New Challenges for Chinese Leaders

Emerging markets multinationals have become serious competitors in a range of industries with thousands now actually owning Western firms.

Such acquisitions, like Mittal Steel’s purchase of Arcelor and Geely’s investment in Volvo, have sparked national debates but do the original national and cultural identities of organisations really make any difference in today’s globalised and interlinked world?

Professor Nandani Lynton of China Europe International Business School in Shanghai argues that cultures of origin – of companies and of executives – matter indeed. Although economies are linked and supply chains are global, culturally-based patterns of thought change very slowly.

This essay looks at the Chinese context in order to understand some of the special challenges facing Chinese executives in the years to come.