Psychology Research Culture by Deep Case Analysis

Psychology Research 05 (2011) 1838—658X
Contents lists available at SEI
Psychology Research
Journal Homepage: www.seiofbluemountain.com
Research on Talent Management Harmony Based on Enterprise
Culture by Deep Case Analysis①
Xixi Zhang 1, Sufen Wang 2
1. Management School of Ocean University of China, 266100
2. Economics and Management Department of Qingdao Huanghai College, 266427, China
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Sword culture,
Wolf culture,
Harmonious management
Huawei and Haier is our national enterprise model, their enterprise culture and the
management of talents is unique. Along with the development of the enterprise, the past
way of talents management has exposed some problems. Study of Motorola's success,
putting harmonious management flexibility factors in the "sword" culture can better adapt
to the future development of enterprise needs.
© ST. PLUM-BLOSSOM PRESS PTY LTD
Introduction
Both Huawei and Haier are our country's pride of national enterprises, and they have high reputation in industry. Their success was
largely due to its “sword” culture, namely, strict implementation of the survival of the fittest as the natural laws, only pay attention to
the actual performance and efficiency. Such “sword” culture that is full of competition, efficiency, in Huawei and Haier's early stage,
plays a crucial role, laid off the foundation of national enterprises. Along with the development of the enterprise, cold pressing of the
“sword” culture urgently need transition, in contrast to the outstanding reference, we can learn that the harmonious management is
the key.
Without a doubt, the talent is rooted in the enterprise culture environment, affected by the culture. “Sword” culture in Huawei as a
concrete manifestation is “wolf” culture. “Wolf” Totem has become a distinctive mark of huawei. “Sword” culture in Haier is used in
horse racing by not judging the horse itself. Haier’s “horse theory” has become one of the characteristics of haier.
①
[Fund project]: Project support by Shandong Provincial Education Department Humanities and Social Science Research Program: Research on
The Mechanism of Quality Assessment and Outsourcing Risk Prevention of New Generation Marketing Personnel, (Grant No.J10WG72)

Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected]
English edition copyright © ST. PLUM-BLOSSOM PRESS PTY LTD
DOI: 10. 5503/J. PR. 2011.05.002
7
1 Huawei's “Wolf” Totem
1.1 The basic characteristics of “wolf” culture
Huawei’s President Ren Zhengfei puts forward “wolf” culture full of personality and it has become the motto for all the staff
members. The “wolf” culture has three big characteristics: bloodthirsty, cold days out of its hole, gathering in crowds and groups. As
wolves smell fresh blood, they will immediately prepare and sent out to hunt. Bloodthirsty reflects that Huawei is highly sensitive to
business opportunities. As long as there is a chance, it will never be missed. Even in extremely severe winter, the wolves are still out
of the hole for food, not afraid of cold. Hunting in cold days explains that Huawei can still survive in harsh environment, and the
external environment cannot stop the footsteps of the development of enterprises. Lone wolf is very rare, but through the form of
organized groups the wolf has a change to survive together. By grouping together, they have strict hierarchy and order. Order and
cooperation can ensure the wolves to overcome difficulties and survive. Gathering in crowds and groups reflects that Huawei has
strong team consciousness, and through cooperation it can improve the comprehensive competitiveness of enterprises. As a result, it
can always win while facing such a tough competition.
1.2 The “Wolf” culture needs transition
During Huawei’s maturing process, it stumble upon lack of wild and humanity of the “wolf” culture and it shows many discomfort
among members. Aggressive culture in the start-up stage was accelerating the enterprise’s development and its advantage is
particularly remarkable, but with the enterprise went into the life cycle of the mature period, lack of tender feelings of the human
factor, the culture of inclusiveness is insufficient and it is not helpful to establish the common belief and keep staff to stay. At the
same time, the culture is too strict to stimulate the talents and creativity forcing the post-80s who think freedom is more important
than belief. Huawei as a typical representative of the high-tech enterprises, innovation talent becomes younger is a tendency and
post-80s have gradually grown-up as the backbone of success. Creativity comes from interest, at the same time, need timely guidance.
Too serious and stern constraint will damage the innovation passion of the new generation talents.
