亚洲人才遭遇西方企业玻璃天花板

西方跨国公司在亚洲扩大业务之际，高管层中明显缺少一类人：亚洲人。

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跨国公司比以往任何时候都更多地雇用亚洲人从事较低级别的工作，但在涉及到高层管理职位时，从食品到金融等各类公司都倾向于选择西方人。

西方公司最初开始向亚洲扩张业务时，总部会派一名高管到亚洲，向员工们展示企业是如何运作的。几十年后，情况并没有发生太大的改变。据多家咨询和高管猎头公司说，这在一定程度上是因为公司领导往往会提拔与自己的形象和文化相同的人，保持一种白人男性当老板的往复循环。

很多高管猎头公司说，它们的客户会把握在本地雇人的机会，但几乎没有哪家公司会采取措施培养人才。

全球商业咨询公司Corporate Executive Board在2011年进行的一项研究中指出，跨国公司在亚洲常犯的错误是，过于依赖外派人员和猎头，把他们作为迅速找到合适人选的简单途径。但对公司和市场缺乏了解的外部人士，他们提高生产效率的速度很慢。

高层人员缺乏多样性可能不利于公司业务。咨询公司Pacific Consulting Group的合伙人Nicklas Jonow说，外国高管可能缺乏一些实际需要的技能。

他在一封电子邮件中说，比如，了解消费者的需求、潮流、购买力和品牌定位开始变得越来越重要，而这些不只局限于奢侈品牌和一线城市。为满足这些需要，跨国公司必须转变招聘做法，雇用真正了解这些市场的本地人才。

尽管如此，据猎头公司史宾沙(Spencer Stuart)说，相比其他职位，担任该地区首席执行长类职位的西方人多40%。据猎头公司海德思哲(Heidrick & Struggles)说，在全球10大银行中，只有十分之三的亚太区首席执行长是亚洲人或亚裔（有两位是联席首席执行长）；与此同时，在全球20大资产管理公司中，只有两位亚太区首席执行长是亚裔。

公司往往选择那些来自他们熟悉的地方、与之有着文化相似性的人担任领导。香港社商贤汇(Community Business)多元化和包容性负责人尼斯比特(Katharine Nisbet)说，但我们没有看到其他人选可能带来的好处。该机构与公司携手增强企业的社会责任感。

亚洲人与西方人在沟通和领导风格方面的文化差异也是一个因素。比如，亚洲的文化强调尊敬长者，长幼有序的等级观念以及一致意见的重要性，而在西方管理风格中很少看到这样的特点。

CEB的人力资源研究主管亚当斯(Brad Adams)前不久出席了一家新加坡公司的会议。会上有一位本地后起之秀，但此人只是安静地坐在那里，整场会议一言未发。

亚当斯说，后来我们聊天，谈到他怎么如此安静时，他说自己的工作就是列席旁听，点头同意领导层的观点，这个状况大约会持续10到20年，直到公司由他掌舵。

很多公司称，由于亚洲仍是一个相对年轻的市场，所以人才尚不成熟。

非营利组织社商贤汇的数据显示，与全球平均水平相比，亚洲高管相对年轻（38岁，全球平均为43岁），工作经验不那么丰富（16年，全球平均为22年），受雇于现任雇主的期限较短（8年，全球平均为10年）。

随着领导人工作的变化，公司说有额外经验非常重要。海德思哲合伙人麦克林德尔(Steven McCrindle)说，以金融业为例，负责地区业务的高管不仅要提升销售业绩，还肩负着将亚太业务做成数十亿美元生意的重任，并且要处理复杂的监管问题。

但很多公司都没有花时间来培养当地人才。麦克林德尔说，将一些亚洲人派驻到世界各地任职，这可能是个挑战。

他说，香港人可能会去国外学习，但之后会回到香港，不愿离开，他们不愿去各个不同的地方。

该地区的很多跨国企业最终开始意识到，必须大力培养当地人才，尤其是考虑到这方面需求的话。

但这需要打破传统思维定势。亚洲高管猎头公司伯乐管理有限公司(Bo Le Associates)创始人Louisa Wong说，聘用本地人历来是为了执行任务，如实施增长计划、策略和实现销售业绩等；把高管送去读工商管理硕士(MBA)的公司并不多见。

Wong说，跨国公司还希望为公司内部其他地区志向远大的高管保留令人垂涎的亚太职位，因为拥有亚太市场的经验对日后晋升最高管理层而言是至关重要的锻炼。

沃尔玛连锁公司(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)说，正在积极培养亚洲人才。该零售巨头2011年6月在亚洲推出了其首个全球领导力研究院(Global Leadership Institute)，旨在帮助那些驻亚洲的领导者掌握担任更高领导角色所需的技能。

招聘公司韬睿惠悦(Towers Watson)的戴维斯(Trey Davis)说，与此同时很多公司正小心翼翼地控制外派员工，原因之一是雇用他们成本极高。在香港工作的本地和外籍高管可能在基本薪资、奖金和奖励措施方面都是一样的，但后者还会要求住房和教育津贴，而这些都代价不菲。

高管猎头公司Harvey Nash的马什(Nick Marsh)说，如果我能找到一个出生于中国内地或香港或亚洲其它地方的女性高管，我的客户会欣喜若狂。他说，目前正在物色的是“最棒的当地女性人才”。
As Western multinationals ratchet up their operations in Asia, there is one glaring omission from the upper ranks of management: Asians.

