I love dumplings. But I seldom have dumplings in a restaurant, because my mom's cooking is the best. One day, I happened to take a bite of Dumpling Xi's dish. To my surprise, they had a flavor of going home. Fresh, chewy and unexpected.
我喜歡餃子。 但我很少在餐廳裡吃餃子, 因為它們都比不上我母親的手藝。 有一天,我碰巧吃了 一口喜家德的料理。 令我吃驚的是, 我吃到了家的味道。 新鮮、有嚼勁、出乎意料。
In addition to being a dumpling lover, I actually have a full-time job. I am a management consultant, so naturally, I was keen to understand the reasons behind those delicious dumplings. What I didn't expect is that this dumpling triggered my exploration of new ways of management in China. A change that is deeply rooted in ancient Chinese philosophies. But first, let's go back to the dumplings.
身為餃子控之外, 我其實有一份全職工作。 我是管理顧問, 所以,很自然,我會很熱切想了解 那些餃子能如此美味的原因。 我沒想到的是, 這些餃子促使我開始探究 中國的新管理方式。 這個改變深根在 中國古代的哲學上。 但,首先,讓我們先回到餃子。
Gāo Défú founded Dumpling Xi 17 years ago. Today, the company enjoys 500 stores with 8,000 employees. But it wasn't always the case. Three years ago, the demand for his dumplings was soaring due to consumers' craving for healthy food. But the strong growth of online food delivery services had pulled the consumers away from store visits, causing a huge concern for Gāo. If I were to advise Gāo back then, I would go directly with the classical approach, hiring venture managers, providing training on how to integrate online-offline sales, or having some high potentials fully dedicated to the new job, such as a Chief Digital Officer.
高德福在十七年前創立了喜嘉德。 現今,該公司已有 五百家店及八千名員工。 但它並非一直如此。 三年前, 因為消費者極度渴望能吃到健康食品, 餃子的需求大增。 但,線上食物配送服務的強勢成長 讓消費者減少到店內用餐的機會, 高德福對這個現象非常關注。 如果當時我要給高德福意見, 我會直接選擇標準做法, 僱用企業經理人, 提供訓練,教導他們如何整合 線上和非線上的銷售, 或者用非常有潛力 且完全投入這個新工作的人, 比如「數位長」。
But Gāo did something totally different. He invented a two-hat model. Instead of recruiting new executives, he invited five successful regional heads to take on a second role at headquarters. The catch was, they had to do it while still being the frontline managers. Keep in mind that these people had no formal training or related experience in this field. What they did have, though, was natural strengths and a growth mindset.
但高德福的做法全然不同。 他發明了「兩頂帽子」模型。 他沒有招募新經理, 而是邀請五位成功的地區主管 在總部擔任第二個角色。 關鍵在於,他們做這份工作的同時 還要扮演前線的經理。 別忘了,這些人 沒有受過正式訓練, 在這個領域也沒有相關經驗。 不過,他們確實擁有 天生的優點和成長的心態。
When Gāo first told me the idea, I said, "Are you sure? I have seldom seen companies as large as yours having part-time senior executives." But Gāo smiled. "This is my dumpling way." Gāo's team was also puzzled. In the first three months, the sales fluctuated, some even dropped by 20 percent. But Gāo didn't blink.
高德福初次告訴我 這個想法時,我說: 「你確定嗎? 我很少看到像你這麼大的公司 會採用兼任的高級主管。」 但高德福微笑了。 「這是我的餃子絕招。」 高德福的團隊很困惑。 前三個月,業績波動很大, 甚至還有下滑兩成的狀況。 但高德福連眼睛都沒貶。
The regional heads had to learn new skills while still doing their job. Things like what kinds of dumplings can be sold online, how to digitalize their supply chain. After the transition period, something magical happened. The sales came back. One year later, the company began to launch its fresh and spicy dumplings online. Two years later, more talents with start-up dreams were attracted. More importantly, the company began to translate these individual new capabilities into company policies, and roll them out. A true differentiator compared with his peers.
地區主管要一邊學新技能, 一邊做原本的工作。 要學的包括什麼樣的餃子 可以在線上銷售, 以及如何將供應鏈數位化。 在過渡期之後, 神奇的事情發生了。 業績回來了。 一年後, 該公司開始在線上推出 它的新鮮辣餃子。 兩年後, 更多有新創公司 夢想的才子受到吸引。 更重要的是, 該公司開始將這些個人的新能力 轉移到公司政策上, 再將這些政策推出。 和他的同儕真的有很大的區別。
Because most Chinese entrepreneurs are very good at growth strategies. In Chinese, we call it kāi jiāng kuò tǔ, expanding territories, but not so good at what we call zhì guó ān bāng, converting individual best practices into company policies for the long run. The nature of Gāo's approach, such as having tolerance for frontline managers to make mistakes, or having some new ideas not coming from the top, is not common in China. Because they go against our traditions.
