ASIA FOCUS : ENTREPRENEUR VIEW

Dealing with turnover

When a manager's exit is unavoidable, it can be handled to avoid hard feelings

Lilytech Network and Technology has negotiated two exits at the management level in its five-year history.

To ensure a smooth transition, the company says it has parted amicably with the leaving managers, hired their replacements quickly, and achieved easy integration of new members into the existing team.

Based in Nanjing, Lilytech is a Chinese enterprise IT company that focuses on a niche market in office automation and network technologies for universities and government institutions.

In Chinese culture, the concept of "face" is very important when a person resigns, especially at the management level, executives note.

During both resignations from Lilytech thus far, the company has ensured that the managers left with no ill feelings. This made for smooth exits that did not upset the team's morale.

In both instances, Lilytech hired a replacement within a few months. The company found the new manager more easily than it had the previous team member, since the job scope and candidate requirements had been defined clearly by the time of the transition.

The company chose candidates who seemed best capable of integrating with the existing team, easing this process as well.

While Lilytech does not see either exit as the result of hiring mistakes, the company has learned from these exits to trust its networks more and to tighten its employment contracts. After a competitor poached its top management member, Lilytech inserted a clause governing this scenario into contracts with all members of the top management team.

The company now relies exclusively on its personal networks to source management talent, which it trusts more than headhunters to find committed new managers.

Bangkok Post
Sunday January 28, 2007