Working strength is increasing because of Huawei powerful inspirational culture that stresses the index of its rising employee. From a
long-term point of view, this culture is not accord with the ultimate goal which is the pursuit of a better life. The employees become
slaves to work, the work atmosphere of high strength and high requirements draw further apart with the post-80s’ “happy work,
happy life" concept. [1]
In contrast, Sony emphasizes family warmth and spirit of solidarity and gives every employee full respect and trust. Its goal is to set
up a free happy ideal plant. Akio Morita make himself as an example, almost every night he eat and talk with young employee.
Whenever there is business depression, the top leaders’ wages will be cut down, and employee will not easily dismiss. [2]
Thus, when the enterprise development is on the right track, it will no longer obtain fruit through brute force, but more rely on the
details of management. The never stop “wolf” culture full of fight needs to join the harmonious management, in order to better adapt
to the new competition era which the post-80s became the protagonist.
2 Use of Talents by Horse Racing not Judging Horse in Haier
Use of personnel and enterprise culture is like the relationship between fish and water. The two get along well with each other and
blend into one harmonious whole. The water quality determines what type of fish can survive. Specific type of fish can only live in
specific type of water. The state of fish can reflect the water quality while management of the talents also can reflect the essence of an
enterprise culture.
Haier’s use of talents in horse racing not judging horse is always be said as an important part of Haier’s mythology, but when think it
over, we will find that this management mechanism emphasize actual job performance gradually revealed many shortcomings in real
life. When a horse came first in the race, the horse will get reward, this mechanism can dispel the inertia of a horse, at the same time
make pressure as the shadow follows with the horse. While the long-term pressure not only inspiring but also making the horse lose
the happiness of life and a sense of stability when it has reach certain age. Moderate pressure will make the horse run faster, but the
breakthrough of pressure limit will severely damaged the body bearing pressure, performance will greatly reduced, and even the
emergence of occupation burnout and karoshi.
In addition, using the dolphin mode method of promotion helps youth who require a stable occupation and feel the sense of urgency.
It is also discomfort in the environment of promoting capable person or demoting the incompetent ones. The lack of occupation
safety makes the staff always have to be in a tight string, frequent job changes is difficult to be controlled and lack of high salary
policy in Haier mythology in order to attract talented person. This will send a dangerous situation where some elite talent is wasted
away.
8
3 The Connotation of Harmonious Management
The harmonious management is a new management theory that was first put forward by professor Xi Youmin of Management School
of Xi'an Jiaotong University in 1987 in the book of Theory of Harmony and The Strategy. The theory is constructed in the framework
of system theory and analysis. It is thought that any organization or system within and between various elements is related. As a
result, there must be a harmonious system under the meaning of system. The fundamental purpose of harmonious management is to
make the system go gradually from disharmony to the state of harmony, and to build harmonious mechanism. [3]
In harmonious management, the Chinese character “HE” means the concepts and behaviors of people and groups “desirable
embedded” in an organization. The Chinese character “XIE” means all the elements have “reasonable investment" in the organization.
From “HE” and “XIE” there comes “HE principle” and “XIE principle”. “HE principle” is the guidance for the system’s independent
evolution in environment. It is the basic principle used to adjust the coexistence relationship between persons, groups, organizations
and even organization with environment, including the rule, contract, culture, public opinion, social values and so on. “XIE
principle” is used as basic principles to guide for pursuing optimization in the given resource constraints and objective. [4]
The core of the theory is to fully mobilize and use the enthusiasm, initiative, creativity of each member in each sub system, make the
whole system create an environment and conditions that can help each sub system with energy release and collaborative development.
And achieve the system's overall goal through making full use of each sub system’s function and synergistic effect between them. So
the soul of harmonious management is the win to win development of the organization and its members. The theory pays more
attention to the cooperative effect and achieves optimization development in the “keep on good terms” environment.
4 Harmonious Management Model
As a multinational corporation, Motorola put humanism as a basic point of its global culture strategy. The companies make their own
strategy neither stick to the original culture nor blindly follow the foreign culture when they face the multicultural collision. They
firmly believe that diversity is a positive tool and use business ethics view in international business management, while the key point
is proper treatment of cultural diversity. This kind of ability can be obtained through training, and become a part of corporate culture.
Being familiar with foreign culture can promote personal growth and meanwhile deal with different methods of solving problems for
multinational operation. Harmonious management is good for the harmonious interlacing of goals of staff and corporation, and
gradually their goals will become one.