因為大部分的中國企業家 都非常擅長成長策略。 在中文,我們稱之為開疆擴土, 即拓展領土, 但不那麼擅長我們 所謂的治國安邦, 也就是將個人最好的實做方法 轉換到公司的長遠政策中。 高所採用方法的本質 包括容忍前線經理 去犯錯, 或者有些新點子不是來自高層, 這種本質在中國並不常見。 因為它們和我們的傳統有所抵觸。
In the past 2,000 years, Confucianism has been dominant in China, which values seniority and authority. For a nation, this is a time-tested formula to ensure order and harmony. For a company, this ensures precise execution at a large scale. But with business environments constantly changing, internet disrupting traditional industries, new millennials becoming a major workforce, new ways of management emerge. I feel so lucky to study this in such a dynamic age, while at the same time to satisfy my stomach with delicious dumplings.
在過去兩千年, 儒家學說一直是中國的主流思想, 它重視輩份年資和權威。 對國家而言,這是經過 時間考驗的方程式, 可以確保秩序和和諧。 對公司而言, 這麼做能確保在大規模情況下 也能做到精確執行。 但,隨著商業環境經常在改變, 網路擾亂了傳統產業, 新的千禧世代變成主要的勞動力, 新的管理方式便浮現了。 我覺得很幸運,能在 變動的時代研究這個主題。 同時, 還能吃到美味的餃子, 滿足我的胃。
Gāo's two-hat approach is just one example. Another example comes from Miranda Qu, the founder of Xiaohongshu. Xiaohongshu is a thriving internet company with 300 million users. It is an online community where young fans can get together to talk about their favorite soap opera, "Go Go Squid!" Or buy the cool shoes that the lead actress wears in a running scene. From the early days, Qu wanted the whole organization to be ready to spot things that need to change and challenge the authority. But one day, she noticed her interns were calling senior staff "teachers." This may sound innocent, but it signaled a problem to Qu. Because if the teacher phenomenon becomes a norm, it will encourage hierarchy and discourage ownership.
高的兩頂帽子方法 只是一個例子。 另一個例子是瞿芳, 小紅書的創始人。 小紅書是一間快速茁壯的 網路公司,有三億個使用者。 它是一個線上社群, 讓年輕的粉絲聚在一起, 談論他們最喜歡的肥皂劇 《親愛的,熱愛的》。 或著購買女主角 在一場跑步戲中所穿的酷鞋子。 從早期開始, 瞿芳就希望整個組織準備好 發現需要改變的事物 並挑戰權威。 但,有一天, 她注意到她的實習生 把資深員工稱為「老師」。 那可能聽起來很無心, 但聽在瞿芳耳中卻是個問題。 因為,若這種老師現象 變成一種常態, 就會鼓勵階層, 而不會鼓勵所有權。
This is also something related to Confucian thinking. In Chinese, we call it "benfen." "Ben" means me, myself. "Fen" means the share of the job. "I will just focus on my job and not cross any lines," which is totally the opposite to Qu's thinking. So Qu created a unique initiative called "Signature Program." In the program, each employee chooses an avatar character that pops up alongside digital communication channels. Some common ideas include Captain Hook, Harry Potter and many well-known characters in Chinese literature. The way these characters interact proved to be the answer to Qu's problem. Avatars from the same story would get together to talk about their favorite characters.
這也和儒家思想有關。 在中文,我們稱之為「本份」。 「本」意思是我,我自己。 「份」意思是分到的工作。 「我只會專注在我的工作上, 不要跨越任何界線。」 這和瞿芳的想法完全相反。 所以,瞿芳創造了 一個獨特的計畫, 叫做「識別標誌方案」。 在這個方案中, 每位員工要選一個化身角色, 在數位溝通管道中會呈現出來。 大家常用的角色包括 虎克船長、哈利波特, 和中國文學中的許多知名角色。 結果證明,這些角色的互動 確實解決了瞿芳的問題。 出自同一個故事的 化身角色會聚在一起, 談論他們最愛的角色。
In the community called "Slam Dunk," people from different cities, different departments, different levels of the organization, they would talk about how these characters inspired them at work. An employee with a signature called Coach Anzai was facing some difficulty in leading a very young team. Other Dunk fans will share the best practices on how to motivate a diversified team and inspire them to work to their full potential.
