To equip our students with the acumen necessary for business, to provide leadership skills that translate across different industries, and to gain insights into the future market are key aspects of the educational philosophy of the Guanghua-Kellogg EMBA program. In line with this, the Guanghua-Kellogg EMBA program actively promotes the joint development of classroom education and real-world knowledge learning for students. The program organizes events such as Company Visits and Onsite Learning Trips to increase students' exposure to various industries as well as international viewpoints.
On January 7th, at the beginning of the New Year, the Guanghua-Kellogg EMBA program made a company visit trip to Lenovo's global headquarter based in Beijing. The company visit was led by Professor Weng Xi of the Department of Applied Economics and Professor Yi Xiwei of the Department of Organization and Strategic Management at Guanghua School of Management.
During the tour, more than 40 GK students visited the Lenovo Future Center to see the latest products, solutions, and services that Lenovo provides. Lenovo operates to achieve its vision of "providing smarter technology for all." The company visit was an empowering opportunity for students to not only learn about the industry's best practices, but also the challenges faced by a multinational technology company.
Globalization in business is undergoing profound changes. As technology and transportation keep advancing, the business has become increasingly global. Looking at the global business landscape, China is playing a curial role in redefining the concept of globalization.
Amongst the multinational companies, Lenovo Group is undoubtedly a committed practitioner and pioneer of business globalization. Lenovo Group runs its business in more than 180 markets around the world, accumulating rich experience in globalization. Facing the complex international and geopolitical environment of today, the strategies and the coping solutions shared by Lenovo Group provided valuable inspirations for students to think about the key success factors of globalization in business.
Lenovo Group makes use of its advantages in data computing, power algorithm, and other cutting-edge technologies to lead the era of intelligent transformation at the global level. From intelligent life experience, intelligent industry experience, travel, work, gaming, medical treatment, education, and many other industry fields, the Lenovo Future Center presents Lenovo's interpretation of the "Future." Promoting intelligent society development through technological innovation is also the common pursuit of students at the Guanghua-Kellogg EMBA program.
Following the visit of the Lenovo Future Center, a presentation was given by Ms. LU Bo, the vice president of the Global Strategic department of the Lenovo Group on the topic of "Transformation of Lenovo as a Global Company." After hearing a detailed introduction of Lenovo’s history and record of innovation, Ms. LU Bo, professors, and students started an engaging discussion about the company’s globalization, intelligent transformation, and effective management strategy.
During the discussion, “Innovation” was frequently brought up. Ms. LU Bo shared Lenovo’s definition of Innovation at three levels, including product innovation, business model innovation, and technology Innovation. GK Students continued to raise relevant questions about how to encourage innovation within a company, how to achieve innovation in practice, and how to cultivate the spirit of innovation.
Based on the rich management experience accumulated, Ms. LU Bo shared three key takeaway messages with the group on digital transformation:
1. Be Adaptive to the needs of optimizing business portfolios while seizing opportunities timely and moving quickly;
2. Be Positive, as there will always be a lot of challenges and criticism for transformation;
3. Be Persistent but patient, as transformation does not happen overnight.
At the end of the visit, Professor YI Xiwei summarized the Lenovo company visit in a nutshell:
What we heard and discussed today during the Lenovo company visit coincides with the knowledge that we teach in the classroom. The visit is a good example of classroom knowledge applied in real-world practice. As digital transformation and globalization become increasingly complex and important, the elements that Ms. Lu Bo and students mentioned in the discussion today are all key factors of whether a company can successfully execute its business strategy.
Each company has its unique features and is at a different stage of development, facing different challenges. Today’s visit was indeed a valuable learning opportunity for all of us to gather and share our ideas on corporate strategy formulation and successful transformation.
