Pioneers, Hidden Champions, Changemakers, and Underdogs

An insider's view of China's under-the-radar, globally competitive innovators.

Chinese innovators are making their mark globally. Not only do such giants as Alibaba and Huawei continue to thrive and grow through innovation, thousands of younger Chinese entrepreneurs are poised to enter the global marketplace. In this book, Mark Greeven, George Yip, and Wei Wei offer an insider's view of China's under-the-radar, globally competitive innovators.

The authors, all experts on Chinese innovation, distinguish four types of innovators in China: pioneers, large companies that are globally known; hidden champions, midsize enterprises that are market leaders in their niches; underdogs, technology-driven ventures with significant intellectual property; and changemakers, newer firms characterized by digital disruption, exponential growth, and cross-industry innovations. They investigate what kinds of innovations these companies develop (product, process, or business model), their competitive strategies, and key drivers of innovation. They identify six typical ways Chinese entrepreneurs innovate, including swarm innovation (collectively pursuing opportunities) and rapid centralized decision making. Finally, they look at how Chinese innovators are going global, whether building R&D networks internationally or exporting disruptive business models. The book includes many examples of Chinese innovators and innovations, drawn from a range of companies—from pioneers to changemakers—including Alibaba, Haier, Hikvision, Malong Technology, Weihua Solar, Mobike, and Cheetah Mobile.

Greeven, Yip, and Wei offer an essential guide to what makes China a heavyweight competitor in the global marketplace.Acknowledgements ix
1 Introduction: China's Emerging Innovators 1
2 Pioneers: Giants from the East 21
3 Hidden Champions: Unknown Global Market Leaders 47
4 Underdogs: Technology Ventures under the Radar 67
5 Changemakers: NextGen Entrepreneurs 91
6 The Chinese Innovators' Way 111
7 China's Innovators Going Global 133
8 China's Emerging Innovators: Lessons from Alibaba to Zongmu 153
Notes 179
Selected Bibliography 191
Index 195Mark J. Greeven is Professor of Innovation and Strategy at IMD Business School in Lausanne and coauthor of Business Ecosystems in China: Alibaba and Competing Baidu, Tencent, Xiaomi, and LeEco.
George S. Yip is Emeritus Professor of Marketing and Strategy at Imperial College Business School in London and coauthor of China's Next Strategic Advantage: From Imitation to Innovation (MIT Press). He divides his time among Boston, London, and Maine.
Wei Wei is Founder and CEO of the Shanghai-based consulting firm GSL Innovation.