FCOM-5 I have no problem with you being here and sharing your stories and perspective as long as you are transparent. In fact i think it's good to have some input from the Chinese in these forums.
I find it fascinating that you are well aware of many of the inefficiencies and procedures inside a Chinese company and also you realize how difficult it is to change things to fix some of the many small problems. Clearly you have been educated on western style business and management.
I actually really like Chinese people as individuals. They are friendly, helpful and peaceful people for the most part. I find the culture fascinating while frustrating but I've learned a lot about myself and I believe I've become a better and stronger person as a result of working closely with such a different culture.
I think the problems of foreigners working in China are very great and the pollution and health issues are very significant not just for expats and their families but for the Chinese people. I see great potential that always seems to fall just short.
Such highly vertical management structures have proven inefficient yet are so strictly followed in China. Such management structure also causes low employee morale and low job satisfaction while discouraging both managers and employees from improving the company and working more efficiently. I think culturally it will be difficult for Chinese people to work in a flat organization because they are not educated and trained in school to be accustomed to flatter structure in organizations. As pilots we are all managers and in western culture are trained to treat our crew as professional equals while retaining authority for final decision making...it wasn't always like that and granted some pilots aren't so skilled at it but it's how we are trained.
Some expats that have an ability to be more adaptable are able to fit in easier and even enjoy living and working in China but the biggest problem expats can face is isolation and lonliness. As pilots and expats we stick together but due to the highly unpredictable variety of schedules it's not as easy for us to get together regularly after work for mutual support since our schedules rarely line up with each other. We often find ourselves alone with nothing to do on a day off which can be very depressing, almost as depressing as working all day with people who, while friendly and helpful, are not able to interact socially on the same level as each other due to language and cultural barrier.
I could go on and on...