Leadership development in the cross-cultural context of China: Who really cares?

Abstract

We address the challenges of developing Chinese leaders in multinational companies (MNCs) from the perspective of the leaders themselves. We focus on the consequences of perceptual differences across cultures. Based on interviews with Chinese high-potential managers (HPMs), we find that differing perceptions of care and leadership impact the perceived quality of global talent management (GTM) and work practices. We conclude that from a Chinese perspective western MNCs are relatively effective in human capital and leader development, but weaker in terms of attention to social capital and leadership. We make recommendations for how Chinese managers in MNCs might be more effectively developed into global leadership roles.