The shear numbers with respect to population would seem to indicate that the most brilliant minds in the next few generations will come from the places with the largest population. I know that I have BLOG’ed about this before but I have received new information.
I recently had a conversation with a colleague that would seem to indicate that there are other forces at work that will continue to challenge workers in these countries. It is no secret that governments in these countries tend to challenge businesses, but there may also be entrenched biases that will continue to prevent highly successful companies. My colleague has lived in one of these places and believes that the challenges are significant.
I believe that environments like those in developing countries like India and China present fertile ground for new business models. An entrepreneur that is willing to break the mold and build a company that treats people fairly, creates an awesome work environment and gives people ownership and pride in what they do could flourish anywhere. In environments where there are large numbers of highly trained workers, with a lower cost of living, the challenge will be to get these people before they have a change to form biases.
For a company to be successful the people have to want to work together to solve a challenging problem. It has to be something that everyone in the world will want or need and the people have to believe that their product will reach it’s target market. Post world war two Japan is an excellent example of how a country can focus on quality to build a brand that is recognized around the globe. When I was in high school Japanese cars were inexpensive poorly constructed cars that nobody wanted. Most of my high school friends now all drive Toyota’s or Honda’s and cars from manufacturers like GM are poorly constructed.
What will it take from developing countries like China and India to realize that they have the opportunity to redefine how they do business? I have never lived there but the Internet has once again leveled the playing field. People around the globe know about companies like Google and Apple and know that it is possible to work for a company that takes care of its people. If it were possible to establish companies modeled after the best companies in North America would the people of India and China excel to new levels? I’m interested to hear your views…