Training for Chinese companies going global
The plant is built and the office is open. The hard part is usually people. Chinese managers have to lead local staff, win over overseas clients and partners, and keep head office and the new team aligned. Since 2001, ClarkMorgan has worked with Chinese and international teams side by side. We help Chinese companies expanding abroad build managers who can lead and do business in their new market.
Where overseas expansion usually gets stuck
Expat managers struggle to lead local teams
A style that works well in China can come across abroad as too directive or not clear enough. Local staff expect more delegation, more direct feedback and different kinds of motivation.
Conversations with clients and partners misfire
A nod in a meeting is not agreement. Emails are too long or too indirect. In negotiations nobody is sure what the other side really cares about. The English is fine. The communication style is not.
Head office and the overseas team pull apart
Decisions head office thinks are settled are read differently abroad. Time zones, distance and different ideas about hierarchy mean problems surface late.
Choosing who to send
The right expat makes or breaks a new site. HR needs a way to see who has the learning ability, adaptability and drive for an overseas role before anyone boards a plane.
Training for companies expanding overseas
Pre-departure training
Practical preparation before the move: how people work and expect to be managed in the destination country, common pitfalls, and a plan for the first 90 days.
Cross-cultural leadership
Leading culturally diverse teams: delegation, feedback, motivation, handling disagreement, and balancing global and local expectations.
Business communication and writing in English
Meetings, updates and email. Make the point clearly and directly, and hear what is not being said.
Presenting to international audiences
Present to overseas clients, partners and local staff using the structure they expect.
International negotiation
Read negotiation styles across cultures, find the other side's real needs and create value beyond price.
Assessment for expat selection
Hogan, DISC, MBTI and observation during training, to help HR choose high-potential people for overseas roles.
We also train local staff at overseas sites on how to work well with a Chinese head office. Both sides learning together works best.
Bank of China: preparing managers for overseas branches
Bank of China planned new branches in Europe and the USA, staffed mainly by local hires and each run by a Chinese manager. The Bank of China Institute of International Finance asked ClarkMorgan to design a five-day Managing Culturally Diverse Teams programme. 75 managers took part in three groups, covering presentations, negotiation, cross-cultural communication and business writing.
The course was built around practice, and trainers reviewed each participant with HR every day. By the end, HR had identified the 10 to 15 most promising managers and fast-tracked them for deployment abroad.
Why companies going global work with ClarkMorgan
Both perspectives in the room
Our trainers include Chinese and Western facilitators, so participants hear how head office sees things and how local staff see them.
Chinese, English or both
The same programme can run in Chinese for teams in China, in English for teams abroad, or in a mixed room without interpreters.
Shanghai HQ, with an office in London
Offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and London, and 25 years of work with companies across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Practice, not lectures
Every module follows our T.A.P.E. method: a little theory, then practice on real situations, like a difficult conversation with an overseas team.
In China, online or on site abroad
Pre-departure training usually runs in China, at your head office or plant in any city. Teams already overseas can join online, or we can send trainers to you, whether that is Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe or the Americas. A common pattern is an intensive programme before departure, then online follow-up once managers are in role.
Questions clients ask
Can managers with limited English take part?
Yes. Cross-cultural leadership and pre-departure training can run fully in Chinese. English communication courses are grouped by level and use the emails and meetings people really handle at work.
Is it tailored to one country?
We tailor it to the countries and regions you are entering. The tools work for any mix of cultures, and the cases and practice are built around your destination.
Can local staff overseas join?
Yes, and we recommend it. A short course in English for local staff on working with a Chinese head office aligns expectations on both sides much faster.
How long is a programme?
Anything from a one-day pre-departure workshop to a five-day programme like Bank of China's, or a year-long programme timed to your expat cycle. We start by understanding your plans and your people.
Planning an overseas expansion?
Tell us where you are going, how many people you are sending and what worries you. We reply within 2 working days.