"Marco Polo" at Microsoft

Author: "business weekly" reporter Yang- March 4, Seattle, United States. The air with rainy season. Enveloped in a moist atmosphere of Redmond Town (Microsoft headquarters), and now they're organizes the annual Microsoft technology section (TechFest2008).

This naive is like a Festival.

Microsoft boosts outstanding technicians and experts together in this. Specifically from Microsoft global individual Research Institute of the researchers, is this exhibit their latest research results of the most spectacular. This allows the Assembly of the scene like a "internal marketing" — the individual responsible for the product development Team member in the booth before the curiosity, encounter interesting items is to talk with researchers, and toying how it implemented as a true product.

Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) stall surrounding a group of people.

As Microsoft except United States headquarters outside the second largest Research Institute, MSRA project brought about in recent years often become the focus of the technical section. In this section, the MSRA there is one other thing to do — recruiting "Marco Polo", those who have experience and are interested in the Chinese project headquarters personnel to China work 3 ~ 6 months to help manage projects, lead new people, and promote the smooth incubator project.

(Yellow-researcher to demonstrate the latest technology for voice group)

For a multinational company, headquarters and branch offices of staff rotation is not nothing new, but Microsoft China, the demand was strong.

Researchers scale of rapid expansion allows Microsoft talent soon encounters a bottleneck. In the United States headquarters of Microsoft, the talent distribution renders a football shape — have 3-5 years of experience in the majority of middle-level staff, work 5 years of senior talents and just graduated 1-2 years of interns in the minority. But in China it is a pyramid-shaped — most of the researchers are from Tsinghua University, the University and other institutions in the new recruit graduates, the other part is from the United States headquarters transferred back to senior management personnel, middle looks empty, talent constitutes a discontinued.

According to Microsoft Research Asia Innovation Technology Center Project Director Mr Johnson on the "business weekly" describes, in the United States headquarters of about one or two teachers (mature employees) with a trainee, and in China is a mentor with eight new employees.

"Top led are often too tired to die, I will tell the employee to do for a while and want to help another. "Mr. Johnson himself is in November 2006, was transferred from the United States back to Headquarters.

It was given this situation, the beginning of 2005, is located in Shanghai's Microsoft server and tools business group (China), the General Manager of evil short-term secondment of foreign employees of systematic, and it officially named as the "Marco Polo".

We work in the United States Headquarters dedicated to the establishment of a Department, by 5 individuals dedicated to this subject, in each quarter will preach, Microsoft China research and development is being carried out and the incubation of projects help Marco Polo staff visas, and walk through the entire process of human resource aspects.

But this, after all, just a great framework, "you can't count on them to help you recruit people, these things have to attend to our own.

"Mr. Johnson says. In fact, Microsoft China research and development departments of the individual in accordance with their respective needs, flexible and positive solution to the problem. Microsoft Research Asia is with each year TechFest, publicity opportunities attract talents, sometimes simply direct to product groups with a boss on to things, in addition, they are also responsible for interested employee interviews.

This is JaninePerret came to Beijing.

In the eyes of colleagues, she is a beautiful girl with sweet smile, in May last year to Microsoft Research Asia, her Office at the headquarters of the group work for six years, from the testers do secondary project manager, work experience is very rich. Microsoft Research Asia need her help to do a Web-based Office application project incubator management. In her before, this is done by another rotation by Marco Polo — of employees, the latter because DavidRango is responsible for the 6 months period (limited to China's labor laws and regulations) must have been to return home.

Janine's arrival to the team added a lively atmosphere.

"In order to enhance their communication, she often said in a meeting prior to the start of a bunch of ' nonsense ', many link. "Memories of working with her, the Panel of the scene of a Chinese developer items Sen could not say with beaming. He told several "Marco Polo" staff has worked, "they used a headquarters proven processes like management products to manage the project, to enhance the overall quality and progress are very helpful. ”

"In recent years, Microsoft China research and development is growing so rapidly, followed by rotation around the middle of these expatriate staff.

"Mr. Johnson says. MSRA there is a whole set to measure the effect of "Marco Polo" programme for the evaluation of the system. During the "Marco Polo" to return to China to work from and after the colleagues fill out an anonymous feedback. "The last two years, the secondment of personnel number and the quality has increased. "2007 MSRA total introduced 30" Marco Polo "employees.

However, the implementation of this programme is not easy.

To introduce a "MarcoPolo "employees, must be the original sector Manager approval. And as the frequency increases, the MSRA continuous encountered several disappointments — although I am willing to come over to employees, but it is leadership is unwilling to release. Some from MSRA back to Headquarters staff also often face to Microsoft in finding a job again — the location of the original sector has been replaced by others. In order to solve this problem, MSRA innovation project Center General Manager DeanSlawson came up with a solution.

Dean is in August 2006, in the original MSRA Dean at the invitation of the Yang family came to Beijing to carry.

He has been working in the headquarters before Microsoft research work and is still over there has a research and development team. As Gates in front of the headquarters of the red man, a senior expert, Dean in the resolution of this matter, making full use of their resources — think of a workaround is to let the "Marco Polo" employee resignation from the original group first and then call into the headquarters of the team, so even if they return to the United States, or their team continue to work for the MSRA. Now, Janine and another similarly has just returned home, called RamanChandrasekar staff, still in the Dean's Office at the headquarters of the team.

Raman now also miss in Beijing that time — at first that the vegetarian diet had to worry about, but he and his wife soon adapted to Chinese culture.

They bought two bikes and transit card, leisure time in Beijing stroll, also visited many cities in China. "I want on my intern and two development engineer, I'm a good teacher. I think some time after coming back to work in China. "After returning home, he in a message to tell the" business weekly ".

China is growing to be one of the world's attention to the market.

In order to have a better understanding of emerging markets, many like Raman such old staff very willing to come to China to rotation. FaizalKassamali is in a message where informed MSRA is looking for the "Exchange of test engineer". "At first I was surprised, because this is exactly what I wanted (jobs). "Before coming to Beijing, he actively for the 8-member team MSRA wrote test document.

The "Marco Polo" staff salary, housing and insurance and other benefits from the project group in China.

In welfare, Microsoft China has developed a series of flexible policies. For example, because these foreign employees unable to enjoy the local social insurance and Provident Fund, a company with cash compensation to them and provide them with international commercial medical insurance.

"Microsoft is an internal change very fast company.

"Microsoft Research Asia HR Manager Yan Qin the" business weekly "describes the organizational structure of the Microsoft internal often occur, staff mobility is also great, everyone's job often change. Personnel rotation system attends Microsoft in the management of this characteristic. The seemingly loose, to each product or research and Development Group operates, allowing individual departments can be flexibly and efficiently deal with practical problems.

"From the staff at the headquarters of the rotation over not only the comparison of skilled in business, the company's culture is also a more profound understanding.

"Academy school of management, Professor, Deputy Director of the Center for business innovation lvbenfu believes that" Microsoft this rotation system helps improve the strength of local staff, and to enhance the international competitiveness of transnational corporations. ”