《人力資本管理》專訪SAP高級副總裁、全球化服務負責人 Ferose V R
創新之光，開啟企業全球化本地化的快捷鍵
SAP全球化服務（SAP Globalization Services）部門是SAP在全球分布最廣的一個團隊，在50個國家擁有1 300多名成員，主要負責為全球市場提供符合當地法律規範及市場需求的解決方案。作為國際領先的企業應用軟體公司，SAP在全球範圍內有著廣泛的影響力，而據 Ferose先生介紹，全球化服務部門相當於「SAP中的SAP」，從部門人員構成、成員分布、集中化角度來說，SAP Globalization Services部門都稱得上是一支國際化團隊。作為SAP高級副總裁、SAP Globalization Services部門負責人， Ferose V R先生遠道而來，在SAP中國研究院將SAP助力企業全球化與本地化發展之路娓娓道來。
全球化本地化之路
首先是跨國企業來到中國的例子。一家美國消費品公司在全球化擴張過程中，發現中國市場逐漸發展成為其業務亮點，成為該公司發展速度最快的海外市場，因此，該公司逐漸開始加大對中國市場的投資。由於絕大多數員工都集中在門店，隨著公司在中國門店數量的持續增加，在中國的員工招聘數量也在不斷擴大，但規模擴大的背後，該公司也面臨著人事管理體量大、效率低、流程斷點等一系列難題，如何將管理流程簡化，提高業務運營效率成為該公司在中國發展的一個關鍵問題。
雖然該公司自身具備完善的人才培訓體系，但是由於中國與美國的國情、政策法規的不同，管理方式的差異給企業在華髮展帶來了巨大挑戰。該公司選擇與SAP合作，有效地規避了在中國市場經營中的法律風險、解決員工體量過大帶來的培訓、管理難題。
SAP Globalization Services中國團隊的200多位成員紮根本土，根據中國的法律法規，對在人力資源系統、物流、財務等多個領域系統進行產品本地化支持，融合時下如火如荼的人工智慧、機器學習、區塊鏈等技術，為該公司帶來了合規、高效的產品服務。
此外，由於該公司所處的行業特質，員工上崗速度及流轉率相對較高，針對員工的培訓方式也要簡單易執行。SAP根據中國市場趨勢以及員工使用習慣，計劃推出基於微信平台的員工培訓系統，支持員工隨時隨地訪問所需的培訓內容，直接在移動端自主安排學習，以保證員工的培訓效果，節省員工時間，同時提高門店運營效率，助力公司在中國市場持續健康發展。
全球企業都在角逐中國廣闊的消費市場，而在中國，無論是在國內市場上佔據一定量的市場份額，擁有足夠利潤保障的傳統企業；還是藉助技術的創新發展，迅速積累資本的年輕一代創業者，在「一帶一路」的倡議以及其他政策的推動下，也先後開始進行全球投資以發展企業的持續增長目標。
但是，中國企業的全球化發展具體到執行層面是一個龐大而複雜的過程，在本土市場上的成功經驗並不能完全複製到國外市場。談及中國企業在走向世界的過程中需要重視的地方，Ferose先生提到三點：
首先，企業應當視為基石的要求就是，符合當地的政策法規。近年來，一些中國企業在推進全球化戰略過程中由於對當地法律法規的重視不足導致企業遭受巨大損失的經歷也在給同樣進行全球化戰略布局的企業警示：合規化的經營是企業穩健發展的基礎。不同國家地區有不同的市場體系、法律規範、政治環境、文化背景等，企業在當地對人才的管理方式必須要符合當地法規，針對當地市場投放的產品也必須是合規的。
SAP的Globalization Services部門作為SAP在全球分布最廣的一個團隊，在全球120個國家為企業提供符合當地法律規範及市場需求的解決方案，幫助企業避免在不熟悉當地市場上的法律風險，同時，在SAP成熟的產品支持下，企業可以將更多精力投入到核心業務中去。
其次，語言上的無障礙交流。Ferose先生認為，語言是人與人之間交流最直接的表達方式，中國企業在走向外國市場時，首先要達到這種直接交流，才能進一步在文化層面上進行深入溝通。對SAP來說，幫助客戶進行本地化語言的支持是極為重要的，SAP也是為數不多的可以提供40多種語言支持本地化服務的公司，在SAP Globalization Services部門的1 300多名員工中，語言服務部門的200多位員工通過為客戶提供增值服務，保證SAP的產品從界面及後台設置，或者產品內部運轉上都能夠支持當地語言。
最後也是最重要的一點：對當地文化的敏感程度。企業是否能夠真正理解當地文化，對企業能否洞察市場需求，制定「正中靶心」的戰略發展目標有著很大的影響。「中國的『一帶一路』政策覆蓋了65個國家，為中國企業走出去帶來很大便利，技術與經濟上的連接相對簡單，但是對於文化上的連接，與『人』的接近對於『走出去』的企業是一個不小的挑戰。」
SAP為「走出去」客戶提供的支持就是，提供配置+可擴展的解決方案，構建一個開放的平台，讓客戶在平台上開發個性化的應用，以簡單的方式將複雜的產品或服務傳遞給客戶。Ferose先生拿財務系統舉例說道：「一些企業『走出去』如果只走向少數指定國家，他們只需要訂閱這些國家的稅務服務的（API）應用程序編程介面就可以快速適應當地稅務需求。」
作為企業管理和協同化商務解決方案供應商，SAP致力於為在不同國家地區的不同客戶提供業務效率與商業洞見的解決方案，為其開發適合本地市場的專屬產品，這些解決方案的背後，是SAP實現企業卓越運營的創新。
卓越企業的創新文化
在人力資源行業整體向數字化智能化方向轉型過程中，職場人士會看到或體驗到：招聘時，系統利用機器學習、人工智慧技術會根據員工的工作經歷、技能掌握等相關情況將最適合的候選人推薦給招聘人員；員工利用聊天機器人進行互動式員工自助服務，享受更為便利的培訓申請、休假申請等相關服務。這些便捷高效的服務便是現今時代技術下的創新。
高科技產業雲集的矽谷以創意創新聞名全球，創意在這裡自由生長，形成文化。這種創新文化讓Ferose先生深有感觸，他認為，創新的發展離不開外界整體市場環境，在外界氛圍的影響下，它常常發生在多種事物產生交互的時候。在矽谷，有來自世界頂級院校教育背景的優秀人才、有活躍的風險投資資金、有全球化的市場需求......人才、資本、市場需求，多個因素髮生交互，創新產生。
對於組織來說，想要鼓勵創新，首先要創造這種交互的環境。但是，並不是具備這些交互的機會，創新就一定產生，「創意不是流水線的產物，它是多種要素交互下靈感的迸發。」Ferose先生以其領導的部門舉例，作為一個國際化團隊，SAP Globalization Services團隊面臨世界各地不同的市場需求，負責支持SAP的核心業務線，在這種多元化的環境下，會產生許多交互的機會。
「SAP Globalization Services中國團隊站在市場技術的前沿，創造出不可思議的結果，除了人才自身的優秀，也與中國面臨的市場機遇相關，市場給了他們機會去進行創新，將產品與最新技術創造性的結合，從而服務於客戶實際需求。」Ferose先生十分看好中國的創新發展，他認為，中國在未來的5到10年將會成為全球創新最為活躍的國家。
另外，鼓勵團隊創新，賦能也是一個重要手段。在矽谷，由於堅持以解決問題為導向，領導者敢於將權力下放，所以矽谷員工能夠在激烈的競爭中抓住機會，大膽創新。 在成為SAP Globalization Services部門負責人之前，Ferose先生擔任SAP(印度)軟體系統有限公司常務董事，在擔任常務董事的五年多時間內，他成功地將SAP(印度)軟體系統有限公司轉變為SAP全球最為活躍的創新中心之一。
