Modern Mantra

Fredmund Malik has been a witness to－and an adviser of－the evolution of the management of Chinese government and companies. The Austrian expert conducts training programs for Chinese executives in St. Gallen, Switzerland.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Basically, everything from China interests me, such as its history, its size, modern China and how things are going on," says Malik, who reads the country's five-year plans, and reports and comments in media.

His personal interactions with Chinese executives from different fields have become a valuable experience for him.

"Listening to views from China and about China helps me understand the country better," says Malik, who has Chinese friends as well.

He says there are some misunderstandings between China and Western countries, and also some doubts about China in Western media.

But he believes the Chinese economy has made great strides.

One shouldn't be surprised hearing about some problems in a big country like China that has experienced development this fast, he says.

"Such a country has millions of organizations that need to be managed. The challenges must be enormous, too."

He observes that over the past years, the management of Chinese companies has improved in general but not at the same speed as that of the economy.

"There's some work to be done, and there's room for improvement in organizations' management," he says.

"This is what China needs, especially when there are fast changes and many challenges."