When a Chinese say Let us co-operate.....

What theys ay is clear.
What they mean is most of the time unclear in the ears of a foreigner..

Do they really mean it or is that just a trick?To beat you down with a magic Kung Fu action?

I personally checked this out.

I managed a factory.

I convince my suppliers that my number one problem is in dealing with them is to care they are
paid on time and I have no other worry than their interest.
This let them only to care about my interest in delivering on time .
I did same with my workers let them earn twice or three time more than any other factory
They just worked like crazy and my cost per unit was not higher than competing factories it was
exactly the same we just produce three time faster than others.
What you give is what you get.It is as simple as this.
See The Chinese Version of this story told by Chinese person:

The English translated version is just right after that:

JOE：

你要我写些总结，我想了几天总结如下：

你之所以能够控制好一个工厂在你不在的同时，我认为有很多个方面，下面我说的只是一些我的看法。

首先，我们在开工做生产之前，我们已经对各种原材料和工序有了一个很全面很细致的了解了。从价格到质量到交货的期限等等，我们做的很详细，我们不光只是调查了我们的直接供货商，我们

还不仅仅货比三家，甚至详细的调查的我们的供应商的上家，他们的进价是多少，他们的材料是从哪来的，他们之间主要的竞争手段是什么，直到现在我还是要说，这样详细的调查和研究对于控

制产品的质量和成本是很有益处的。

其次，对于产品的成本细分化，我们之前请的三个小伙子的工资可以说没有白花，通过他们不停的打样，我们不断的计算每一只产品的实际成本，并且能够对一些辅助材料的花费也做到了心中

有数，这不仅仅利于我们控制产品的成本，而且有利于我们计算工人实际所要的人工成本。

再次，作为一个老板，你在做到对主要材料和主要人工有所了解的情况之下，你对费用和主要支付方向的控制应说也是成功的。前面说过，在你了解了做一只产品主要的材料价格和供应商情况

后，你和他们建立了可靠的关系，你先取货后等你回来再付款的方法在最大的程度上防止了漏洞的出现，以我看来，当时你的做法是先看紧大的再兼顾小的，大的方面主要由你亲自操作，小的放

开。这样就做到的灵活的控制。

最后，你对操作工的态度相当可取，你知道中国的操作工能吃苦，相比你所能得到的利益来说他们的所得所占比重是较少的。所以你采取支付工资略高于其它工厂的措施我认为是相当成功的，

因为你的产品是直接出国，不在中国内竞争，你完全有条件多支付，实际上你的多支付的那部分钱相对于由于工人不稳定流失、磨洋工、工作时浪费一些材料所造成的损失来说应该还是正数。并

且，由于工人满足于你的不失信你节省了大量的精力，我觉得这应是额外的获得。

以上的总结是我粗粗的看法，主要是从方向上来阐述的。一些细节上的，比如，联络方式，工作控制，经理人的选择，这些应是另外的一篇了。总而言之，没有详细的调查和研究就没有成本控制，

没有切身的体会就没有员工的向心，没有这二者那么任可控制也谈不上。

上一篇说到细节的问题，你要求我阐述开来。那就从我点到的那些地方开始说起

首先，谈到联络方式，这一点非常重要，因为在一个工厂的运行中，总会有不断的新情况的出现，这其中往往会有一些问题要最终决定权的人才能决 定，比方说，某一家供应商的质量有问题，我们要换一家，又比如突然其中的一些材料价格变动了，这些作为老板都要及时了解，所以你以前找的那些技术手段，比 如即时聊天工具，email，电话，电子记账软件，等等，不仅确保了我们能及时联系到你，而且也能及时把各种情况报告上来。你也同时通过这些手段时不时的 检查我们的工作，特别是电子记账软件，每一段时间就mail过来，你通过综合你在时做的各种调查结果，应该是能够清楚是否有大出入的。

其次，工作上的控制，这一点和及时的联络是分不开的，所以上面一条中实际已谈到过，这里单独提出来讲，原因是这一点特别重要。你对于各项花费 了解和控制之余，你是如何处理它的合理性呢。你不停的问这样或那样的问题，我想这是考核之一吧。工作的进度，工人每天的产量，你总是在给一个单子出来后就 问我的计划是什么，能够在什么时候完成。你对此进行了项目式管理。我想这种管理方式是

你所能才取的最好的方式了，特别是像你这样本人并不在场的情况下。一 个项目我给出多少材料，我预订多少，我的工资花费多少，管理费多少，计划外的有多少，我的售价是多少，我能得到多少，非常清楚。

供应商为什么会接受你的先用后付款的方式呢，这有两点要特别指出来。第一、每次你回来你都能及时的和他们把帐结清楚，即便是一时手头不便也能 给其一个合理的时间，这样就使供应商能把这些款子计算在其计划内而不落空，第二，你所选定的经理人能很好的和这些供应商相处，并且他能完全的信任你，你使 你的经理人承诺也不会落空，因些有时甚至你不在的时候发生材料短缺你的经理人也能按照程序补充，记得当时你要求我们对每一种采购都事先做好采购单的，这样 你通过留存的采购单可以进行考核。采购单上有请购人的、供应商的、经理的签字，最大可能的保证了花费的安全。

作为一个老外，其实你就算和你的中国工人整天呆在一起也不会起到管理作用，因为你的思想和中国内地来的工人的思想相差太大。我注意到你一直本 着你固有的品质，尊重他们，给他们合理的工资，使他们认为是可以信任你，你给他们额外的帮助。所以工人也最大的可能来为你所想，我们的技工袁先生给了我们 多少合理化的建议呢。有时候他们甚至越过我直接给你报告。

最后有一点要说的是，在这种情况下，也就是你不在但你要运行一个工厂的时候，对于经理人的品质要求，首要的是诚实然后是能力。能力好的人那是太多太多了，但是在现在这个社会，诚实的人可不那么好找。

English translated version:

Dear Joe,

Here below are my personal opinions about your management style:

As a boss, you can well manage a factory when you’re away. There are many factors.

