Montag, 08.02.2010
MANAGEMENT-FORUM 08.02.2010 07:05 Uhr
Asian managers re-discover the Eastern
Hemisphere
During the World Economic Forum at the end of January in
the Swiss mountain village of Davos the leaders of the world
clearly defined a common goal: Overcome the growth crisis!
But the ways executives from America, Asia and Europe are
about to choose could not be more diverse.
von Dieter Fockenbrock
DÜSSELDORF. Europe’s leaders struggle for real innovations, Americans recognize
their remaining lack of efficiency and the Asians realize that their structures do in no way
support the ambitious growth targets. That is the result of the first Handelsblatt
Management-Forum, a survey conducted with 12 leading business schools in the triad:
America, Asia and Europe.
Among others business schools like Yale and Columbia (USA), IESE (Barcelona) and
St. Gallen, the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai or the Indian Business
School in Hyderabad do participate. Renowned experts like Jagmohan Raju, David Sobermann or
Dominique Hanssens are part of the group. The complete matrix with all answers can be found on the
Handelsblatt website.
In cooperation with the management consultancy Santiago Advisors and the scholar Ronny Fürst
(European Management School) from the European Management School in Mainz, the Handelsblatt has
questioned the panel participants about the subjects which are on the top of the management agenda in
their region as well as which topics will dominate the future management agendas. This survey will be
conducted on a regular basis with partly changing questions.
Western leaders are looking for orientation. That is the impression emerging from the current turn of the
year survey. Therefore, Strategic Management is a top subject at business schools across Europe and the
United States. But only in the US the interest for instruments to enhance economic efficiency is ranked with
equal importance. In Europe and Asia this aspect is not an issue. “The survey shows furthermore, that the
once unrivaled leading role of American business schools is weakening”, remarks Fürst. The reason: In the
Far East totally different questions are on the agenda. In the view of leading Asian scholars, two main
strategies will guide Asian global players in the next decade. “Think global, act local” and “from contract
manufacturing to globally leading technology.” For Cathy Chen, (Singapore Management University) Asian companies will concentrate on the needs of
Asian customers in the future. Target customers will no longer be looked for in Europe or America. Chen:
“Value-added technological innovations and consumer-oriented marketing are replacing the traditional lowcost oriented models.”Her colleague Jagmohan Raju (Wharton Business School) adds: “Business models
that recognize the importance of growing local markets and are capitalizing on India’s young talent will be
successful.” In other words: China, India and other rising Asian nations are waving goodbye to their role as
an extended workbench of the Western world. “Companies in Asia have been positioned as mere low-cost
suppliers. Now they want to ascent to the league of global players and compete with their own brands.” says Fürst.
an extended workbench of the Western world. “Companies in Asia have been positioned as mere low-cost
suppliers. Now they want to ascent to the league of global players and compete with their own brands.” says Fürst.
Asian managers do not only re-discover their own markets which have been neglected due to the mere
export orientation. There are more aspects that differentiate the Asian management elite. During the World
Economic Forum it became apparent, that Asians recognize the current crisis as to be mostly of Western
concern. For the developed nations that surely does not mean relief. On the contrary “Competition between
regions will increase, especially between China and the US predicts Oliver Heil (Universität Mainz).
A further finding of the Handelsblatt Management-Forum is the central role of innovations for the
established Western world. “Europe and the USA are focused on sustainable breakthrough innovations” says Santiago consultant Juan Rigall. Whereas the target to accelerate companies’ growth is clear, a
shortage of appropriate ideas to do so is obvious as well. Scholars are therefore re-focusing their
research. Stefan Thomke (Harvard) for example is researching into open innovation models, meaning
cross-company networks to fuel the creation of new products, services etc.
The Korean professor Shijin Yoo underlines the significance of “customers as
innovators“. And Oliver Gassmann [/NAMEN](St. Gallen) is currently investigating in new
ways of leveraging outputs of globalized R&D networks. But innovation goes even
beyond that. It is furthermore the keyword for new business models in the industrialized
world. Spectacular innovations in the USA like the Apple’s iPod, iPhone and the new
iPad, raise the question where is Europe. David Sobermann (INSEAD) believes in
“transforming business models to capitalize on the new ways that consumers and
business customers buy and behave.” His colleague Julian Villanueva (IESE Barcelona) takes a more
radical view: “I think there is a lack of truly innovative business models.” This explains the efforts made by
various business schools to structure and systemize the search for such ways of doing business.
In the view of consultant Rigall time is running. “Especially now that economic recovery picks up after the
fiercest financial and economical crisis for decades, the battle for market shares is on its way. And it will be
won by those who innovate broadly and do so quickly.”
Outline: Management-Forum
The Handelsblatt Management-Forum is a survey with leading business schools in America, Asia and
Europe. Two thirds were part of the worlds’ top 30 in 2009 according to a global MBA-ranking. In addition
to well-known business schools like Harvard or Yale further top schools like INSEAD or the Indian School
of Business are taking part. The Management-Forum is set-up in cooperation with the management
consultancy Santiago Advisors and professor Ronny Fürst, head of the European Management School
(EMS) in Mainz. On a regular basis 12 renowned scholars are linked virtually to be questioned about
research and managerial topics. The forum initiates a discussion on future developments.
The future management topics are defined by their own research fields and the demand of their students.
The survey is structured in revolving as well as one time questions. That is how the study will generate an
indicator for changing manager focus over time as well as being permanently adjusted to current top-of-themind topics. Especially the regionally differing perception to subjects in the triad is very interesting. Do
Asian leaders think comparable to Americans; do Europeans act equally to Asians?
Handelsblatt cooperation partner Ronny Fürst is professor for International Business at the EMS.
Beforehand he worked as a management consultant and sales manager for a Bertelsmann subsidiary. His
research focus is on growth cooperations. Handelsblatt cooperation partner Santiago Advisors from
Düsseldorf are international management consultants with a focus on strategy and organization. They have
specialized their practice on supporting market leading companies and entrepreneurs to master complex
organizational change processes.
More Information you find here.
organizational change processes.
More Information you find here.
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