在一個叫《灌籃高手》的社群中, 來自不同城市、不同部門、 不同組織層級的人, 他們會談論在工作上這些角色 如何帶給他們靈感。 有一個員工的識別 標誌是安西教練, 他在領導一個很年輕的 團隊時面臨了一些困難。 其他灌籃高手粉絲會分享 一些能讓多樣化團隊 動起來的最佳實做方法, 還能鼓舞團隊成員發揮最大潛能。
The signature program plays a pivotal role in fostering a collaborative environment at Xiaohongshu. Not only the teacher issue has disappeared, the company has been ranked as one of the most innovative Chinese companies by Forbes in the past two years.
識別標誌方案扮演了關鍵角色, 促進小紅書發展出合作的環境。 不僅是老師議題消失了, 該公司也被富比士評比為 過去兩年間最有創新力的中國公司。
Gāo's two-hat approach and Qu's signature program are just two examples of empowering the frontline staff. But these methods may not always be right. Let's take Ping An, for example. Very successful insurance company. The company couldn't adopt such an approach for the whole organization, because, one, the company has 400,000 employees, and the line between innovative chaos and chaotic chaos is very thin. Two, the company has five ecosystems and 10-plus sectors -- health care, insurance, real estate, smart city. Very difficult to apply a bottom-up innovation to all. But the company still needs to be innovating.
高德福的兩頂帽子方法 和瞿芳的識別標誌方案 只是賦權給前線員工的兩個例子。 但這些方法不見得總是對的。 咱們以「平安」為例。 它是一間非常成功的保險公司。 該公司無法針對 整個組織採取這類方法, 其中一個理由是, 該公司有四十萬名員工, 創新的混亂和混亂的混亂 兩者之間的界線很窄。 第二個理由,該公司有 五個生態系統和十多個部門—— 健康照護、保險、 房地產、智慧城市。 非常難將自下而上的創新方式 用到所有部門上。 但該公司仍然需要創新。
Ma Mingzhe, the founder, positions the headquarters as the steering wheel. Steering innovations and new ideas, cascading them down to its subsidiaries. One of the ideas that headquarters came up with is AI-enabled loss assessment. For a not-so-complicated case, the car owner can take a picture of the damaged car, upload it online. The insurance center can decide a claim amount right away by AI-enabled loss assessment. Facial recognition, ID verification. The car owner can get a payment in a few minutes, which could have taken a few days. So, for companies that [find it] difficult to conduct grassroots innovation, a centralized approach is also an option.
平安的創辦人馬明哲 把總部定位在掌舵。 掌管創新和新點子, 向下傳遞到它的子公司。 其中一個總部想出的點子 是人工智慧損失評估。 說個不太複雜的案例, 汽車所有人可以 將受損的汽車拍照, 上傳到網路上。 透過人工智慧損失評估, 保險中心能馬上判斷賠償金額。 臉孔辨識、身分驗證。 汽車所有人可以 在幾分鐘之內就收到付款。 本來可能要花幾天的時間。 所以, 對於很難去進行 草根創新的公司而言, 中央化的方法也是個選項。
The more I see these unconventional management mechanisms -- Gāo with two hats, Qu with the signature program and Ma with the steering wheel -- the more I ponder where do these mechanisms come from. They're definitely not Confucian. They are very similar to another Asian school of thought, Taoism.
我看到越多這類 不因循守舊管理機制—— 高德福的兩頂帽子—— 瞿芳的識別標誌方案, 以及馬明哲的掌舵—— 我越會去思忖這些機制來自何處。 它們絕對不是儒家學說。 它們和另一個亞洲 思想學派很類似, 道家。
Confucianism believes the way to achieve perfection is to organize and regulate things. But Taoism believes in letting things work to their perfection naturally, to support their natural state and to let them transform spontaneously. In other words, leaders should not impose their will. Leaders should act by shaping the context rather than control. Confucianism works best in winning a stable context, whereas Taoism, with its power to shape the context, is more effective in dealing with uncertainty. A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When work is done, people say, "We did it ourselves."
儒家相信,達成完美的方法 是要組織、規範一切。 但道家相信讓一切自然 發展出它們自己的完美, 以支持它們最天然的狀態, 讓它們自發性地轉變。 換言之,領導人不應該 將自己的意願強迫施行。 領導人要做的應該是形塑情境, 而不是去控制。 在穩定的環境中 最適合使用儒家學說, 道家學說的力量在於形塑環境, 最適合用在處理不確定性上。 最棒的領導人是大家 幾乎都不知道他存在。 工作完成時,大家會說: 「我們靠自己完成的。」
Thank you.
謝謝。
(Applause)
(掌聲)