在Ferose先生看來，一家國際化公司不僅僅是公司在全球範圍內進行的人員布置，更重要的是在各個國家地區的員工有權力根據所在地市場實際情況進行自主決策。但是，很多跨國公司的領導者並沒有意識到這一點，雖然公司分布全球，依然以其總部所在地為中心進行權力集中化管理，這種集中化的管理模式導致的後果就是對遠離總部的市場反應遲緩，錯過最佳反應時間，產品無法融入當地市場。因此，Ferose先生認為，全球化的公司更應當大膽下放權力和賦能員工。
SAP也如Ferose先生所說，在建立人力資源組織架構過程中，尊重每個國家和地區獨特的文化價值觀、業務目標、市場定位和全球策略，為員工創新賦能。但是在權力下移的過程中，傳遞的通道遇到堵塞，同樣無法有效賦能，對此，Ferose先生說到：「要使賦能到位，首先要建立相同的價值觀，培養普通員工像管理者一樣思考，讓員工了解到公司想做什麼、在做什麼。我在為團隊進行招聘時，最看重的是候選人是否能與我們的團隊文化相契合。」共同的價值觀是成員間互相信任的基礎。當公司上下思維理念處於相同的高度，朝著同一個目標前進時，才會上行下效，將賦能落到實處，激勵成員主動創新。
Ferose V R先生簡介
Ferose為SAP高級副總裁、全球化服務（SAP Globalization Services）部門負責人，辦公地址在美國帕羅奧多，負責針對不同國家和地區的市場提供針對性的解決方案以確保在全球範圍內採用SAP產品。Ferose帶領的團隊提供多個國家的功能本土化、翻譯、產品合規和產品支持，使SAP的足跡遍布全球。
在成為SAP Globalization Services部門負責人之前，Ferose擔任SAP(印度)軟體系統有限公司常務董事。他於33歲開始擔任該職務，在Ferose擔任常務董事的五年多時間內，他成功地將SAP(印度)軟體系統有限公司轉變為一個創新中心。2012年，SAP(印度)獲得"印度最佳職場"稱號。Ferose於1999年加入SAP，至今已有超過17年的從業經驗。
關於SAP
SAP，全球最大的企業應用軟體提供商。作為全球領先的企業應用軟體解決方案提供商，SAP可以幫助各種規模和各行業領域的企業實現更加卓越的運營。從後台到公司管理層、從工廠倉庫到商鋪店面、從電腦桌面到移動終端—SAP助力用戶和企業更加高效地協作，同時更加有效地獲取商業洞見，在競爭中保持領先地位。SAP應用和服務幫助客戶實現運營盈利、不斷調整和穩步增長。
An Interview with Mr. Ferose V R, Senior Vice President and Head of Globalization Services at SAP SE
SAP Globalization Services is the most widely distributed global team with more than 1,300 members scattered all over 50 countries. It enables legal compliance for customers, delivers local best practices according to country needs and provides multi language capabilities for SAP solutions. As one of the market leaders in enterprise software, SAP has a wide influence around the world. According to Mr. Ferose, as a global team, SAP Globalization Services is "an SAP within an SAP", in terms of its diversity, distribution, and level of decentralization. As Senior Vice President and Head of SAP Globalization Services, Mr. Ferose comes all the way to SAP Labs China and shares with us how SAP empowers enterprises with globalization and localization services.
Globalization and Localization
In the beginning, Mr. Ferose gave an example of how a global company expanded into Chinese market with the help of SAP. When pursuing global expansion, a US consumer goods company realized that China had developed into its fastest growing overseas market. It began to increase its investment in the Chinese market. As most of its employees work in stores, and the number of stores in China grows continuously, the company needs to recruit more people. However, it faced difficulties in human resources management, including the large volume, low efficiency, and incomplete processes. Therefore, how to simplify the management process and improve operational efficiency has become the company』s key concern for better development in China.
Though the company has its own well-formed talent development system, the differences in national conditions, local policies, as well as management methods between China and the US still pose challenges to the company. The company decided to cooperate with SAP, which helps it avoid legal risks in China and solve the problems regarding training and management brought by the large number of employees.
