Customer Reviews

Operation China: From Strategy to Execution

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There are a plethora of business books on China. Unfortunately, many of these are hopelessly out-of-date with the reality on the ground today, due to the breathtaking rate of change in China. In the midst of this burgeoning development, OPERATION CHINA provides a clear and comprehensive view of the decade ahead.

As a China-based executive for a large multinational corporation, I know firsthand the complex challenges facing businesses in China today. This book, more than any other in my experience, cuts through the confusion with concise, level-headed guidance that really makes sense. You can tell that the authors have deep and broad experience in China. Their assertions are backed-up with solid research and real world examples from a broad range of companies in China today. The book covers all aspects of doing business in China, with a balanced perspective and a well-organized presentation.

Increasingly, China is setting the standard for global business success and all businesses wishing to be global players will need to understand the key messages that this book reveals. Companies must bring their global best practices to China - and then step it up a notch in a China context - to succeed in China, and beyond. As explained in this book, China is providing a rapid learning environment and those that can adapt and evolve in this environment will emerge with a global advantage. OPERATION CHINA gives specific actionable strategies for everything from product development, manufacturing, and distribution, to government relations, talent development and M&A. It provides a thoughtful roadmap for business success in China.

What we have here is a rigorous analysis by Jimmy Hexter and Jonathan Woetzel of a transition period during which "China is turning the corner from an emerging market, where local context drives most of the strategic and operating decisions managers make, to a maturing one, where top-quality execution is a cornerstone for success." They wrote this book for C-level executives in multinational companies (MNCs) to share what they have learned while in residence there in recent years. In the Preface, they observe:

"Good execution in China is about adapting - sometimes a little, sometimes a lot - world-class operating standards, management tools, and frameworks to the realities of the Chinese environment. The advantage that MNCs have in China over their domestic Chinese rivals is their knowledge of, and experience with, such operating standards. Indeed, top-performing MCNs are frequently the very definition of world-class execution - [begin italics] outside [end italics] China." To take full advantage of business opportunities whose nature and extent are unprecedented, Hexter and Woetzel suggest that MNCs need to "select the right standards, tools, and frameworks from their global arsenal to put into place in China, adapted in the right way to optimize them for the local context." Meanwhile, Hexter and Woetzel further suggest that executives in China as well as their colleagues and bosses in other countries must "change their managerial focus 180 degrees. They will have put behind them tendencies to view business conditions here [in China] as simply unique, requiring in turn unique operating approaches and performance standards, and instead will have to focus on the familiar, seeing to instill practices and processes that are hallmarks in other competitive markets, turning them locally as needed, and linking them globally at every opportunity."

Please go back and re-read the previous paragraph. The insights within the composite of brief excerpts clearly indicate why I consider this book is "must reading" for C-level executives in all organizations that are directly involved in China or are closely associated with those that are. Hexter and Woetzel share more than 40 years of experience while living and working in China. During that period, more has changed in that vast and complicated country than perhaps in any other. It is of course highly desirable to be able to speak the language but capable and trustworthy translators are readily available. Of much greater importance is understanding cultural values, especially in the business community. How to establish initial contact? How to develop mutually beneficial relationships? What are the most common barriers to effective communication, cooperation, and most important of all, collaboration? How to avoid or overcome those barriers? Which companies have been most successful doing business in China? Why? What lessons can be learned from their success?

Hexter and Woetzel respond to these and other questions throughout their narrative that is organized as follows. In Part I, they provide an overview of how the business landscape in China has changed within the last few years, and how it is continuing to evolve. They explain, for example, how and why "the emergence of the global consumer has profound implications for execution, as does the war for talent." Part II begins a series of "deep dives" to look at what top-flight execution means today in the core functions of an MNC's operations in China. For example, Hexter and Woetzel explain how various organizations operating in China "have boosted their performance for each [of several initiatives] by adapting to a Chinese context tools and approaches the organizations successfully use elsewhere in the world - what we call global markets." And then in Part II, they look ahead at how the demands on MNCs' capabilities in China will involve in what they foresee to be "two crucial ways" in the years ahead. They acknowledge that good execution has always determined whether a merger is a success or failure, anywhere in the world and then explain why companies large and small "will need to understand M&A execution in a Chinese context to win at this game."

Here are a few brief excerpts that are representative of the wealth of insights Hexter and Woetzel provide:

"The most successful multinationals in China are successful because they are stellar at execution - specifically by `applying the global standard to China'...[Moreover] it may soon be the case that companies have to win in China to win in the rest of the world. Given the scale of its markets, gaining a preferential share of market in China will deliver a global structural advantage." (Pages 42-43)

"The first step for improving the ability of the company to execute and compete in China is to revisit and potentially reset the management agenda As we hope we've made clear by now, China is turning a corner, from an emerging market in which companies developed bespoke processes and systems to meet unique operating challenges on a daily basis to a mature one in which competition requires companies to adopt proven global standards for management practices."(Pages)

Note: Hexter and Woetzel suggest five additional initiatives to improve execution and discuss all six in Chapter Nine, "Where to Start."

