What JackMa Taught Us About Good Corporate Governance This Week
公司治理怎样才算好？且看马云教了啥
Earlier today (Monday), Jack Ma did some more teaching. Teacher Ma as he is affectionately known inside Alibaba provided a blueprint for succession and corporate governance. Ma wrote to his customers, his Alibaba colleagues and Alibaba shareholders to inform them of his handing over the chairperson role of Alibaba to CEO, Daniel Zhang in one year's time. What is very important to note here is that Ma has not picked a family member to succeed him but picked Daniel Zhang based on merit and business acumen. Asian business has a history of using hereditary succession but Alibaba has shown the direction for global businesses to take. It ensures that the growth of staff and business can continue as these individuals are essentially leveraging their experience and training to continue generating profits for business.
今天（周一）早些时候，马云又给我们上了一课。这里我也像阿里巴巴员工一样，亲切地称他为“马老师”吧。马老师提出了一份针对公司接班和治理的蓝图，告知阿里巴巴的客户、同僚、股东，他会在一年内将阿里巴巴董事会主席重担交予现任CEO张勇。重点在于，马老师并没有任人唯亲，而是根据品行和商业才干选中了张勇。虽然亚洲企业有家族承袭的传统，阿里巴巴却为全球化的企业指明了方向。由于阿里人才利用经验和培训源源不断地产生效益，确保了员工队伍的持续壮大和业务的持续增长。
Alibaba will be just fine moving forward
阿里巴巴仍然能够向前迈进
If you have read the press in the last 4 days it would seem that Alibaba is going to experience staff movements, and experience turbulence due to Jack Ma stepping down from as Executive Chairman, in one years time. Early investors like GGV Capital believe that everything will be fine. I tend to agree.
如果大家最近几天在看新闻，应该能看到阿里巴巴似乎即将经历人事变动，以及因马云准备在一年内卸任董事会主席而激起的波澜。纪源资本等阿里巴巴早期投资方认为不会有什么问题。我也这么认为。
The truth is that Alibaba has created a corporate structure that ensures succession planning was done in a transparent manner over the last 10 years. Alibaba has two very important governance structures that ensure that roles are clearly defined and that visibility into all business areas is provided to management. Its Senior Management team is headed by CEO Daniel Zhang. Zhang, Joe Tsai and Maggie Wu are the three leaders who are the voices behind Alibaba's quarterly earnings calls. Essentially this Senior Management team is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Alibaba. Notice that I did not mention Jack Ma. Ma has not been actively part of the day-to-day operations for five years so investors have to a degree experienced Alibaba without Ma being at the helm. In Ma's letter, he mentions that Zhang has lead Alibaba in a period that contained consistent and sustainable growth for 13 consecutive quarters.
其实，阿里巴巴历经10年，已经制定出一套能够确保接班规划透明化的公司架构。阿里巴巴有两大治理架构，一是确保职责明确，二是对所有业务领域的洞见都会传达给管理层。其高管队伍由CEO张勇领衔。张勇、蔡崇信、武卫是参与阿里巴巴季度财报电话会议的三大领导，阿里巴巴的日常运营基本由此高管队伍负责。注意，我刚才并未提及马云，因为他已经五年没有活跃在日常运营当中。一定程度上，投资方已经感受过没有马云掌舵的阿里巴巴。马云在公开信中提到，在张勇的带领下，阿里巴巴连续13个季度保持稳定、持续的增长。
Ma will be working with Daniel Zhang for the next 12 months to ensure that there is a smooth transition seen inside Alibaba. It is very important to note that Alibaba has done everything in such a manner to inform their shareholders and ensure that this entire process is not a potential pitfall.
今后一年，马云会和张勇一道，确保阿里巴巴顺利过渡。需要着重指出的是，阿里巴巴已经竭尽所能做好股东通知，确保整个过程没有隐患。
The Alibaba Partnership
阿里巴巴合伙人制度
The most powerful thing that will drive Alibaba for generations is the Alibaba Partnership. The Partnership was started in 2010 to "preserve this spirit of partnership and to ensure the sustainability of our (Alibaba's) mission, vision and values." First, a few important points to keep in mind regarding the Partnership. It was designed, to ensure the mission, culture and values of Alibaba survive well beyond any individual. As an outsider, it is clear to me that trust, community and diversity are important for the company. As Jack Ma is a lifelong member of the Alibaba Partnership, he will continue to play an important role in creating policies and future plans for the company with the other partners.
