THE SIGNS OF China's seemingly unstoppable economic growth can be found everywhere. Exports remain strong, energy consumption is on the rise and the mainland alone is attracting foreign direct investment of about US$60 billion a year. Much of that money is going into hi-tech industries and many multinationals are finding good reasons to shift their regional headquarters to Greater China.
On the other hand, mainland companies are making a concerted effort to do business in the international arena, according to Charles Tseng, Asia-Pacific president of executive search firm Korn/Ferry International.
'You only have to look at Huawei and Lenovo, and remind yourself that there are already 15 Chinese firms in the Fortune 500,' Mr Tseng said.
He said these developments were having an impact on recruitment needs as China assumed a more influential role in global business. This was bringing about a change in leadership requirements, and chief executives were re-examining how to build successful organisations and retain key executives.
Korn/Ferry International identified the emerging trends using two main sources: a survey of 185 chief executives in the Asia-Pacific region conducted last year and an ongoing study at the Peking University about evolving leadership styles in a Chinese environment. The aim of such an analysis was to understand current leadership styles and spot key challenges in the next two years.
The university study, which began last year, is based on information from Executive MBA (EMBA) students and recognises four basic styles of leadership: participatory, intellectual, social and task-focused.