Seeing the Unseen: Behind Chinese Tech Giants' Global Venturing - Hardcover

by Guoli Chen (Author), Jianggan Li (Author)

Meet the overnight tech success stories of China's globalizing business landscape

In the last few years, we have seen a meteoric rise of Chinese tech companies across the world. Alibaba stock price movements unnerved investors globally, venture capitalists searched for the next Meituan or Pinduoduo in Southeast Asia and Latin America, and of course, Tik Tok, the most popular content platform in the world today, originated from China. The founders of such companies are typically credited with the "tenacity to rough it out," the "courage to venture into the unknown," and the "vision to take their companies to new heights." However, the same can be said about Silicon Valley founders, or any successful entrepreneur. So, what gives Chinese founders and their companies the advantage in becoming multi-billion global enterprises? How does their leadership set strategies? How do they motivate their people? How do they move so fast and defend their turf in China's hyper-competitive tech market? When they expand overseas, how do they determine what they keep and what they need to let go of? And most importantly, what do these things mean to you as a competitor, investor, regulator, or even as an executive or customer of such companies?

Seeing the Unseen: Behind Chinese Tech Giants' Global Venturing answers these questions and delves into the fascinating world of Chinese logic that shapes how tech leaders make and implement decisions, many of which are seldom seen outside China.

In this book, you will gain an accurate, concise understanding of Chinese tech companies' reflections as they scale. You will understand the different generations of Chinese tech giants from Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and Huawei to Pinduoduo, Meituan, ByteDance, Xiaomi and more.

In this Seeing the Unseen, the analysis behind the success and lessons learned is summarized into a unique framework that touches on People, Organization, and Product and Leadership (POP-Leadership). The book covers:

• How Chinese history, folklore and Mao Zadong's political strategies have shaped the strategies of Chinese tech leaders, even today
• The mindsets of Chinese tech and internet companies and how they have evolved over the last two decades
• The unique business culture and leadership styles that steered these companies through uncertain and ultra-competitive periods
• How Chinese companies structure their organizations and products and how they remain agile as they scale
• The limitations of Chinese POP-Leadership, and what these companies must shed to keep up with international players in global markets
• How Chinese POP-Leadership is now becoming international, and how international players are leveraging these learnings
• How the worldwide expansion of Chinese companies will alter the business landscape in the coming decades

Chinese firms undertaking overseas ventures can challenge our thinking on global strategy and implementation. This book gives you a better understanding of these emergent players in the global arena.

Front Jacket

Over the last few years, we have all borne witness to the meteoric rise of Chinese technology companies as they expanded across the globe. From Alibaba to Tencent, Meituan, Pinduoduo, and TikTok, Chinese tech is known for its ability to be tenacious, courageous, and visionary. But that can be said about many successful entrepreneurs. So, what is it that sets Chinese technology companies and their founders apart? What drives their ability to become multi-billion-dollar global enterprises?

In Seeing the Unseen: Behind Chinese Tech Giants' Global Venturing, a distinguished team of technology and enterprise strategists explore the fascinating but rarely seen world of Chinese tech's top echelons. You'll find the answers to questions like: How do market-dominating Chinese leadership teams set their strategies? How do they motivate their employees? How do they move so quickly and defend their turf in China's hyper-competitive tech market? As they expand overseas, how do they determine which parts of their business to maintain and which to jettison? What are the challenges they face and how do they solve them?

The book discusses how Chinese leaders make and implement decisions as they scale through the lens of the authors' unique framework -"POP-Leadership"- that explores the people, organizations, products, and leadership behind many of the world's most famous brands.

Seeing the Unseen examines how Chinese history, folklore, and Mao Zedong's political strategies have shaped the strategies of China's contemporary tech leaders and how Chinese tech and internet companies have evolved over the last two decades. Challenging readers' thinking on global strategy and implementation, the book is a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in technology and enterprise leadership.

Back Jacket

PRAISE FOR SEEING THE UNSEEN

"Seeing the Unseen shows how Chinese tech companies have rapidly become big global players. The book vividly illustrates the distinct strategies, practices, and leadership styles behind their global success. It is thought-provoking and is filled with insightful lessons and interesting examples. The book is a must-read."
--W. CHAN KIM, The BCG Chair Professor of INSEAD; co-director of INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute, the world's #1 management thinker by Thinkers 50

"This book connects the unique experiences of Chinese entrepreneurs from different generations and brings to life real insights and practical lessons for explorers, investors and other stakeholders."
--EDDIE WU, Chairman, Vision Plus Capital; co-founder, Alibaba Group

"The Chinese technology industry has risen from copycat to world-leading, yet many in the West don't understand the business models and leadership strategies of these companies. Seeing the Unseen is an essential guide to the unique characteristics of these firms and provides important lessons for all businesses competing in China and globally."
--CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS, Sinyi Professor of Chinese Management at Cambridge Judge Business School; co-author of Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise

"So much has been written in the press about Chinese tech giants, yet these companies are still little understood by the outside world. Seeing the Unseen expertly weaves history, environment, people, culture, and leadership. An insightful and compelling read."
--KEITH ZHAI, Senior Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal

Author Biography

GUOLI CHEN, PHD, is a Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, one of the world's top-ranking international business schools. He received his doctorate in strategic management from Pennsylvania State University and is an expert in China strategy, value innovation, strategic leadership, and corporate governance.

JIANGGAN LI is the Founder and CEO of Momentum Works, a Singapore-headquartered venture outfit that enables digital economy across emerging markets through insights, community, and ventures. Momentum Works counts some of the top tech entrepreneurs from China, Southeast Asia, and the United States as investors. Its subsidiary Momentum Academy has been entrusted by corporates, startups, and investors for actionable insights and immersive learning experiences.