3 Lessons from Chinese Firms on Effective Digital Collaboration

As we face a global medical and economic crisis, large-scale collaboration between organizations has never been more important. Useful inspiration can come from China, where the pandemic is but one of many crises that businesses have faced, and where a variety of pressures and opportunities have shaped a set of distinctive partnering practices. The authors propose three models for collaboration that offer useful lessons for leaders all around the world: the “Data Sharing” model, in which companies leverage digital data infrastructure to more freely share information; the “Coalition-Building” model, in which a consortium of public and private entities work together towards a shared social goal; and the “Superapp Platform” model, in which companies share tools and resources for common benefit. While these Chinese approaches cannot be copied wholesale into a Western context, the authors suggest that many companies may be able to adapt these models to fit their unique requirements and support the global fight against the pandemic.