Lessons from Huawei’s Teamwork for Student Entrepreneurs at SATKU

Introduction

In the contemporary world, teams are inescapable and entirely justified. People study and work in teams every day. There is a magical and interesting place-Proakatemia, where various teams exist for student entrepreneurs. In these teams, students engage in a collaborative learning process by starting their business ventures. This is the typical team learning mode in Proakatemia. But how do they manage and operate their teams effectively? What is the way to make a student team company thrive?

To explain these questions, this essay studies the Huawei company as a case to examine its teamwork structure. It compares Team SATKU at Proakatemia to understand its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the essay presents a series of strategies designed to enhance team management and operations within the context of SATKU.

1.An overview of Huawei teamwork method

According to Huawei’s official website, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., commonly known as Huawei, is a Chinese multinational technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei. Over the years, it has evolved into one of the world’s leading providers of telecommunications equipment and offers cloud computing, AI, and smart vehicles. Now It has developed into a major player in 5G technology, with a global presence in over 170 countries.

But how did it grow to a leading position in the telecommunication network business? To find its secret, this essay scrutinizes a published book and a scholarly paper detailing its principles for teamwork. Indeed, we found Huawei has unique human resources management methods.

1.1 Focus on talent selection and matching

Huawei’s talent selection criteria consist of two dimensions: one evaluates capability and quality, while the other assesses the values fit. This value fit refers to whether employees align with the company’s core values or not while not focusing on the rest.

Because everyone can have their hobbies and values. Different cultural backgrounds may even have behavioral differences due to different religious beliefs or social customs. However, these issues are irrelevant to the company’s operations. Once employees identify with a company’s core values, a solid foundation is established for fostering cooperation and collectively advancing the company’s growth. For example, multinational companies can succeed in countries with very different cultures, and in many companies, employees of different religions can seek common goals while reserving differences and living in harmony.

1.2 Mentor system

The goal of the above concerns is to get the employee to fit in well with the team and ultimately create value for the team. To help the integration of new employees into the company, Huawei has an interesting Mentor System for new employees.

There is usually a trained employee who has worked in the company for at least two years and at the same time highly agrees with the company’s core values to act as an ideological mentor. The responsibility of the mentor is not to help new employees solve work problems but to assist them in solving their thinking and life problems thereby relieving their tension in the new environment and accelerating the integration.

1.3 Rotation system facilitates decision-making and implementation

 Huawei’s rotation system includes the EMT (Executive Management Team) rotation and the CEO rotation.

The EMT rotation involves eight core managers who rotate as chairpersons, fostering diverse perspectives and optimizing decision-making. After this EMT rotation developed into a mature mechanism, in 2011, Huawei introduced a rotating CEO system, where three EMT members take turns leading for six-month terms. This system enhances overall performance, competitiveness, and crisis management.

As for routine and localized management, the EMT management model remains in place. By rotating through the CEO position, core managers’ leadership skills are honed and tested, effectively enhancing their ability to handle significant affairs, strategic insights, and organizational influence.

1.4 Make talent development a long-term strategy

Huawei operates its Huawei University primarily for employee training. The university offers various training based on problem-solving and aligned with real-world work scenarios. It consistently upholds the principle of cultivating outstanding individuals through the guidance of excellent ones. Consequently, Huawei’s senior and middle managers are both trained and qualified as instructors, ensuring the quality of education provided.

In addition, more than half of the meetings within Huawei are part of a learning organization, for instance, case seminars in the marketing department, where supervisors or experts share successes and failures with the group. Everyone in the meeting is contributing to the growth of others.

2. SATKU Team Analysis

2.1 Team Composition

Team SATKU is a student-entrepreneur team comprising 21 members with diverse backgrounds. The team is in its infancy stage, established by a group of first-year students at Proakatemia in January 2024.

Its team members come from 8 countries: Finland, Canada, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Russia, Sri Lanka, and China. Additionally, this team is a dynamic mix of young people and mature experienced youths. Although so many differences, they get together for a common goal-start business.

2.2 Team Strengths and Weaknesses

Due to SATKU only exiting 6 months, a comprehensive analysis of its condition will be helpful to optimize performance, allocate resources and enhance collaboration. We use the SWOT analysis method to conduct the research.

S-Strengths

• Multi-language

Language is usually an obstacle in business, especially in international trade. This barrier leads to not only hard negotiation but also to cultural differences, such as misunderstanding, offense, building trust, etc. However, team SATKU can speak nine different languages. This natural advantage would reduce many barriers to starting an international business.

• Have experienced team members in the International Trade and Marketing

The perfect combination of experienced international trade talent and intelligent market developers will uncover unique business initiatives.

• Have skillful workers

Half of the members have years of work experience. They fully understand interpersonal communication in a real working scenario and should be good team movers or players.

• Have an active startup context

Proakatemia is an excellent platform with a good reputation in Tampere. Also, the young members of team SATKU are almost local. Their adequate understanding of the local business environment would position them to make significant contributions to launching businesses in Finland.

W-Weaknesses

• Lack of team cohesiveness

Various cultures mean differences and even conflicts. The culturally diverse membership structure combines the young and the mature leading to differences in cognitive levels. This is inevitable for an international team but it can be managed.

O-Opportunities

• Small Project

Given low-cost considerations, it is feasible to carry out some stand-ales projects in the early stages. On the one hand, such small-scale business practices do not require much financial cost and it is easy to start; on the other hand, by carrying out these projects, team members can improve their understanding of each other and build trust gradually.

• Develop preference-based business

As everyone is different, starting businesses based on individual hobbies or preferences would be motivated. Business practices based on interests and preferences better leverage initiative and engage team motivation.

