The China R&D Executive's Program

The China R&D Executive's Program

A 9-day program for Western R&D managers and executives in China

Skilled Western expats who take on the role as R&D managers and executives is a key success factor for making Chinese R&D operations work. The China R&D Executive's Program offers eight days about leadership and management of Chinese R&D operations. Western companies gradually establish more industrial operations in China, mainly manufacturing but more recently there is a stronger emphasis on product development operations. A success factor for making Chinese R&D operations work is to man the Chinese R&D units with ‘expats’, i.e. westerners who temporarily or permanently resides China. Expats typically have significant responsibilities and will face major leadership and organizational challenges that may not be dealt with in the same way in China as in Western organizations and culture.

 Purpose and deliverables

The China R&D Executive’s Program provides awareness, understanding, knowledge and skills with respect to better run R&D in China. The program prepares participants to manage and lead Chinese R&D operations more effectively by raising their ability to deal with key leadership and organizational challenges. Additionally, the program strengthens personal networks between Western R&D managers residing in China.

 Target group

The program is targeting expats who act as R&D executives and R&D managers in Chinese R&D units – and people that have the potential to take on such roles. The program is relevant for managers at all levels including unit, section, team and project. The program is designed with an international participant group in mind and can accommodate any Western English speaking participant.

Program locations and dates

The program is divided into two modules:

• Module 1. October 29-November 2, 2012, Shanghai
• Module 2. December 4-7, 2012, Beijing

Target group:

The program targets expats who act as R&D executives and R&D managers in Chinese R&D units – and people that have the potential to take on such roles. The program is relevant for managers at all levels including unit, section, team and project. It is highly relevant also for managers who have been in China for several years. The program is designed with an international participant group in mind and can accommodate any Western English speaking participant.

Max von Zedtwitz, program director

The exchange between the Western countries and China is increasing. The demand for Western products increases as the Chinese economy expands, the number of Chinese owners of Western companies is growing and so is the number of strategic partnerships. Furthermore, China is in many areas turning into a significant source of innovation and technology.

As a consequence, Western companies gradually establish more industrial operations in China, mainly manufacturing but more recently there is a stronger emphasis on product development operations. A success factor for making Chinese R&D operations work is to man the Chinese R&D units with ‘expats’, i.e. westerners who temporarily or permanently resides China. Expats typically have significant responsibilities and will face major leadership and organizational challenges that may not be dealt with in the same way in China as in Western organizations and culture.

Chalmers Professional Education is one of Europe’s leading providers of executive education in technology management. We are offering what is probably the world’s best program for Western managers and executives in Chinese R&D. In fact, the program has been top rated by all its previous participants. This is an invitation to the China R&D Executive’s Program which will be instrumental to your future career in Chinese R&D.

Welcome to join the China R&D Executive’s Program of 2012!

Max von Zedtwitz

Program Director

“Never before have I experienced an academic program being so useful and hands-on. It boosted my understanding as well as my “to-do” abilities. Should be key for any Western R&D Expat in China.”

Jerker Andersson, Director Electric & Electronic Systems Engineering, China Operations, Volvo Cars

“In spite of being a Chinese expat for almost eight years, the program rewarded me highly. In fact, dilemmas that I thought was an unavoidable part of leading China operations have now been remedied. Just amazing!”

Christian Kesten, Test Engineering Director, Sony Ericsson, Beijing

“Simply an excellent program with a perfect balance between lectures, workshops and study visits. It has made me even more confident that local R&D is a must for Western companies to achieve Chinese success.”

Olle Carlbark, Development Director, SCA Asia Pacific, Shanghai

“Extremely valuable when it comes to networking. Now, I already have a network of peers in various companies and industries, even before moving to China! They are either Western R&D managers just like me or experts in their respective subject matter area. The date of the first alumni meeting is already set!”

Håkan Löfgren, D&D Group Manager, Underground Rock Excavation, Atlas Copco Rock Drills, Nanjing

Benefits

The China R&D Executive’s Program provides awareness, understanding, knowledge and skills with respect to better run R&D in China. The program prepares participants to manage and lead Chinese R&D operations more effectively by raising their ability to deal with key leadership and organizational challenges. Additionally, the program strengthens personal networks between Western R&D managers residing in China.

Content

The China R&D Executive’s Program mixes state-of-art academic research results and practical experience from successful companies and their management practices and philosophies. Workshop training, action learning and study visits are important and integral features of the program. It is designed so that participants are given opportunities to reflect and apply knowledge gained to their own work through reflection exercises and mini-cases. Furthermore, the program rests on the premise that knowledge is best created in dynamic cooperation, typically illustrated in cross-company assignments for learning and experience sharing.

Module 1

Module 1 starts by laying the groundwork for the R&D content to come in the program. Participants will meet with expert instructors from both academia and industry who share their experiences on Chinese business, culture, communication and R&D. Module 1 also kicks-off the work on the participant’s individual challenges.

Thereafter, Module 1 has an emphasis on how to manage and organize Chinese R&D operations focusing on issues of R&D quality, creativity and innovation, management and protection of IP, and partnering.

• Working effectively across cultures: understanding Chinese culture and business and coping with communication and
  language difficulties
• The China business rationale, the specifics of Chinese business life – and implications for R&D
• How to manage R&D quality
• How to manage and protect IP
• How to foster creativity and innovation in R&D
• Engaging and managing R&D partners in China

Module 2

Module 2 deepens the participant’s ability of management and organization and deals e.g. with the attraction of top R&D talents, turnover rate of Chinese employees and how to grow your organization effectively. The work on participant’s individual challenges continues and is concluded by the end of the module.

Further, the module is dedicated to day-to-day R&D leadership in China and participants will improve how to lead R&D in a
multi-cultural setting and how they can improve their Chinese R&D leadership.

• How to attract top R&D talents
• How to keep turnover of employees low
• Coping with the lack of functional capability and practical experience of young Chinese engineers
• How to grow R&D while improving effectiveness
• How to manage Chinese R&D staff
• How to manage and lead in a multi-cultural setting
• What my strengths and weaknesses are as an R&D leader in China and how I can develop my leadership skills