Learnings from Mainland China (Beijing and Shanghai)
While working for HP/HPE, I had the chance to travel abroad and work with people from all over the Globe; and even though I had the chance to work with some Chinese colleagues, I never had the opportunity to travel to China. I spent 8 days with some of my MBA classmates in Beijing and Shanghai. I climbed the Great Wall, visited a few companies, spent a few hours in the US Embassy, ate amazing dumplings, watched Jimmer play, and learned a lot. My purpose for this post is to provide a high-level overview of some of the things I have learned. The pace of change in China is very rapid. As we visited a well-known global CPG company, they told us that in the last 6 months, they have launched over 40 products (that’s an innovation every 4.5 days). For a CPG Company, that is FAST. The city itself has developed buildings, railroad tracks, highways, and other facilities in just months. It’s crazy how fast things can change here in China.