• International trade

Regarding the above strength analysis, starting international trade is a good choice. It could be a long-term goal.  

T-Threat

As a start-up team inside a university campus, SATKU is currently not strong enough to pose a threat to the outside world.

3. Strategy for SATKU Growth

Based on the above analysis, to better centralize the team’s strength to achieve common goals and solve the challenges faced by the team, we summed up a few strategies by referencing Huawei teamwork method while combining it with the actual situation of SATKU.

3.1 Embrace the difference

At present, there are some conflicts in this team due to cultural differences but this is inevitable for an international student team. Therefore, we need to address this issue. As Huawei’s working method says, this exceeds the work. In teamwork, we need to focus on our team values and common goals.

In the previous literature, Eduardo Salas, Marissa Shuffler, Amanda Thayer, Wendy Bedwell, & Elizabeth Lazzara (2015) mentioned that the components of teams are multiple individuals, independencies and a shared goal. Teamwork is a collection of different thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Consequently, teamwork is a source of difference. This task-based difference is different from the culture-based difference. The former could lead to conflicts but can be managed properly. The team can set management systems, such as guidelines and norms, to reduce negative effects. For example, task division should match individual differences. Because somebody is shy, somebody is outgoing; somebody has good marketing research skills, somebody has good sales skills. Different competencies should match different tasks. 

Any difference or conflict can be handled. The process of problem-solving will establish an active and solid team.

3.2 Build Learning Meeting Organization

As mentioned in 1.4, in Huawei, most of the meetings are a learning process. In SATKU, it has Pajas two times a week. As a novel learning mode, Pajas could be a learning seminar in the future. Team members could plan or review projects and study necessary knowledge related to these projects including Finance, Project management, Marketing, etc. Necessary theories combined with practice would be a better way to grow.

Furthermore, by having effective Pajas, teammates sharing knowledge and opinions could also build trust and increase team cohesion. To develop trust in teams, it is recommended that team members discuss prior experiences relevant to the tasks to be performed in their team (Eduardo Salas, et al.,2015).

For example, the team is preparing marketing research for a product. People who have marketing experience might create a feeling of perception with people who have similar experiences. They are likely to build trust because of similarities. Social identity theory and social categorization (Tajfel & Turner,1986; Turner, 1987) proposed that if individuals perceive others as similar to themselves, this similarity is associated with a set of predetermined assumptions and a sense of predictability and comfort.

3.3 Build a Psychological Safety Environment

Psychological safety is ‘‘a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up,’’ Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson wrote in a study published in 1999. “It describes a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves’’ (Charles Duhigg, 2016).

Huawei fosters a psychologically safe environment through its “Voice Community” forum, where employees freely express opinions. Major policies, including speeches by Ren Zhengfei and senior executives, are promptly shared for discussion among all 190,000 employees. Posters can choose anonymity, and any efforts to trace identities are forbidden. This forum has generated valuable ideas and suggestions, contributing to a healthy Huawei organizational culture characterized by strong cohesion.

Team SATKU is also applying this theory within itself. But it needs to be enhanced in the future. A good performance team needs to create an open communication context to create an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, opinions, and concerns. Teammates are encouraged active listening and respectful dialogue to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. In this context, team members are willing to give constructive feedback to support each other in developing. Everyone is focusing on growth and improvement rather than criticism or blame. Therefore, by being transparent, reliable, and supportive, the team could build trust, foster different viewpoints, and resolve conflicts.

Additionally, we also found other similarities between team SATKU and Huawei. The leader rotation is also happening in SATKU. SATKU changes its leaders every semester to make everyone learn leadership skills. Besides, the mentor system is almost the same as the coach teaching mode at the Proakatemia. However, the purpose of the case study about Huawei is not to find the same aspects is to find practical guidance for the team SATKU’s operation and management. To ensure the team is healthy, we should address the essential role of cooperation, differences, communication, cognition, and coaching. 

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, the case study of Huawei’s teamwork is seeking strategies for the SATKU team. It seems a huge irrelevance. One is an old company in China, and the other one is a newborn student team in Finland. However, there are sparks between the Eastern culture and the Western culture providing corresponding solutions for SATKU.

The application of Huawei’s teamwork culture to SATKU highlights the importance of fostering a conducive environment for teamwork, communication, and growth. Huawei’s success in building a strong organizational culture, leveraging talent, implementing rotation systems, and prioritizing learning and development provides valuable insights for SATKU striving to achieve its goals. SATKU can enhance team cohesion, effectiveness, and performance by embracing differences, promoting learning meetings and establishing psychological safety.

In the future, as the team continues to evolve and grow, SATKU can finally find its operation and management logic and principle to navigate challenges, leverage strengths and capitalize on opportunities to achieve success in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Reference

[1] Wu Jianguo. (2019). The Huawei Teamwork Method (1st ed.). China CITIC Press.

[2] Xin liang , Lin Xiu, Wei fang, & Sibin Wu. (2020). How Did a Local Guerrilla Turn into a Global Gorilla? Learning How Transformational Change Happened under Dynamic Capabilities from the Rise of Huawei. Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 33(No. 2, 2020), 401–414. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-09-2018-0246

[3 ] Charles Duhigg. (2016). What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team. The New York Times, 1–9. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html

[4]  Eduardo Salas, Marissa Shuffler, Amanda Thayer, Wendy Bedwell, & Elizabeth Lazzara. (2015). Understanding and Improving Teamwork in Organization: A Scientifically Based Practical Guide. Human Resource Management, Vol. 54(No. 4.), 599–622. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21628