China Learning Journey: Motorola University
By Scot McGavin
IPT 597 Special Topics
Boise State University
Summer, 2004
Penelope Schwiebert
CONTENTS
General Information
Vision & Mission
Services - external
Services - internal
Values
Challenges
Financial Status
Goals
Strategy
Culture
Questions
Conclusions
Bibliography
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China Learning Journey: Motorola University
GENERAL INFORMATION
Motorola University China is one of several subsidiaries of Motorola University based in
the U.S. and gets most of its training materials from the main Motorola University. Much
of the promotional material provided for Motorola University does not distinguish
between Motorola University and Motorola University China, so for the remainder of this
paper, unless otherwise stated, Motorola University will refer to the subsidiary in China.
Motorola University is a supporting business unit for Motorola. Therefore, it may be
helpful to understand the things that drive Motorola University by knowing more about
Motorola in general.
A Motorola press release states about the company “Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) is a
global leader in wireless, automotive and broadband communications. Sales in 2002 were
$27.3 billion. Motorola is a global corporate citizen dedicated to ethical business
practices and pioneering important technologies that make things smarter and life better,
honored traditions that began when the company was founded 75 years ago.”
Opening its first office in Beijing in 1987, and then a manufacturing facility in Tianjin in
1992, Motorola has been growing with and immersing itself in the Chinese business
boom ever since. Presently Motorola has a holding company in Beijing, a factory, eight
joint ventures, 18 R&D facilities, 26 sales offices, and 13,000 employees in China
(www.chinanex.com, 2004). 2003 revenues estimates were $6 billion. With the largest
market share for handsets in China and growing emphasis in the automotive, wireless,
and broadband industries, Motorola is truly a business force to be reckoned with in
China. In January of this year, Motorola announced the signing of two separate contracts
with wireless providers in China valued at over $1 billion.
It is from this powerful legacy that Motorola University emerges to find its niche.
Motorola University states that it that provides “Six Sigma® Business Improvement
Campaigns for Breakthrough Performance and Sustainable Results!” They further state
“Our Six Sigma® methodology is a proven tool set for driving sustainable business
improvement”. Motorola is the inventor of the Six Sigma® methodology. Teaching
courses in and providing services around the Six Sigma® material is one of two primary
business roles of Motorola University China.
The second role is an internal role as a service provider for Motorola China. Motorola
University provides training and higher education services for Motorola based upon a
performance management system within the company’s human resources department.
VISION & MISSION
Motorola University states its vision as follows:
“Our vision is to effectively add value for Motorola customers, suppliers, partners, and
other potential customers through business consultation, training, quality management
and leadership development to build a greater Motorola Ecosystem. We commit to share
Motorola Best-in-Class experience and insightful with our customers, suppliers, partners
and other potential customers, through business performance improvement and
sustainable fiscal results for clients.”
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China Learning Journey: Motorola University
While not explicitly stated as a mission statement, the following description from a
Motorola University glossy states that “Motorola University’s products and services are
designed to link directly to your organization’s strategic objectives and improve your
business results.” This statement appears to serve as the organization’s marching orders.
Interestingly, these statements show no glimpse of the internal role that Motorola
University plays within Motorola China. Perhaps they have a higher-order set of vision
and mission statements that are internal only, or perhaps, the important role that Motorola
University plays inside the company is just assumed and not explicitly stated.
SERVICES - external
Motorola University presents the following service offerings in their product brochures:
 Share enterprise experience with corporate clients
 Put in place end-to-end total solutions
 Conduct consulting services
 Deliver instructional services
Additionally, Motorola University offers:
 Business Improvement Campaigns for top-down implementation,
 Launch packages for small to mid-size organizations,
 Convenient open enrollment programs, and
 Cost effective licensing options.
They make clear that Six Sigma® can be applied to other industries in addition to just
manufacturing. Thus, the industries of telecommunications, finance, various utilities,
healthcare, et cetera may take advantage of this methodology.
Another type of service that Motorola University has offered in the past, but is recently
changing policy on, is free training for SOEs, or State Owned Enterprises. Starting in
1990, in an attempt to better serve their new Chinese home, Motorola started offering
training courses to SOEs. Offered as altruism to help these government businesses, it
was also a strong strategic move that helped make Motorola extremely successful in
China. In fact, today, Motorola is one of the largest exporters in China and business in
China represents 30% of Motorola’s handset sales worldwide(www.chinanex.com, 2004).
Today SOEs and private companies can purchase training from Motorola University.
SERVICES - internal
Internally, Motorola University offers services to its “leadership supply system”, as they
call it. With a huge trend toward localized management in China over the past ten years,
much emphasis is focused on management.
Motorola University does not act as a function of the Human Resources department
specifically. It sits parallel to HR under CEO Bill Vicoho. Training and professional
development are the primary services that Motorola University provides internally.
