Read time: 2.5 minutes
In this post, I will talk about the best 3 ways to do Chinese team building.
These are the best ways to build your own team in China and gain better control over your production.
If your operation costs and the amount of time you and your people spend in China is something that is on your mind, then just like many companies doing business in China, you were, or are asking yourself what are the best Chinese team building methods.
In this post, I am going to talk about the 3 best ways you can use to build your own team in China.
Each way is more or less suitable for different organizations, depending on their circumstances and their model of doing business in China.
So let’s get to it:
Way no. 1: Open your own company in China.
When you have very few hours every day to talk to people on the other side of the globe, and you know what it is like to work in a multicultural environment, you realize fairly quickly that, communication and control over process is a challenge, and having your own “people on the ground” is the only effective way to deal with this challenge.
When you Set up a company, getting the business license is not very difficult. There are plenty of companies that will do that for you, some of them at very low prices.
But when I say set up a company, I mean set up a function. I mean set up a China-based team that delivers value, and in another post, I am talking about things that will help you do it in a cost-effective way.
The disadvantages of having your own company in China are the fixed cost involved and long term commitment. However, if you chose the right method of Chinese team building, you will have your own loyal and experienced team, that speaks the language, understands the Chinese business culture, has access to industry resources and is ready to take your instructions at a moment’s notice.
For more about registering a company in China, I warmly recommend you read this post.
If you are considering registering a company in China, or you already have a company in China, you should definitely read it.
Way no. 2: Hire the services of a PMO
A PMO is a project management office. This office will work on your project as if they were your own office in China – but only when you need them. When you don’t require their services, there is no cost and you don’t need to spend any time worrying about whatever it is that is going on in China.
Some companies have an office in China, but it is dedicated to functions like QC and logistics. It is not supposed to do tasks like sourcing or crisis management. In this case, hiring a PMO for projects that you need to run on a non-regular basis, is a very effective and cost saving option.
Here too there are advantages and disadvantages and to a very big extent, they have to do a lot with the people who run the PMO. In another post, I am talking about how to choose the right PMO, what risks you should be aware of and how to control these risks.
Way no. 3 – Infrastructure provider.
This is a good middle way between setting up your own company, and working with a PMO office.
In short, it means you have your own full-time dedicated team that deals only with issues directly related to your business, and leave admin, HR, dealing with government offices etc. to other people.
Different companies give this business model different names, but the service is the same.
The service provider provides the infrastructure, meaning, registered company and physical office if needed and manage all activities that are not your core activities. That includes admin, bookkeeping, HR, taxes, and alike.
The infrastructure provider hires a dedicated team for you, and you manage the team directly.
So far I spoke very briefly about the 3 ways and there is so much more information every manager must know before making a decision which is the right way for their company.
If you are like most of my customers, then you are extremely busy.
For this reason, I divided this content to a few posts. It will take you about three minutes to read each of them.
If you want to make sure you receive those posts, please leave us your details in this form and we will make sure you get them to your mailbox.
If you have any question or you have another great way to set up your team in China, please contact us. We would love to talk to you about your projects in China.