1. Based on material presented in the chapter, critique Alibaba’s on-boarding and training program for young leaders.

2. What principles of learning has Alibaba built into its program?

3. Senior management wants you to develop a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of this program. How might you do that?

In the 3 months since he began working for Alibaba Group Holdings, Ltd., Matt Shofnos, age 30, has improved his Mandarin, helped an American retailer target Chinese consumers, and donned a Captain America costume to meet the company’s chief executive.

Alibaba has brought Mr. Shofnos and 31 other young workers from around the world to China for a year-long immersion in Chinese business and language and the company’s culture. The company’s executives are betting that the leadership program will produce China-trained, globally minded leaders able to make and manage partnerships with Western retailers, moving the e-commerce giant closer to its goal of earning 40 percent of revenue outside China in the next decade.

Alibaba has committed to running the program for at least 10 years and expects enrollment to grow to 100 annually. Participants, all new hires, typically join after business school or a few years working in fields such as marketing and technology. More than 3,000 applied to the inaugural class. Finalists underwent several rounds of interviews, including a visit to the company’s Hangzhou headquarters. Recruits are paid competitively as they complete two 6-month rotations at Alibaba businesses such as shopping platform Tmall Global. They take classes on Chinese culture, politics, and economics and travel, visiting rural villages to observe how e-commerce has transformed local economies.

Participants must learn how to navigate life in China, including finding apartments, commuting to work, and learning Alibaba products, many of which are in Chinese. Veteran Alibaba workers, called “life buddies,” greet arrivals at the airport and help them load useful smartphone apps.

After their second 6-month rotation, graduates are expected to return to Alibaba offices in their home regions in places such as New York and Paris. Having been integrated into “the mothership,” the workers will help ensure an expanded Alibaba stays true to its Chinese roots and company culture.

Program participant Anna Kim, 28, was scheduled to attend the annual meeting of Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial Services Group. She expected the typical recitation of graphs and PowerPoint slides. What awaited her was a massive party in a stadium. “When I go to work, I don’t know what kind of surprise is going to come my way,” she said.

As for Matt Shofnos, he is still adjusting to life in Hangzhou, where something as simple as hailing a ride with the country’s version of Uber can befuddle an outsider. Earlier in his career, he realized that being “an American company’s China guy” wasn’t going to happen, thanks to lackluster Mandarin skills. With Alibaba, he said, “I can absolutely be a Chinese company’s American guy.”