企业家的辩证思维与复杂环境下的管理应对--2024·中国企业家成长与发展专题调查报告

Entrepreneurs’Dialectical Thinking and Management Responses in Complex Environments:2024 Special Report on the Growth and Development of Chinese Entrepreneurs

当前企业的生存与发展环境越来越复杂多变,企业家深刻认识外部环境变化,准确把握企业形势,主动进行自我反思,树立起化危为机的辩证思维越来越重要。中国企业家调查系统于2023年8-10月组织实施了“2023·中国企业经营者问卷跟踪调查”,以调研数据为基础,本调查从变化觉察、矛盾权衡、整体协调三个维度描述了中国企业家辩证思维的发展现状,分析了企业家对国内外宏观经营环境、地方营商环境、行业环境、企业家群体、企业经营和企业家自身状况等六个方面的认知及高低辩证思维者的认知差异,揭示了企业家应对复杂环境的方式及高低辩证思维者的处理差异,在此基础上为企业家认知和应对复杂环境提出相应的管理建议和政策建议。

In today’s increasingly complex and dynamic environment,the ability of entrepreneurs to deeply understand and effectively respond to these external changes has become a critical foundation for the long-term survival and stable development of enterprises.It is particularly important for entrepreneurs to develop a profound understanding of environmental shifts,accurately assess their companies’situations,and foster dialectical thinking that transforms crises into opportunities.In this study,dialectical thinking in entrepreneurs is defined as their cognitive ability to process information and manage responses through the lens of change,contradiction,and holistic perspective.The core components of this thinking include sensitivity to change,the ability to balance contradictions,and overall coordination.The“2023 Survey of Chinese Entrepreneurs”conducted by the Chinese Entrepreneur Survey System from August to October 2023,serves as the basis for this study.It provides a description of the current state of dialectical thinking among Chinese entrepreneurs.This study analyzes entrepreneurs’perceptions in six key areas:the domestic and international macro-business environment,the local business environment,the industrial environment,the entrepreneurial community,business operations,and their own personal circumstances.It also examines the cognitive differences between high and low dialectical thinkers,revealing the ways in which entrepreneurs address complex environments and the varying strategies employed by those with higher versus lower levels of dialectical thinking.The results show that Chinese entrepreneurs exhibit a generally high level of dialectical thinking,with the highest scores in the dimension of overall coordination,followed by the ability to balance contradictions and detect changes.This indicates that Chinese entrepreneurs tend to focus on holistic perspectives,excel at handling contradictory situations,and are flexible in recognizing and responding to change,giving them an advantage in adapting to complex and uncertain environments.Further subgroup analysis based on company size,type,industry,gender,age,and educational background reveals several notable patterns:Leaders of small enterprises score higher in change detection than other groups,while leaders of large enterprises score highest in overall coordination.There are no significant differences in dialectical thinking between entrepreneurs in state-owned,foreign-invested,and private enterprises.Entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector score higher on the contradiction-balancing dimension than those in other industries,and female entrepreneurs outperform their male counterparts in this area as well.Younger entrepreneurs demonstrate higher scores in change detection,indicating a greater ability to adapt their cognition and behavior in response to environmental changes.Conversely,older entrepreneurs show higher scores in overall coordination,reflecting a more comprehensive and strategic mindset,as they are better at grasping overarching trends in development.Finally,entrepreneurs with a master’s degree or higher score higher in overall coordination than those with only a bachelor’s degree,likely due to their research experience,which fosters attention to complex interconnections between different elements.Regarding entrepreneurs’perceptions of complex environments,the survey reveals that they generally have a pessimistic view of the international macro environment,believing that external conditions are becoming increasingly challenging.ANOVA test shows that high-dialectical thinkers are better able to identify factors currently affecting China’s economic development and are more likely to predict a deterioration in future economic trends.However,these thinkers are also adept at recognizing positive elements within the environment.High-dialectical thinkers are more confident that China’s position as a major manufacturing country will remain unshaken and that the future environment will improve.In terms of local business environments,entrepreneurs generally give favorable evaluations of local governments’administrative management but believe that factor markets,such as the labor market,are insufficient.Higher dialectical thinkers are more likely to perceive challenges in recruiting skilled workers,managers,and technicians.Regarding industry environments,the results show that entrepreneurs widely perceive high levels of uncertainty,dynamism,and competition in their industries,with high-dialectical thinkers being more sensitive to this uncertainty and assigning higher ratings to items describing environmental volatility.As for the entrepreneurial community,the survey reveals that entrepreneurs generally view the community’s circumstances as difficult and its outlook as pessimistic.However,high-dialectical thinkers are more likely to find positive trends amidst negative conditions and remain committed to the entrepreneurial role.Regarding business operations,the majority of entrepreneurs feel that their companies’current situation is mediocre,yet more than half remain confident about the next stage of development.In terms of values,entrepreneurs scored highly on self-transcendence and self-enhancement.On the one hand,many entrepreneurs are socially and collectively oriented,placing others’well-being above personal interests.On the other hand,for many,entrepreneurship entails a sense of power,control,and influence,and they derive income by fulfilling their entrepreneurial roles.Regarding their overall experiences,entrepreneurs themselves are a mix of contradictions,with both pressure and happiness coexisting.In terms of how entrepreneurs respond to complex environments,the survey shows three primary strategies.First,entrepreneurs leverage cognitive flexibility to navigate changes.The surveyed entrepreneurs generally displayed strong cognitive flexibility,with those in the high-dialectical thinking group demonstrating even greater flexibility.Actively seeking business-related information was the second strategy for responding to complex environments.Dialectical thinking,in particular,prompts entrepreneurs to make greater efforts in the breadth,depth,and intensity of information gathering,laying a more solid foundation for understanding their environment.The third strategy involves adopting an exploratory innovation strategy.High-dialectical thinkers are more likely to choose exploratory innovation strategies,whereas low-dialectical thinkers tend to opt for exploitative innovation strategies.The analysis shows that companies led by high-dialectical thinkers perform better in terms of R&D investment,employee training,and new product development.Based on these findings,the study offers the following management and policy recommendations:To navigate a complex and dynamic environment,entrepreneurs need to cultivate cognitive flexibility,actively gather information,adopt a long-term perspective,embrace innovation,and continuously surpass themselves.At the same time,entrepreneurs expect government departments to maintain policy stability,further promote a market-oriented,law-based,and internationalized business environment,and build a high-level socialist market economy that invigorates market entities and boosts entrepreneurial confidence.For specific groups,female entrepreneurs are encouraged to engage in greater self-awareness,finding their strengths and direction through a deep understanding of themselves and their relationship to the environment,while seeking belief-based support.Governments can improve loan policies to create a fair financing environment for female entrepreneurs,providing them with ample resources to manage change and proactively adapt.Young entrepreneurs should leverage their strong learning capacity to continuously refine their knowledge structures,transforming into versatile talents knowledgeable in management,economics,politics,culture,and technology.Governments should create a free and open environment for young entrepreneurs to grow and explore.For manufacturing entrepreneurs,it is crucial to prioritize digital transformation,encourage employee engagement,recognize the company’s pain points and needs for reform,and commit to long-term goals.Governments can support this by fostering deeper integration between manufacturing and the technology sectors,promoting the formation and development of new organizational forms and industry clusters,and improving collaborative environments.