China's First Global Capitalist

Yang Yuanqing is chairman of Lenovo Group Ltd, the leading PC company in China. Last year, when Lenovo bought IBMPC Co., Yang stepped onto the world stage. He became the first Chinese executive to lead the takeover of an iconic Western business. In one swoop, he took on the world's leading tech...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bloomberg businessweek (Online) 2006-12 (4013), p.52
Main Author: Steve Hamm and Dexter Roberts
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Chief executive officers
Management styles
Manufacturing
Multinational corporations
Personal computers
Personal profiles
Yang Yuanqing
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Summary:Yang Yuanqing is chairman of Lenovo Group Ltd, the leading PC company in China. Last year, when Lenovo bought IBMPC Co., Yang stepped onto the world stage. He became the first Chinese executive to lead the takeover of an iconic Western business. In one swoop, he took on the world's leading technology companies. Now, as China's first truly global capitalist, he has a chance to help his homeland shed its image as a cheap manufacturing hub. But Yang Yuanqing may turn out to be much more. From the moment he was tapped at age 29 to shake up the struggling PC unit of Lenovo's predecessor company, Yang has defied the stereotype of a Chinese manager. Today he is emerging as the first of a hybrid class of leader, marrying the drive and creativity of Western management with the vast efficiencies of China's manufacturing operations. He presides over a merit-based culture built on the Silicon Valley blueprint: In an elder-worshipping country, he fearlessly promotes young people and fires employees who aren't up to snuff. He demands that people learn from their mistakes, and he's relentless about self-improvement. But Yang is discovering just how hard it will be to translate success in China into success everywhere else. In the long term, Yang aims to turn Lenovo into a high-profile global brand.
ISSN:0007-7135
2162-657X