By extracting we can know that the core of Motorola’s enterprise culture is providing users with products and services of superior
quality and reasonable price and meet the needs of the community. The enterprise gets benefit in this process, and continues to grow
and develop, provide opportunities for employees and shareholders to achieve their reasonable goals. The core values are, respect for
every employee's personal dignity, speak frankly and sincerely, let the staff directly involved in the dialogue and have the opportunity
to share the company’s heart and mind, perform their full potential, so that each employee can be obtained the training and
development opportunities, ensure that the company has the most capable, most efficient labor, respect the work of senior staff,
encourage employees with salary, welfare and materials, to give the corresponding return for their work, take ability as the basic
principle, and provide equal development opportunity for the staff. Motorola can create healthy and progressive cultural atmosphere
and harmonious management is the essence of the road.
5 Integration Strategy of “Sword” Culture and Harmonious Management
Harmonious management requires to establish a concept that the organization and individuals can get win-win development
harmoniously, rationalize the relationship between members and between organizations, fully mobilize the members’ subjective
initiative, desalinate contradiction, reduce conflict, make each organization member achieve high-quality cooperation in a
harmonious and relaxed atmosphere and create the most benefits.
When the enterprise’s accumulation reaches a certain level, it needs to transfer part of the value to employees and give them enough
space. It is moderately easy to get high returns in exchange. “Sword” should be gradually transformed into “soft belt”, from strong
norms to soft constraints, and try to make the culture become delicate, rich in humanistic care, so as to make the enterprise culture
become adhesive of the harmonious development of enterprise and employees. Only release employee freedom and space reasonably,
the enterprises can break through the bottleneck of development and get to a new level, Motorola as a successful case is a good
reference.
So Huawei’s wolf culture need to be integrated into the harmonious development factors. The development of the enterprise and
employee happiness is not contradictory but full of harmony. There is no need to do either this or that trade-offs, let the staff become
“wolf group” to be fighting force and at the same time. Through efficient work to obtain happiness of life is the meaning of “wolf
culture". Haier should recognize that strict management can get instant result, in the continuation of past effective management
model, but flexible care and the power of communication is also great. Haier's new employment model should avoid family nepotism
propagation and on this base, inject the concept of harmony but differently, allowing the “new employees” make mistakes, give “old
9
ones” sense of security, let the staff to share the fruits of enterprise development and play not only hard but also softly “Chinese Tai
chi”.
6 Conclusion
From the above, the culture’s inclusiveness and humanization of human resource management is indispensable. Harmony is the
highest state of management, achieve harmony in win-win development and keep on good terms is the essence of scientific
development. In the new stage of development, the penetration “sword” and the flexibility of “soft belt” should combine perfectly,
and emphasize the management philosophy of “greatness lies in the capacity”, to realize great-leap-forward development in flexible
rhythm .
Company’s talent management harmony is a part of building harmonious society. From our country’s current disharmonious
problems exist in economic and social development, most of them have some relevance with company’s talent management, for
example, the company and the labor protection, the company and the protection of consumers' rights all have direct or indirect
relation with the company’s talent management. So company’s talent management harmony becomes an important node to build
harmonious relationship between stakeholders in the process of construction of harmonious society, that is to say we must take the
company’s talent management harmony as a important content and a point of tangency in the process of constructing harmonious
society.
Harmony can promote cohesion, cohesion can promote harmony, and it is the truth proved by countless facts. Put the concept of
harmony in the process of company’s talent management harmony can form good mechanism that develops continuously and raise
the market competition ability of the enterprise.
References
[1]. Feng Rujun. Management Research Based on the Psychological Characteristics and Behavior of Post-80s, Human Resource
Development. 2008, (9): 31~33
[2]. Qiang Guomin. Discussion and Analysis of Management Issues on Post-80s. Talent Exploitation, 2008, (1): 21~22
[3]. Huang Dan, Xi Youmin. Theoretical basis of Harmonious management: Reinterpreting of harmony, Journal of industrial
engineering and Engineering Management, 2001, (3): 69~72
[4]. Xi Youmin, Han Wei, Shang Yufan. Facing Complexity: The Concepts, Principles and Framework of Harmonious
Management Theory, Journal of Management Sciences, 2003, (4): 1~8
10