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Scot McGavin, BSU IPT597 Summer, 2004
China Learning Journey: Motorola University
Specific services that Motorola University provides internally include:
 Core Plus training and consulting programs (including English, manufacturing,
children’s programs, etc.)
 MBA programs (in conjunction with Arizona State University)
 DBA programs (in conjunction with Arizona State University)
 China Accelerated Management Program (for top managers)
 Learning Policy training (for all employees)
 170 courses in Chinese including courses in manufacturing excellence, quality
excellence, performance excellence, and leadership supply systems
 Corporate schools and instructional design systems
 E-learning
 Knowledge Management
Training is delivered onsite in four main cities: Chongdu (R & D), Beijing, Shanghai (R
& D), and Tainjin. Training is also delivered via distance learning, though this delivery
method is mostly reserved for the Six Sigma® programs. Of the 12,000 plus employees
with Motorola in China, most receive on-the-job training within the manufacturing
facilities; about 4000 take some sort of course with Motorola University.
Most instructional design for Motorola University is done in the United States. Motorola
University in China has a staff of three full-time instructional designers.
VALUES
Motorola University’s Leadership Supply System is based upon a system they call the
4E + 1E. Based upon the 4E system from General Electric, Motorola extends this system
with their 1E value that is always to be applied:
4E
Envision
Energy
Edge
Execute
1E
Ethics
Motorola employees and management have an annually renewed commitment to their
value of Ethics. Personal commitment is a highly emphasized value for every employee.
They believe in achieving individual and Motorola success by executing committed
business goals and performance goals.
CHALLENGES
Motorola University is facing increasing competition to its consulting services to outside
companies. Where they were able to offer services for free in the past, they now offer
them for a fee, and they continue to struggle to stay ahead of competing companies for
price and value. Additionally, semiconductor business in China is growing rapidly, and
as a foreign company, they face the additional challenge of being an outsider.
FINANCIAL STATUS
We were unable to determine any information about Motorola University financial status.
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China Learning Journey: Motorola University
GOALS
Specifically stated goals for Motorola University China as a business unit include further
instructional design in China, increased consulting revenues, and increased profitability
of the Six Sigma® program. It seemed apparent that additional goals would include
continued improvement of their offerings within professional development and leadership
programs, increased service offerings, and increased efficiency of their regional delivery
centers.
STRATEGY
Implied in the actions they have taken in the past and the goals they described to us, is the
following three-part strategy by Motorola University:
 Fund internal learning and development via profit centers like Six Sigma®
 Strengthen market position by helping resellers, SOEs, and OEMs to more easily
use Motorola products
 Continue strengthening the guanchi that Motorola has established within the
Chinese business community over the past 30 years
CULTURE
The following corporate culture indicators come from the work of Lineberry and Carlton.
Many of these indicators could not be observed or determined for Motorola University.
Those that could help provide greater understanding of the drivers of this organization.
INTENDED RESULTS
It is apparent that Motorola University intends to fund the continued instilling of
corporate values and presenting of professional development, leadership, and
technology training to the employees of Motorola through the profits of teaching
Six Sigma® and Motorola-designed-in product approaches to their customers.
KEY MEASURES
Motorola University measures the number of employees it offers services to and it
is measured by the performance management system and the balanced scorecard
method of employee performance measurement. In addition, training quality and
effectiveness are measured via the Kirkpatrick 4-level evaluation method.
KEY BUSINESS DRIVERS
Several trends are affecting Motorola University’s practices. First, there is a
strong trend toward localized management in China over the past ten years and
this has led to heavy emphasis on management and professional development
services within the organization. Next, there is the ever-increasing emphasis on
profitability which drives the Six Sigma® and consulting businesses for Motorola
University. Then there is the increasing competition in the marketplace which
drives more creative ways of gaining and keeping customers, both for Motorola
products, as well as for Motorola University products and services.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Motorola is a large company with many resources. Motorola University has been
developing within the United States for many years. Motorola University China
has the ability to take advantage of successes that have been tried and proven in
the U.S., as well as the advantage of using courses and instructional design work
that has already been done. The corporate intranet, buildings, and subject matter
experts (both management and technical) are also valuable assets for Motorola
University China.
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China Learning Journey: Motorola University
ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES
We do not have much information on organizational practices by Motorola
University. We do know that they rely on the balanced scorecard method of
employee evaluation and that they heavily emphasize their values, especially
ethics. We know that people are selected for advancement based upon their
performance evaluations. We also know that they utilize on-the-job training
heavily in the manufacturing setting and rely more on the corporate university for
professional training needs.
LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
We do not have much additional information on leadership and management
practices within Motorola University.
SUPERVISORY PRACTICES
We do not have much additional information on supervisory practices within
Motorola University.
WORK PRACTICES
We do not have much additional information on work practices within Motorola
University.
