Is the Chinese way of doing things special and unique? Or can its progress be attributed entirely to the sheer number of people living there? What is certain is that the Chinese approach has been very effective. This effectiveness has turned China from a dormant dragon into a juggernaut, propelling itself to the forefront, ready to join the world's most powerful and technologically advanced countries, in the space of a few decades. It may be useful to detail the `Chinese system' to get an idea about the workings behind such accomplishments.
Focusing on the organizational aspects that are the building blocks of any system, Fei Liu, an AIO from Design and Analysis of Communication Systems (DACS), feels that the working style in China depends on where one works. According to her, hierarchy is a very important notion in the Chinese work culture, although it is less pronounced in private companies - especially multi-national and trans-national ones - than in governmental organizations. Her views are reinforced by another Chinese AIO, who prefers to remain anonymous, albeit with blunter words: `In China, employer and employee are people from two classes. There is always a gap between them and they seldom talk about anything beyond matters pertaining to work. In some cases, the employees work around the clock to get things done.' He adds, `Teamwork is preferred, but being aggressive and evidently ambitious is not valued, since modesty is regarded as a virtue in China.' Generally speaking, Chinese expats share the impression that employees feel more pressure in Chinese companies than in their European counterparts.
On being asked about the student-teacher relationship at schools and universities, Fei Liu opines, `The student-teacher relationship is rather different than in Holland. In Chinese culture, the job of a teacher is a very noble one, responsible for teaching not only basic knowledge but also morals. Therefore, Chinese students have more respect for teachers. In Europe, teachers act more like friends. This also leads to two different styles in education. In China, a model of teaching and learning is applied, while a model with more interactions between the teachers and the students is used more often in Holland.' She adds, `There is less feedback from students in a Chinese class than in a Dutch class. However, it is difficult to say which one is better. In a Chinese class you can learn more and deeper, whereas the Dutch style is more helpful for motivating students' creativity.'
Irrespective of the recent advancements made by China, there is a common criticism about China that the standard of living there is not comparable to the Western countries and that the value of human life is rather low. The number of people that lose their lives due to natural disasters and the number of hours that the employees are made to work are often quoted to back the abovementioned statements. But the fact that employees work long hours is not out of the ordinary; in fact, all Western countries have gone through a developmental phase that demanded long and hard hours. Europeans experienced the same thing while building and rebuilding their economies before, during and after the World Wars. The Chinese are also going through such a phase that, regardless of how people view it, will eventually augment the value of the brand `Made in China.'
