Events
Eastern Management Wisdom: Sustainable Development Workshop for Enterprises
16 May 2025
10:00~17:30
The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library
Prof. Chao Gang | South China University of Technology
Professor Chao Gang
Currently a professor and doctoral advisor at the School of Business Administration, South China University of Technology, and the director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Research Center. His main research areas include Chinese-style management, with a long-term focus on the innovative transformation of outstanding traditional Chinese culture in contemporary enterprises, supported by extensive and in-depth field research.
He has led three projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Additionally, he serves as the vice president of the Guangdong Provincial Enterprise Responsibility Research Association, the vice chairman of the Boao Confucian Business Forum, and an executive director of the China Enterprise Management Ethics Forum. He is also an expert professor at Hunan Renji College and a visiting researcher at the Institute of Chinese Management Thought at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Queensland in Australia and Providence University in Taiwan.
cshb@cuhk.edu.hk
Topic 1: Successful Cases of Eastern Enterprises: The Influence and Practice of Family Culture
Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Introduction: With the revival of Chinese culture, enterprises are increasingly adopting Chinese-style management, particularly emphasizing family culture as an integral part of Chinese identity. This session will present numerous vivid corporate cases, such as selecting the “ideal daughter-in-law” in companies, home visits, implementing employee stock ownership, family letters, filial piety funds, meals for expectant mothers, treating factories as places of learning, and canteens as classrooms. It will illustrate how family culture resonates more deeply with Chinese employees and showcase its remarkable effectiveness in enterprises. In contrast, theories from the West concerning labor relations, employee-organization relationships, and work-family balance are based on a dualistic cultural assumption. Regardless of how they are coordinated or balanced, they remain “two” rather than “one,” leading to theoretical confusion and practical conflicts when applied in the Chinese context.
- Case Analysis: Family Culture in Asian Enterprises (e.g., Lee Kum Kee, Haier, Tata Group)
- Cultural Framework: Confucian Values, Collective Responsibility, and Intergenerational Transmission
- Interactive Session
- Discussion: Balancing Tradition and Innovation in Family Businesses
- Sharing: Challenges and Experiences in Building Corporate Culture
Topic 2:Lean Management: Successful Cross-Cultural Management Practices of Foreign Enterprises in East Asia
Time: 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Introduction: Lean production is regarded as a highly influential production management model emulated by global manufacturing industries. However, the failure rate of implementing lean production is around 80%. The core issue lies in addressing not only whether employees “can” but also whether they “want” to. After years of exploration, a foreign enterprise has established a new model of Lean Management, which integrates Chinese culture with lean production. This model emphasizes moral development and skill cultivation, driving employee motivation and promoting continuous improvement. Despite undergoing significant changes from American to French ownership and moving operations from mainland China to Vietnam, this model’s universal value is validated, providing a new perspective for shifting enterprises from a technology and system-driven approach to a values-driven approach.
- Case Analysis: The Application of Daoist Thought in Lean Production
- Data Support: The Long-Term Benefits of Ethical Leadership in Supply Chain Management
- Interactive Session
- Role-playing: Decision-making Scenarios for Resolving Cross-Cultural Conflicts
- Expert Q&A: How to Build Trust with Stakeholders