USE OF TECHNOLOGY
We do not have much information about the level of technology use by Motorola
University, neither for the development, nor for the delivery of their products and
services. There seems to be a limited use of technology within Motorola
University to accomplish their training goals. While they do offer some elearning and knowledge management products and services, these sounded to be
very new and highly underutilized. We don’t know to what extent the corporate
intranet is used, whether for EPSSs, email, or other electronic methods of
information dissemination. The technology within the meeting room and
facilities that we visited was top-notch, however, this may not be the case with all
facilities – we just don’t know.
PHYSICAL WORK ENVIRONMENT
A strong sense of professionalism and success, and yet at the same time, a sense
of privacy, comes from the atmosphere of the Motorola complex in Beijing where
we visited. Professionalism and success exude from the outside look of the
building, from the quality of the furnishings, facilities, and technologies. Privacy
and caution, healthy values for a technology company, emanate from the security
systems and escorting we received. The office facilities that we visited appeared
modern and beneficial for productivity and effectiveness, though we do not have
much additional information on work environment within Motorola University.
PERCEPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
There is a strong sense that corporate values are widely known and emphasized.
Personal commitment is required. I would suspect that the increasing competition
drives an expectation level of high performance and quality at every level of
Motorola. It is clear that Motorola values its employees and their success from
the focus they give to Motorola University. This is an energy that I expect would
pervade the corporate culture.
CULTURAL INDICATORS AND ARTIFACTS
The dress and professionalism demonstrated by the employees that we interacted
with gave me a sense of down-to-business seriousness.
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Scot McGavin, BSU IPT597 Summer, 2004
China Learning Journey: Motorola University
VALUES AND BELIEFS
Motorola corporate culture is one where personal commitment to success of self
and company is apparent. This value system is taught regularly. It seems that
people have a belief that if you take care of the company, it will take care of you.
MYTHS, LEGENDS, AND HEROES
We do not have any information on myths, legends, or heroes within Motorola
University.
QUESTIONS
To effectively provide any type of human performance analysis for Motorola University,
many questions would need to be answered. First and foremost, what kind of analysis is
done to understand problems that may exist? It seems that instruction is the assumed
solution for all types of performance problems. What is the nature of the performance
problems they are addressing in the first place?
Next, we know very little about leadership, supervisory, and work practices. What
elements within the leadership of the corporate culture are promoting performance and
which are detracting?
There is much we do not know about the environmental conditions. We know that
instruction is done onsite at four locations, but what are the conditions there? Are there
appropriate facilities and technologies to support this work?
Who are the instructors? What are their incentives? Who do they report to? How is
performance measured and tracked for the training courses themselves? What are the
instructors’ inputs and outputs? Where are the lines drawn and who is ultimately
responsible for the quality of their output?
CONCLUSIONS
After substantial research via internet sources, I thought I had established somewhat of an
understanding of what Motorola University China was about. I realized early on in the
presentation Ms. Yang Zing gave to our group in Beijing, that I knew very little about
Motorola University China. The material I had located on Motorola University China did
not even mention Six Sigma®. The part that I could read in English focused on
industries that Motorola offers in China and, in a general fashion, on what R & D they do.
None of this material was covered by Ms. Yang. This was an interesting discovery.
Perhaps this confusion comes from the culture of secrecy that I perceived. Perhaps it is
that I could not read the Chinese material that might have told me more about Motorola
University.
What was clear from our visit is that Motorola University China is a valuable asset to
Motorola’s success. Guanchi is a powerful force in Chinese culture. Through a history
of helping state-owned and private businesses via professional and tech-marketing
training and services, Motorola understood the culture of Chinese business well enough
to become the leader in their industry. Now they are striving to fund their own internal
improvement by offering external consulting for profit. So far, it seems to be working.
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China Learning Journey: Motorola University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
China Beijing IC (2004). Beijing’s semiconductor sector to surge. China Daily. Retrieved from the World
Wide Web on May 17, 2004 from http://www.bjic.org.cn/english/10zxsc/189.htm
Hessler, P. (2001). River town: Two years on the Yangtze. New York: HarperCollins.
The world factbook: China (2004). Retrieved from the World Wide Web on June 16, 2004 from
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html
Trade Point Beijing (n.d.). An efficient gateway to contact the world. Retrieved from the World Wide Web
on June 14, 2004 from http://www.tpbjc.gov.cn/163/2003-1-10/2@1512.htm
www.bjnw.gov.cn (2004). Modernizing Beijing suburbs. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on May 17,
2004 from http://www.bjnw.gov.cn/english/english_detail.jsp?action=general_introduction
Yang, Z. (2004). Presentation on Motorola University on May 31, 2004 at Motorola University, Beijing.
Motorola University (2004). Product brochures presented by Ms. Yang Zing at Motorola University,
Beijing on May 31, 2004.
www.chinanex.com (2004). Motorola China. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on May 17, 2004 from
http://www.chinanex.com/company/motorola.htm
www.motorola.com (2004). Retrieved from the World Wide Web on May 17, 2004 from
http://www.motorola.com.cn/en/
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