The SAP Globalization Services China team, with more than 200 employees working on providing localization services in multiple areas, including Human Resource, Finance, and Logistics, and powered by technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain, provide compliant and efficient solutions to the company. In addition, because of the industrial characteristics of Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) – quick onboarding and high turnover, the company needs a product to carry out employee training in a simpler and easier way. Based on Chinese employees" preference and the trends of the Chinese market, SAP is working on a training system on the platform of WeChat. The system allows users to access the training content anytime, anywhere, and to arrange their learning schedule on their mobile phones. It will ensure improved training effectiveness and higher operation efficiency in stores, contributing to the company"s better development in China.
Companies around the globe are competing for China"s vast consumer market. Encouraged by the Belt and Road Initiative and other policies, not only traditional companies that have quite an amount of domestic market share and considerable profits, but also startup companies that are rapidly accumulating capital through technological innovation, have started to make a global investment and seek sustainable growth.
However, for Chinese companies, it』s a huge and complex process to execute globalization. Their successful experiences and practices in the domestic market usually cannot be replicated to foreign markets. When talking about what Chinese companies should pay attention to in the process of going global, Mr. Ferose mentioned three points:
First of all, companies must comply with local laws and regulations. Different countries and regions have different market systems, legal norms, political environments, and cultural backgrounds, and therefore the human resource management of a company must comply with these conditions, so do the products launched into the local markets. The SAP Globalization Services team provides legal compliance for customers and delivers local best practices according to country needs for over 120 countries around the world, helping them avoid legal risks in an unfamiliar market and concentrate on their core business.
Secondly, companies should break the barrier of language. Mr. Ferose believes that language is the most direct channel for communication. If Chinese companies want to develop overseas markets, they must first of all overcome the language barries, and then seek cultural understanding. SAP considers it significant to help customers with multi language support. SAP is one of the few companies that provide more than 40 languages to support localization services. Along with partners, over 200 employees of the total 1,300 employees in SAP Globalization Services team provide language services to our customers, ensuring that our products support the local language both on the user interface and in the backend system.
