HOME — The sign behind the track today at the Shanghai Formula 1 race said “Made WITH China”. (You can see it in this BBC report at about 3:42 and 3:53, but it was clear all day.)

Along with the logos for Santander, Lenovo’s ThinkPad, DHL, Shell, Allianz and others, the message coming out of China’s industrial capital today was clear: You have to work with us.

No doubt. It’s in English. It’s one of the highest profile China events with a business audience. Where is used to say [in] on all the toys I had as a child, it now has the word [with] squeezed in.

The Chinese dailies make the point here and here.

The trick then comes in understanding and cooperating with China. Stories like this one, printed in the Australian paper The Age this week do not help.

I had the pleasure of being in a major FTSE boardroom recently while the China operation tried to explain the situation in that country. It took a lot of words, pauses and a great deal of openness of spirit and mind for the westernised executives to get it. They wanted to. And eventually I think they did.

But more can and should be done by Chinese businesses to help. There is more communication, operations and change management that Chinese industry and government can do.

The ads are a start, but only a small step in a much longer journey.

/df

ON THE SOFA — Change management and communications are needed in China and India. World-class change and comms.

I know there are many capable people in both countries. I know that they already manage big change. I know that there are language and cultural issues that are distinct to both countries.

But I am still sure that we can help.

There are no other consultancies like Able and How. Not in Europe, the Americas or Africa. And we haven’t found one in the Middle East. When I was last in Asia and Australia, I was told that there was not a consultancy like Able and How there either.

Here’s what I know about:

India

1) The country is slowly exporting its business acumen.
2) The number of highly skilled worked puts every western country to shame.
3) The country itself, with complex geographic, language, economic and social issues is a fair microcosm of global trade.
4) As Frank Sinatra sang, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

China

1) China’s capitalist education has been very public.
2) Experiential learning is always the best kind of learning. It sticks with you.
3) China has resources and geographical positioning that put it squarely in the centre of 21st century commerce.
4) You can’t argue with the success China has already seen.
5) Just wait and see what’s still to come.

So whether you are an Indian or Chinese business, the government of said country, a government agency, a government-owned non-government organisation (GONGO), working inside or trying to work outside of the country, let us know. We can have a chat.

/df

Michael Jackson banner in Kuala Lumpur two days after his death is announced

A MALAYSIA TAXI — I have been on three continents in three countries in the past 48 hours. And one thing has remained consistent: Michael Jackson. He’s everywhere you turn your ears and eyes.

My cabbie’s Malay radio station flashes “Michael Jackson Tribute” across the electronic panel every few seconds.

It’s not irrelevant because this week I am teaching an internal comms course for two days in Kuala Lumper. And one section is on “multicultural communications” and another on “corporate culture”.

Although you can see crying Americans on TV sets everywhere I have been and the music seeps out of every store, this is not yet one homogeneous global state. We are not all a mini-America.

Some of the research we will look at this week backs that up. And anyone who has every tried to do business in a new culture and failed, will know that most of the cultural differences lie quite a ways below the surface.

Here’s a fact that shows how different parts of this world are:

China Mobile has a market capitalisation of US$271 Billion. (Yes, 271,000,000,000). That’s more than twice the size of Apple, Google and GE. And yet it’s brand is vitually unknown anywhere I have been.

How can that be?

Well it’s because you can be big in Asia… really big… and not so big anywhere else.

Unless you are Michael Jackson.

/df