First of all, before we start production, we have investigated all kinds of materials and procedure. We know exactly the price, quality and delivery date. Not only we enquiry our usual suppliers, we also search new suppliers & supplier’s supplier to find more reasonable materials. Even till now, I have to tell it was a very good way for controlling product’s quality and cost.

Secondly, you know how to make a good product cost analysis. We employed three sampling guys, bought three sampling machines, and then started to make our own samples. Through the sampling, we know exactly how much it really cost on every single product, including the main materials as well as secondary materials. Thus, we can easily control our cost and calculate the production time and worker’s cost.

Thirdly, as a boss, you’re successful in the relationship with suppliers. After your investigation about material price and suppliers, you’ll establish stable relationship with them. Our suppliers can always send us goods whenever we need. It was wonderful that we can get materials and already start production without paying. Anyway, every time you pay our supplier timely, even if no cash in hand, that is why they trust you. Also, your managers can get along with suppliers. Through the purchase order, you can check the status easily; besides, there are signatures of purchaser , supplier and manager, which ensure we do not spend unexpected money.

Fourthly, you treat Chinese workers very kindly, and give them a much bigger salary comparing to other factories. Yes, you pay them more, but all the workers are faithful to you because of your kindness. As they get more salary, they start to work like crazy and fasten the production. Because your products are for export, your extra money for your workers is very good for avoiding worker’s laziness / wasting materials / slow working. Also, workers respect and trust more, because your nice treatment to them.

Fifthly, let’s talk about contact way, which is very important. When running a factory, there will always be new situations happening, which can be only handled by the person who has the final decision power. For example, we have to change supplier when one supplier has quality problem; material price is changing. All the above changes must be known by the boss. As you taught us to use chatting software / Email / telephone / Electronic Accounting Software, we used to update from time to time, which ensure us to contact you timely and report to you all the time. Especially the Electronic Accounting Software, you check fluently to see whether it is balanced.

Sixthly, I appreciate your way to assign job to workers. You make project management to every single order. You will discuss and make plan with us about work procedure, worker’s daily production capacity, our production plan, our delivery date. I consider it a very good way to manage the factory and production when a boss is away. Everybody is clear about the project, including how much materials we should use, how much we should order, how much will be the worker’s salary, how much will be the management fee, how much will be extra fee, how much will be our sales price, how much we will earn.

As a foreigner, you respect all the Chinese workers, give them reasonable salary, let them trust you, which makes all the workers respect you and think for the boss. Like our sampling guy Mr Yuan, he gives us so many good suggestions, sometimes he even report to you beyond me.

Last, you know how to find a good manager for you. You need a manager especially when you are away from factory. For a manager, the most important factor is honesty, then is ability. Many people are capable, anyway, honesty is beyond ability.

Thats the end of his statement,

Now let us come to my observations:

By the way the basis of this management experience is simple, from the beginning an organization to be succesful should not depend on watching eyes of a boss.I said that a good factory boss should divide his time in three, one is to watch the operations to improve it , two he must constantly search the bottom line of the biggest expenditure which in China is Raw Material and constantly investigate the huge segments of the market which are not interconnected, three he must use the last third time for networking activities to collect market intelligence)And the second man also must do the same, and the third also as they all can do the same thing.

You are going to tell me if I am preaching the Absentee Management.

I do mean the people can be absent and I did not mean an absence of System.

So how to do this.

Just put the boss and the system inside of every talents heart and mind in the organization.

That is possible with constant training and motivating every single talent.

Than the people catch the fever and push things forward.Yes sometimes like a crazy, why not

when things frozen in time, you need somebody who have a vision and plan in mind how the things will be and turn everybody into crazy people to have a real revolution in every aspect of life.

Maybe if human being was so inventive the last 50 years more than history of human existence since the beginning of humanity.

We ow this to the children who just did not follow their father and dared to change things first in mind when the whole was already worked in their mind, turn this into reality.

Yes we ow all to the management, when we educate the individuals to manage their time, their fear, their ambition when we innoculate them with the magic power of how to control the laziness and how to have a dream of better future, the experience of China can be translated into every single country of the world.

Is it something new in China?

Definitely no?

They said ages ago

when a blind man carries a lame man, both go forward.

　　盲人背跛子，一起向前进

Next time a Chinese say we hope we co operate.
He knows for anything we do sometimes we are lame, sometimes we are blind he also knows
if his country suddenly opened and developed its because they came to the conclusion that they need to open their arm and their heart for a true WIN WIN cooperation.
If you are honest they will be honest to you.
If you look down on them they will look down on you
If you want to receive you must convince them in words and in deeds that you are willing
to do all to protect their interest in turn they will protect your interest too.
If you look to word of cooperate 合作 in chinese
In dictionary it says
cooperate
collaborate
work together
synergy

Thats sound nice

English English dictionary says

Work together on a common enterprise of project
it also says
Join Forces.
That is in fact real sense of cooperation.

Maybe a good student of today can be the good teacher of tomorrow

We can have the vision of learning from China asking to China not only to export their goods
also to export their managerial skills in turning different countries into many Chinas of future.

But this is not going to happen so quickly as China, still lack managerial skill, they will need to work hard to bring the development to all the parts of their country and energize their neighbours to benefit from their experience, it is the second Long March in History of China.

The task is immense and the carefully planned many small step approach is just for making sure this experience will not fail before coming to its conclusion