Management Motivations is a new series of articles by Quectel’s senior executives that explores their management styles, approaches to the challenges of further developing the company and what drives them to lead and succeed.

Norbert Muhrer, President & CSO

Number 3: Putting in place structures for the next wave of success

One of the management challenges currently is how to digest our fast growth. We are loaded with contracts and are ramping up new products continuously, growing the organization at all levels. So, from a higher-level view I am pushing to introduce new, ever more professional business processes, and to de-complexify the management processes through the use of smart tools.

We’ve made many improvements globally, but there are still areas that need further work, and we are continuing to implement best practice across the organization.  We can see where we need to enhance our resources and capabilities and so we invest significantly in these areas.

Our Senior Management Team brings a wealth of experience gained in the international and China markets, and so we leverage their experience to implement new practices. We have an awesome mix of market and technological experience across our global team. For example, if we have a particular skill-set in one region, we will trial a new practice in that region with a team that has experience, and then once we know it works, we roll it out across other regions.  This cross-pollination of feedback and experience enables all our teams to grow and learn.

Quectel are like a family who cares for itself a great deal, although we are tough in what we demand, and can be fierce on the outside, we are like a wolf-pack, and we foster “family-style” communication. This means we favor quick and short ways of communicating, not hinging on hierarchical structures but driven by a “how to get this done” attitude. We don’t wait for monthly management meetings to speak to each other, routines are in place, but we strive to have faster-paced interactions. As in a family, we have a variety of personalities within the organization, but they complement one another.  When one executive is more of a risk taker, another will be more cautious. When one is more market focused, another is more technology focused. I am always impressed by Patrick, our CEO who is a driven, enthusiastic “can-do” entrepreneur who always wants to push forward, to grow and reach for the stars.  I think we have an excellent team with well-rounded skills. This is the base for solid growth which is ambitious but not uncontrolled.

Our goal is to expand Quectel as a truly global organization.  I want Quectel to become the go-to company for each and every player in the market, not just because we are the agile and competitive Chinese newcomer but because they recognise our excellence and respect us.

Look out for my next blog in this series where I will be discussing: “The complexities of managing a global team”.