to adapt to China's new Labour Laws. Allan offered a myriad of fantastic advice. However, there was one factor he mentioned that really captured my attention - transparency.Read More
Benefits
The Power of Acknowledgement
he seeds of this article were sewn as I put together the last edition of Network HR. First, as I edited the Training & Development section, I read the following prophetic words from Jennifer Peterson, "If you want your customers to feel cared for, you must care for the employees that serve them." This started me musing about the way organisations across China treat employees.Read More
Training
Synchronicity for Success
A single droplet of sweat trickled down my neck as the glowing amber sun beat down on us. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw our competitors lined up alongside us. It was the moment we had been preparing for over the last 5 years. Our goal was crystal clear and I had visualised this very occasion countless times.Read More
Recuitment
War, what is it good for?
I believe I can bring the War for Talent to a peaceful end. I came to this realisation two
months ago after I was invited to present at the ‘Corporate Travel and Technology
World' conference in Shanghai. The topic, "Selecting Potential Leaders and Turning a Company from Good to Great", was
provided some months earlier, giving me time to source opinions from
around China. Read More
In the last issue of Network HR, Allan Nee of Baode Law in Tianjin wrote a detailed and insightful article about the ways in which your organisation needs to adapt to China's new Labour Laws. Allan offered a myriad of fantastic advice. However, there was one factor he mentioned that really captured my attention - transparency.Read More
he seeds of this article were sewn as I put together the last edition of Network HR. First, as I edited the Training & Development section, I read the following prophetic words from Jennifer Peterson, "If you want your customers to feel cared for, you must care for the employees that serve them." This started me musing about the way organisations across China treat employees.Read More
A single droplet of sweat trickled down my neck as the glowing amber sun beat down on us. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw our competitors lined up alongside us. It was the moment we had been preparing for over the last 5 years. Our goal was crystal clear and I had visualised this very occasion countless times.Read More
I believe I can bring the War for Talent to a peaceful end. I came to this realisation two
months ago after I was invited to present at the ‘Corporate Travel and Technology
World' conference in Shanghai. The topic, "Selecting Potential Leaders and Turning a Company from Good to Great", was
provided some months earlier, giving me time to source opinions from
around China. Read More