"In the years to come, the phrase `apply the global standard to China' may evolve to `developing the global standard in China.' For many functions, what works well in China will increasingly influence the global standard. Despite the intensity of China's markets, MNCs are investing more and more there. And they are not just placing large, capital-intensive bets. Apart from manufacturing, the investments are in sales, marketing, and product development."(Pages 197-198)

As indicated previously, this book will be of greatest interest and value to C-level executives in multinational companies (MNCs) but I think it will also be of substantial benefit to C-level executives in other companies that are now involved with - or will soon be involved with - the supply chains of MNCs.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out John King Fairbank and Merle Goldman's China: A New History (Second Enlarged Edition), Peter J. Williamson's Winning in Asia: Strategies for Competing in the New Millennium, and Global Brain: Your Roadmap for Innovating Faster and Smarter in a Networked World co-authored by Satish Nambisan and Mohanbir Sawhney.

Wow. If you've ever experienced a McKinsey consulting gig, you'll be well-familiar with this book's contents.

Hint: you remember the UPS Supply Chain commercial in which the 2 consultants gave their advice to the willing and accepting CEO? He says, "ok, do it!" They look uncomfortably at each other, "well, we don't actually DO anything."

This book provides some good insights and background but is very, very high level. Just move to the "How to Get Started" chapter to learn how to think about getting started.

Throughout this book I felt like I was viewing a $200k, 100 page powerpoint presentation. Save your $ if you're serious about actually DOING something in China.

"...the twenty-first-century business model for nearly every industry is cooking on the stove in China." That's one of the key insights from Hexter and Woetzel that should make this required reading for every CEO and every business leader around the world. This is a China book with a difference. The authors clearly know what it means to do business in China, and they're able to describe the nitty gritty of operating there and at the same time draw conclusions that should influence the strategies of most western companies.

I've been doing senior level executive search for Spencer Stuart for almost 15 years in China, and what Hexter and Woetzel say rings true. Their descriptions of the manufacturing, sourcing and distribution environments reflect what I've heard from clients and candidates. Why is it so hard for me to find great manufacturing talent in China? Simple, say the authors -- just moving manufacturing to China gave such an advantage that no one had to worry about Lean or Six Sigma or any of the other tools. But watch out, they say, that won't be enough for much longer.

One last comment -- for anyone who thinks that McKinsey consultants can only do strategy, just read this book and you'll see there are at least two consultants there who are as hands on and operational as anyone.

Hexter and Woetzel's Operation China is a gem for its forward looking, practical advice for companies operating in China. This book lends C-level executives insight into not only what processes and practices will drive China, but also forces behind global competition in the future. Instead of simply another retrospective on China, or basics of doing business in China; Operation China innovatively stands apart as a practical guide on how a business should approach the unique nuances of China, and how to understand the new competitive forces that are increasingly at work in today's global business environment. As the by-line of the book reflects, it does an admirable job bringing the reader through achieving success for your business all the way from "Strategy to Execution."

Operation China is essential reading not only for successfully operating inside China; but also for how a company's China operations can be used as a tool in order to achieve more success outside of China. It will be a wake up call to those still laboring under the misguided impression of how simply being in China is enough - and the misguided belief that solely importing complete systems developed elsewhere and for different markets is sufficient. Hexter and Woetzel explain not only is world class execution necessary to win in China, but a company must also adopt their systems for China to be truly successful. The combination of adapting outside systems and processes to China, in conjunction with practices and processes that are hallmarks in other competitive markets, will result in innovation in such systems and processes and make them even better for a more competitive advantage. The resulting innovation may in turn be exported back to the global market. In other words, part of a company's competitive strength can indeed come from innovations developed when seeking to achieve world-class execution within China, and then taken to make the company stronger globally outside of China. Such world class execution will be needed in order to succeed in both China and the global market.

The book is organized in an extraordinarily helpful and practical way. It begins with two chapters on why "Good enough is no longer enough in China", and the changing rules to achieve business success and world-class execution in China. Part two of the book is organized by subject matter, allowing the busy executive to read the most relevant and helpful portions for their business - whether it be marketing, distribution, the war for talent, or a number of other helpful topics. Finally, the book concludes by focusing on the future of business in China, including the predicted significant wave of future merges and acquisitions. I think the title of the last chapter says it all "Win in China - or Lose Everywhere."

The sophisticated and well-written analysis by these two talented long time China consultants provides the necessary overview and advice that will provide any executive a competitive advantage to both win in China and the rest of the world - and indeed, as the book explains, this success between operations in China and globally is now strongly and unavoidably linked. Operation China is leading the way towards the new wave of how doing business in China must be viewed, and is highly recommended reading for executives in China, or for those simply interested in the future of global competition.

Mark R. Williams,

DLA Piper UK LLP - Beijing Managing Partner

This is really the book for serious business people trying to get things done in China - particularly multi-national executives that have entered the market (or that inevitably will).

Amid the sea of China books with either excessive hyperbole or pessimistic doom-and-gloom predictions (especially anything with the phrase "rising dragon" in the title), this is the real thing. Current, factual, bottoms-up analysis that provides an accurate snapshot of a very complicated environment that is rapidly changing. Jonathan and Jimmy are the guys to listen to in China. A great book and a good extension of Capitalist China by J. Woetzel. I keep three China books in my office. This is one of them.

In this book, Jimmy Hexter and Jonathan Woetzel talk primarily to executives of multinational corporations. In a series of chapters addressing business functions, such as marketing, manufacturing, product development, distribution, sourcing and more, the authors drive home the message that these companies must adapt their world-class practices to China. This market is becoming so important, they say, that it may soon set, rather than follow, global standards. The book is well organized and clearly written. We recommend reading it with particular attention to its case histories, which cover the real operations of multinationals in China. As a song once said about another place, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.