Project Manager - the Differences of the Role between Western Countries Company and Chinese Company

FROM:http://jguatbath.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3f2bdb193eff0b43!163.entry
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What are the differences of the role of Project Manager (PM) between western countries' companies and Chinese companies? There's a story motivated me to take on this topic. My friend applied for a job in a company for which I worked. My colleagues viewed her CV and posed a doubt on a summer internship in which she engaged. She described her role of summer internship as Project Manager Assistant. Moreover, the project in which she participated was a quite large project managed by a large state-owned company, and it cost some million Chinese Yuan. As my friend was an undergraduate without any full-time work experience before she embarked upon her summer work, more or less my colleagues thought she might over puffed that experience, particularly, if she really acted as the Project Manager Assistant to take on a number of important tasks for such a large trading project against her unfitting background. Afterwards I had a chat with her to make the doubt clear. I know what point make sense!

My friend didn't put big words on her CV. What she described is true! The doubt raised by my colleagues lies in the role of PM. Actually the more accurate translation of her role in the summer work should be Summer Analyst which is a job title for new starters in companies at entry level. Basically, a Project Manager is the person who takes on the overall responsibility for planning, resourcing and implementing of any projects. Although the basic descriptions of the role in western countries' companies and Chinese companies are the same thing, the real running of the role makes great different. In China, we could see a bulk of PMs who are apprentices indeed. They do the job like PM, but they don't have suitable working background. They even don't understand what the role of PM is in the project management. In many (or most?)cases, the PM seems like a bewildering post that is given a number of responsibilities but without real power. As a result of this embarrassed arrangement, those PMs are not able to go across various line management to effectively manage the project. But, in western countries' companies, it's very different. A competent PM is key to the success of the project management. The PM must possess a combination of skills and experience including the ability to successfully plan and control, understand underlying risks, ask penetrating questions, detect unstated assumptions and resolve interpersonal conflicts as well as more systematic management skills. Obviousely, it's a highly demanding role. The PM not only takes on responsibilities also has power and prestige. The PM manages to work closely with every participants of the project including those managers whose levels might be higher than PM's level. The senior management should positively support PM to achive the goals of the project. Not like many PMs in China, the real PM is an experienced and qualified person with a good combination of knowledge and skills. Most importantly, PM can only succeed by developing good interpersonal skills. Though my friend was just a PM Assistant, in my colleagues' opinions, it's unlikely that a wise PM could give this job to a fresh hand.

It's just a piece of differences of job roles between western countries' companies and Chinese companies. Knowing those differences should be good for those Chinese job seekers who intend to find a job in western countries' companies. It's necessary to be careful with the translation and descripition of experience outlined on CV in order to avoid misreading by CV viewers. Hope this make sense.