Always difficult to figure out what is behind the rumors. But foreign companies often badly handle an internal crisis and the gossip quickly spreads around town. Seems to be the case with the law firm. If they ignore the need for damage control…. The rumor mill:
Their (former…) managing partner, Jingzhou Tao, was apparently fired by e-mail when on a business trip. Sorry, not fired but put into an obscure corner – a loss of face for a guy like Tao who is widely known around China and seems well respected – by the business community but apparently also by his staff. Seems maybe that was part of the problem: some others didn’t like his success and fame. Being too good is always bad for an employee. Some bosses hate that.
What is the real truth in this story, hard to tell. But as the saying goes, if there is smoke, there is fire. As for myself, I find the story all too familiar. Gone through that myself.
All the nice stuff you learn for your MBA is just a load of rubbish. In real life western companies just do anything they can against the basic “sound management rules”. Like firing people when away from the office. Like firing them by e-mail. Like punishing stars that shine to brightly – some people want to be the only star in the sky.
Western companies criticize Chinese companies for poor management style. To a large extent they are right. But the rot I have seen in western MNC is just unbelievable. You just wonder how they manage to survive. Well, actually some don’t. Or tumble down. Like Alcatel, like ALSTOM, like Enron, etc. Some recover, some never are seen again. Look into the real story and prepare yourself for the worst. Greed, internal politics, incompetence, corruption, anything goes. Exaggerated? Just look at their stock market performance. Or at my stock portfolio – I still have their worthless shares.
I call it the super-hypocrisy of the western companies. Many come out with their hyped internal rules, philosophies, slogans and make a lot of PR around it. Sounds much like Marx once said: religion is the opium of the people – a good tool to control the masses. In management religion is the MBA doctrines and the stuff you hear in “management training seminars”. Makes one feel good, all part of the big family.
The next day the bosses remove successful managers and sent them to Kazakhstan or something.
Happened to me. I sued, they lost and paid up. We Flemish are quite stubborn. Thanks to them today Alcatel is what it is in China. But that’s another story (and nothing to do with me).
I just hope the rumors around DLA Piper are unfounded.