Asians are employed by multinationals in greater numbers than ever before at lower levels, but when it comes to the top roles, companies from food to finance tend to pick Westerners.

When Western companies first started expanding to Asia, headquarters sent an executive to Asia to show employees how the business should run. Decades later, not much has changed. In part, that's because leaders tend to promote people in their own image and culture, perpetuating a cycle of white, male bosses, according to consulting and executive-search firms.

Many executive-search firms say their clients would leap at the chance to hire locally, but few firms are taking steps to develop and groom talent.

'[Multinationals] in Asia often fall into the trap of overrelying on expatriates and headhunters as 'easy' ways to quickly fill vacancies,' notes a 2011 study by the Corporate Executive Board, a global business advisory. 'But time to productivity is slow for outsiders who lack company or market knowledge.'

Having less diversity at the top can be bad for business. Expat executives may lack some of the skills needed on the ground, says Nicklas Jonow, a partner at Pacific Consulting Group, a consulting firm.

'For example, understanding consumer needs, trends, purchasing power, brand positioning -- not just for luxury brands, and not just in Tier 1 cities -- is becoming increasingly important,' he said in an email. 'To fill those needs, multinationals have to shift their hiring practices to [local] talent who really understand these markets.'

Still, 40% more Westerners are placed in CEO-type roles in the region compared with other roles, according to Spencer Stuart, the recruiting firm. At the top 10 banks globally, only three out of 10 have Asian-Pacific CEOs who are Asian or of Asian descent (and two are co-CEOs); meanwhile, at the top 20 asset-management firms globally, only two CEOs are of Asian descent in the Asian-Pacific region, according to recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles.

Companies tend to opt for leaders from places with which they are familiar and with which they have cultural affinity. 'But we don't see the benefits that other candidates might bring,' says Katharine Nisbet, head of diversity and inclusion at Hong Kong-based Community Business, which works with companies to promote corporate social responsibility.

Cultural differences in communication and leadership between Asians and their Western peers is another factor. For example, Asian culture stresses respect toward elders, age-based hierarchy and the importance of consensus, traits rarely seen in Western management styles.

Brad Adams, the CEB's human resources research director, recently sat in on a meeting at a Singapore-based company, where a local rising star sat quietly and didn't speak throughout the whole meeting.

'Afterwards, we talked to him [about] why he was so quiet. He said it is his job to sit on the sideline for 10-20 years listening, nodding and agreeing with the leadership until it's his turn to lead,' says Mr. Adams.

Because Asia is still a relatively young market, many firms claim the talent has yet to mature.

Compared with the global average, Asian senior managers are younger (38 years old versus 43), have less work experience (16 years versus 22) and have less tenure with their current employer (eight years versus 10), according to nonprofit Community Business.

As the job of a leader changes, companies say that extra experience matters. In the finance industry, for example, those in charge of regional operations aren't just charged with boosting sales but are expected to turn Asian-Pacific operations into multibillion-dollar businesses and deal with complex regulatory issues, says Steven McCrindle, partner at Heidrick & Struggles.

But many companies haven't taken the time to groom local talent, either. Mr. McCrindle says it can be a challenge to have some Asians move around the world in global postings.

'Hong Kong citizens may study abroad, but they'll come back to Hong Kong and do not want to leave. They don't get exposed to different regions,' he says.
Many multinationals in the region are finally realizing that they have to aggressively work on cultivating local talent -- especially given the demand for it.

But that requires a break from a traditional mind-set. 'Traditionally, locals are hired for execution: delivering a growth plan, tactics, sales. Not many [firms] send executives to M.B.A. programs,' says Louisa Wong, founder of Bo Le Associates, an executive-search firm in Asia.

Ms. Wong says there is also a desire to save the coveted Asian-Pacific slots for ambitious executives from elsewhere in the company as 'experience in these markets is crucial preparation for future top leadership.'

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says it is actively grooming Asian talent. In Asia, the retailer launched its first Global Leadership Institute in June 2011 designed to help Asia-based leaders build the skills necessary to take more senior leadership roles.

At the same time, many companies are carefully reining in their use of expats, in part because they are expensive hires, says Trey Davis from Towers Watson, a recruitment firm. Local and foreign executives in Hong Kong may have the same actual base salary, bonuses and incentives, but expats also command costly housing and educational allowances.

'If I could find a top Chinese or Hong Kong-born or Asian woman executive, my clients would be over the moon,' says Nick Marsh of executive-search firm Harvey Nash. The search is on for the 'best female and local talent,' he says.