SRI Shorts—learn to live with contradictions
China is where I learned that two things can be right at the same time. More importantly, it’s where I realized that being able to mentally handle and professionally manage active contradictions was the best way to deal with rapid change and stark cultural differences present in China.
We see this daily in our work with clients in China—companies are growing their presence, but profit margins are shrinking; foreign enterprises in China are be coming more efficient in the local market but increasingly disconnected from their global HQ; unemployment is high, but so is turnover.
China is either/both the largest market and manufacturer for my clients but also “our biggest problem globally,” as one CEO put it. Another described their own operations in China as “opaque” and “obtuse.” One company went so far as to hire a “China guy” in their HQ in the US just so that he could “translate” to the executive team what was going on in their China office (and they had a foreign director in China—it wasn’t a language issue).
Take these two headlines—same data, different stories:
Yes, both are true. And you’re better off if you read both (as opposed to one). The key is balancing the contradictions, trusting your people, and being willing to keep moving forward—you can’t drive a parked car! Contradictions can be managed if you’ve got good information and are willing to act.
