The Lenovo Way: Managing a Diverse Global Company for Optimal Performance

Gina’s Story

Merging Cultures

When Yolanda first asked me for advice about Chinese culture, I wasn’t sure how honest I should be. Although I’d been working out of the office in Singapore, I’d heard the feedback, and I didn’t want to upset her. But I also wished that there were someone who could give me advice, because I was having enough of my own problems with my new Western colleagues. So I said to myself, “Why not? Maybe we can both learn something.”

Yolanda didn’t remember this at the time, but in fact I had interviewed her months earlier, via Skype. She was in Texas, still waiting for the final word about whether she’d gotten the job. I was skeptical, believing that my boss was just trying to hire another person from Dell to keep him company, ...