Last but not least, the sensitivity to local culture is crucial. Only when a company truly understands the local culture of a new market can it have an insightful analysis of market demand and thus formulate a strategic goal to hit the target. The Belt and Road Initiative of China covers 65 countries, bringing great convenience to Chinese companies seeking overseas expansion.
It is relatively simple for two countries to develop technological and economic ties, but when it comes to the connection to local culture and local people, it may become a challenge. SAP provides customers going global with solutions based on the idea of configurability and scalability, building an open platform for them to develop customized applications. It is dedicated to delivering complex services to customers in a simple way. Mr. Ferose takes financial system as an example: 「Some companies only extend their business to a few countries, so they only need to subscribe to the Application Programming Interfaces (API) of the tax service for these countries to quickly meet the local tax requirements.」
As a provider of enterprise management and collaborative business solutions, SAP is committed to providing efficient and insightful solutions for customers in different countries and regions, and developing exclusive products for them to adapt to the local markets. Behind these solutions is SAP"s innovation in achieving excellence.
Innovation Culture of Excellent Corporation
As the human resources industry goes into the digital and intelligent transformation, HR will find that the most suitable candidates will be recommended to them with the help of machine learning and artificial intelligence by analyzing the work experience, skills, and other relevant information of candidates; Meanwhile employees can use interactive Chatbot service to submit training applications, leave requests, etc. It is today』s innovation that makes such convenient and efficient services possible.
Silicon Valley is known for its innovation and creativity. Mr. Ferose is quite impressed with its innovation culture. He believes the development of innovation cannot be isolated from the environment. It is often brought by the intersection of multiple factors in the external environment. Silicon Valley has the world"s top university graduates, active venture capitals, and global market demands, and it is in the intersection of these factors that innovation happens.
Therefore, if an organization wants to encourage innovation, it must first create an environment with such intersection, although it is not a guarantee. 「Innovation is not a process; Innovation is created by a burst of inspiration with the intersection of multiple factors,」said Mr. Ferose. He took the SAP Globalization Services team as an example: as a global team dealing with demands from different markets all over the world, SAP Globalization Services is responsible for supporting SAP"s key businesses. So in such a diversified environment, there are many opportunities for intersections. 「The SAP Globalization Services China team stands at the forefront of the market and technology. They have made incredible achievements, attributed to not only the team』s excellent talents but also the potential opportunities of Chinese market, which gives them chances to innovate and embed products with the latest innovative technologies to cater to customers" demands." Mr. Ferose is very optimistic about China"s innovation and development. He believes that China will become the most active innovative country in the world in the next 5 to 10 years.
Moreover, he believes encouraging innovation within teams and empowering employees are also important. In Silicon Valley, with its problem-solving orientation, employees are able to seize opportunities and innovate boldly in the fierce competition thanks to the decentralized approach to management. Before becoming head of SAP Globalization Services, Mr. Ferose was Managing Director of SAP Lab India. During his five years as Managing Director, he successfully transformed SAP Lab India into one of the most active innovation centers of SAP. In Mr. Ferose"s view, an international company not only deploys personnel globally, but more importantly, it empowers its employees in various countries and regions to make independent decisions based on the actual conditions of local markets.
However, many leaders of global companies haven"t realized it. Though distributed globally, some companies still centralize its power of management in their headquarters. Because of this centralized management approach, companies will have a slow reaction to markets away from the headquarters and thus miss the best opportunity for products to be integrated into local markets. Therefore, Mr. Ferose believes global companies should adopt the decentralized approach to management and empower employees in order to adapt to the local markets.
SAP, as Mr. Ferose says, respects the unique cultural values, business goals, market positioning, and strategies of local teams in each country and region when determining human resources organizational structure, with a view to empowering employees to innovate. In this regard, Mr. Ferose said: 「To enable empowerment, we must first establish the same values, encourage every employee to think like managers, and try to let them know what the company is doing and what it wants to do. When I recruit for the team, what I value most is whether the candidate matches our team culture." Common value is the foundation for mutual trust among team members. Only when the whole company, from top to bottom, holds the same values and the same vision can employees be truly empowered and motivated to innovate.
AboutMr. Ferose V R
Based in Palo Alto, Ferose is responsible for the adoption of SAP products worldwide through the delivery of solutions targeted at individual local markets. By providing functional localization, translation, product compliance and product support across several countries, Ferose』s team enables SAP』s global footprint.
Before heading Globalization Services, Ferose was the Managing Director of SAP Labs India. Starting at the age of 33, he held this post for over 5 years during which he transformed SAP Labs India into an innovation hub. In 2012, the company was recognized as one of the 「Great place to work」 in India.
Ferose brings over 17 years of industry experience with him, and has been with SAP since 1999.
About SAP
SAP, the World"s Largest Provider of Enterprise Application Software. As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably.
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