阿里巴巴合伙人制度是确保阿里巴巴基业长青的一柄利器，始于2010年，目的是“为了保持公司的这种合伙人精神，确保公司的使命、愿景和价值观的持续发展。”首先，关于合伙人制度要记住几大要点。设计这项制度，是为了确保阿里巴巴使命、文化和价值观的存续超越个人。就算是我这个局外人也能清楚地看到信任、团队和多样化对于公司的意义。由于马云是阿里巴巴的永久合伙人，他会与其他合伙人一起，在公司策略制定、未来计划方面继续发挥重要作用。
The Alibaba Partnership nominates and votes on new partners each year based on their experience, leadership and if they are a culture-carrier of the company. The Alibaba partnership currently has 36 members from all parts of the Alibaba ecosystem, 33% of the members are female leaders. This group is the talent pool for Alibaba leadership and contains an above average amount of senior female leaders.
根据合伙人制度，阿里巴巴每年都会以经验、领导能力、是否践行本企业文化为准提名新的合伙人，并投票决定。目前，阿里巴巴合伙人制度已从阿里生态体系各部吸纳了36名合伙人，其中约三成是女性。合伙人团队是公司领导班子的智库，女性高管的数量高于平均值。
The Partnership plays an important role in succession for CEO and Chairman because of its role on the board. The Partnership has the right to nominate (but not elect) a simple majority of members to Alibaba Group’s Board of Directors. This means when it comes time to choose a new Executive Chairman, the Partnership-nominated directors have intimate knowledge of that executive’s leadership style, operation abilities and character. This is in contrast to the way most public companies handle succession. There is a talent search which often does not emphasize culture and values. And the members of the board of directors, who do not have the whole picture or first-hand experience with the candidate. Alibaba Partnership also ensures first-hand experience with the candidates, are making the final selection. The Partnership also has one class of shares, unlike Google.
由于其对董事会的影响，合伙人制度对公司CEO和董事会主席的继任有着举足轻重的作用。公司通过合伙人制度向集团董事会举荐（并非选定）成员。也就是说，需要选出新任董事会主席时，通过合伙人制度提名的各位董事对新主席的领导风格、运营能力、个人性格都有一个详尽的了解。这种交接的做法与大部分国有企业完全不同。后者在物色人才时往往不重视企业文化和价值观；最后拍板的董事会成员对候选人也没有全盘的了解或切实的交往经历。阿里巴巴合伙人制度就确保了对候选人的切实了解。【译注：晓爷觉得这里原文有点乱了，估计“are making the final selection”是接在“who do not have the whole picture or first-hand experience with the candidate”之后的】另外，与谷歌不同，阿里巴巴的合伙人制度只有一种股票。
Alibaba is a leader in terms of governance and its succession planning
阿里巴巴是公司治理和接班规划的领导者
There is this perception that Chinese businesses are followers but in the case of governance and succession planning, it is clearly showing us the future. Can you name who the successors are at Amazon, JD.com or eBay in case something happens to Jeff Bezos, Richard Liu or Devin Wenig? Honestly, I have no clue which executives are being groomed by these businesses to take over if something were to happen to their founder or CEO.
有一种看法——中国的企业都是步人后尘。但是，就公司治理和接班规划来讲，阿里巴巴明显具有前瞻性。万一贝索斯、刘强东或者德文•维尼格有什么情况，你能说出接掌亚马逊、京东、eBay的人姓甚名谁么？说实话，如果这些企业的创始人或CEO真出点事儿，我还真不知道下一任会是谁。
Alibaba's partnership contains 36 members for a reason - it is to ensure that these senior members of Alibaba can report and discuss matters from all the various parts of the business. It is refreshing to see a business have a diverse group of individuals who are a managing such a complex and large-scale business.
阿里巴巴之所以有36位合伙人，是要确保这些阿里高管在通报、讨论各项事宜时能够兼顾业务各方面。能看到一家公司通过多样化的队伍对庞杂的业务进行管理，不禁给人耳目一新之感。
In summary, A Chinese behemoth that is located in Hangzhou, China that was founded by a teacher has provided the corporate sector with a best-in-class solution for managing corporate governance and leadership succession in a new and refreshing manner.
总之，这家坐落于杭州，由一名教师创立的中国巨头以新颖的方式为企业提供了一流的公司治理、领导层接班方案。
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