IT projects in China follow their own rules.
Sebastian Tschödrich from NTT DATA tells how he deals with the uncertainties in the Middle Kingdom.
Sebastian Tschödrich had actually prepared well for his first project in China. After intercultural training, his own research, a stack of advice literature and conversations with colleagues, the 30-year-old felt fit for the new challenge. When he arrived in Beijing, Tschödrich proudly handed the taxi driver a piece of paper with the hotel's address, which a Chinese colleague had written down in legible characters. But at some point he was surprised that the driver seemed to be driving haphazardly through the Chinese metropolis. It quickly became clear: the taxi driver couldn't read. Tschödrich quickly decided to call a Mandarin-speaking colleague, held the cell phone to the driver's ear and was driven straight to the hotel.
“I had an adventurous start,” says the senior advisor and laughs about this anecdote today, three months later. For his employer, he is responsible for the rollout of a large cloud CRM project for a German premium automobile manufacturer in China. Tschödrich now masters simple everyday situations well in the new language. »I can order in a restaurant and explain simple things. So far I've been using my Chinese colleagues as language teachers, but I've also signed up for a language course," says Tschödrich. The experienced senior consultant will remain in Beijing at least until the summer to integrate the new software into the customer's IT landscape. Especially for international projects, it is important to be able to rely on the right consultant expertise. »In order to offer our international customers the best possible support in implementing sophisticated solutions, we pursue the concept of the 'Flying Squad' - that is, a core team of experts with industry and technology expertise flies to the customers on site. Our approach is: 'Th ink global, deliver locally'," explains Christian Eißner, Vice President CRM Manufacturing for NTT DATA in Europe. His team includes more than 80 IT consultants, including Sebastian Tschödrich.
Eißner knows the international project business and was there himself during the start-up phase of the project. “Especially when ramping up international projects, it is important that we face the intercultural challenges as a close-knit team,” says Eißner. Particularly nuances in everyday working life can be lost due to the lack of a common language. “For Europeans, the Chinese language is a big challenge. We therefore conducted all workshops with local resources in Chinese, which were supported by Chinese native speakers and consultants from Germany with international experience. This enabled us to achieve a best fit in terms of expertise and local understanding.
Sebastian Tschödrich also has plenty of international experience. As a high school student, he spent six months at a US high school, while studying business administration at the University of Augsburg he spent a semester abroad in Indonesia and worked as a senior consultant for NTT DATA in Australia for six months.
Tschödrich likes it in Beijing. “The learning curve is simply much steeper here than in Germany,” says the 30-year-old happily. But despite his international experience, the senior consultant also knows that projects in China are demanding. In a workshop at the beginning, he discussed the basics of project work with his team, but Tschödrich quickly realized that many project management methods work well in Germany, but are unusable in Asia.
His Chinese colleagues and employees would never think of expressing open criticism or asking questions about individual work steps, even if they did not understand the task or lack the necessary knowledge to implement it. Tschödrich knows that he cannot openly criticize anyone, because that would be tantamount to exposure and would endanger the project. Chinese employees are often far too proud to admit that they are not up to a task. “I have given up my German pragmatism. Today I carefully consider how I distribute work assignments and think beforehand about how it might be received by the other person. I'm sprinkling in more metaphors here because language rich in images is more descriptive for my Chinese colleagues." By regularly letting his employees tell him how they approach a task, the senior consultant knows more quickly whether they are on the right path. “We also regularly discuss smaller work steps.”
Of course, this cautious approach requires a large amount of diplomacy so that the close control does not unsettle the other person. “I work less on content here and am more concerned with project management,” says Tschödrich. Although asking regularly takes time, these precautionary measures also protect the senior consultant from unpleasant surprises. “Of course there are time buffers in project planning, but we need these too.”
At the same time, expectations of him are high. “Everyone expects me to know an answer to every question and that everything works smoothly,” he summarizes and adds: “Everyone was surprised when I once admitted a mistake.” The first three months in Beijing went well for Tschödrich breakdown-free. The young senior consultant regularly arranges to meet his Chinese colleagues after office hours, asks about unusual restaurants off the beaten track and tries out culinary specialties. “I approach my colleagues and am interested in their culture. They were hesitant at first, but now they know that my interest is genuine and they really thrive on introducing me to their city and culture. Everyone is very helpful and takes special care of us foreigners. This personal contact also makes collaboration easier.”
Matthias Hanitsch also knows how important appreciation and a personal relationship of trust are at management level. Especially in China or Japan, a company needs patience to accept the longer decision-making processes, but the faster pace of work during the project makes up for such delays. “For international IT consulting, employees need specialist knowledge and personality. This is not a task for young professionals,” says Hanitsch. The age of the project manager, on the other hand, plays a minor role. It is more important to be open to new things and considerate of a culture that is foreign to you. “You have to earn respect in the project team, it’s not a question of age.”
Since 2008, the former medium-sized Munich consulting company Cirquent with its 1,200 employees has been part of the global NTT DATA group. In 2012 the previous company name also disappeared. The Japanese technology company employs around 60,000 people in 39 countries worldwide. In addition to Asia and the USA, Europe is considered an important market segment. Gartner analysts positioned NTT DATA at number 6 on their list of the world's largest IT services companies.
One of the tasks of Uwe Kloos, Head of Human Resources and Organization in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, is to prepare employees for international tasks. Comprehensive planning and support is required, especially when colleagues and their families leave Germany for a longer period of time. If the project duration is several months, there are flexible “home trip” agreements. “We then offer a mix of work and vacation, for example by financing family visits,” says Kloos, adding: “Young employees now take international tasks for granted.”
Sebastian Tschödrich traveled to Beijing alone and used the weekends for excursions. He has already visited Hong Kong, the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. Even during the work week, he is no longer the last to leave the office. “It took me a few days to notice that no employee goes home in the evening as long as I’m still in the office,” he reveals and adds: “Sometimes I still work from my hotel room, but the employees don’t notice that and nobody notices that loses face like that."
Sebastian Tschödrich successfully faced the challenge of China.
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IT projects in China follow their own rules. Sebastian Tschödrich from NTT DATA tells how he deals with the uncertainties in the Middle Kingdom. Sebastian Tschödrich had actually prepared well for his first project in China. After intercultural training, his own research, a stack of advice literature and conversations with colleagues, the 30-year-old felt fit for
