New culture in place, Ma's SCMP is ready to communicate

Jun 18, 2018 at 09:12 pm by Staff


The focus on the South China Morning Post has been intense since its acquisition by Alibaba owner and entrepreneur Jack Ma, and his appointment of Gary Liu as its chief executive in January last year.

Like the former British colony, the newspaper's history is one of competing interests: it was cofounded in 1903 by an Australian-born revolutionary opposed to the Qing government, and was variously owned by Rupert Murdoch and Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok's Kerry Media between spells on the local stock exchange.

Now, as Chinese influence and control of the 'special administrative region' tightens, there has been speculation about Ma's intentions and objectives - commercial and/or political - and what that means for the trusted English-language newspaper.

What is certain is that an exciting new chapter has begun. Recent months have seen investment in new offices, the launch of new digital products and a new corporate identity, reflective of a "new" commitment by the publisher - which scored highly in a 2016 trust survey - to tell both sides of a story.

Asia and North America are earmarked for growth and attention, as SCMP turns from "a regional newspaper covering the world, to a global media company with regional expertise".

At WAN-Ifra's Publish Asia conference in Bali last month, chief operating officer Elsie Cheung outlined its new culture and mission to broaden understanding: "We want to help you understand, to lead the global conversation about China - what's going on with the US-China relationship - and of the issues that everyone wants to understand better."

Two new digital products in the last six months are the start of a pitch to a broader global audience. One, Abacus is focussed on Chinese tech and consumer gadgets, and it would be surprising if "the definitive source for China tech coverage" doesn't make use of the opportunity for e-commerce.

The other, Inkstone promises six or seven articles a day in a briefing on "everything China", with opposing views represented "so readers have both arguments".

Underscoring these new products and objectives has been structural reorganisation of both the businesses and what was once its core product. Three business units now address the newsmedia brand, its magazines and new products.

Its digital transformation has seen the restructuring of the newsroom in bright new surroundings and a "new definition" of editorial product.

Cheung says the transformation has grown to be multi-dimensional -structured in a way that we will change the organisation. "Transformation will not happen unless we change our culture," she says.

Cheung is the perfect advocate for change: A 17-year veteran of the company who moved to her present position early in 2011 from heading sales and advertising, she actually started her career with the SCMP before leaving to spend time with Television Broadcast, HK Telecom and Sunevision.

And she's clearly loving it, not least the new work environment where staff "hang out" in collaborative and quiet spaces which she says has drawn the envy of friends.

The new way of working has been accompanied by a "new culture" which pretty much represented the values mentioned in a survey of staff. The company should be passionate, curious and courageous, focussed on staff as well as its customers and readers. Words like "agile and dynamic" are also mentioned, along with transparency and trust, and being diverse, vibrant and joyful.

"We collected opinions, and were most surprised that all the surveys were very similar," Cheung says.

Also to come out of a "culture launch day" addressed by Liu and including awards to staff was the introduction of two new employee organisations - one for community service and the other as a "new and improved" social club.

The move into new offices has seen the introduction of an activity-based workplace with "sprint hubs" and desks for collaboration, plus meeting and multifunctional rooms.

At a newsroom level, that means senior editors are sitting together for the first time, with everyone except a 30-strong print team looking at presentation across all platforms. Four experts have also been hired to a new product team, among them a social-focussed behavioural scientist.

Wifi is now everywhere, and tech changes include a switch from Microsoft to the Google suite and the issue of laptops to all staff, who don't necessarily have allocated desks - with TVs in rooms and open areas, and an IT service bar.

Thematic social hubs on all floors feature SCMP and local culture, and monthly social and healthy living activities are planned including a yoga class, and beer and coffee tasting.

Cheung says the single objective was to allow cooperation, "so they're happy," she says. "Suddenly you can feel the energy, with people very proud of working here."

SCMP's new two-pane logo - based on the international flag letter 'K' (I wish to communicate, or occasionally "person working aloft") is also new this year, with symbolic links to many of the changes.

Meanwhile, despite their good intentions the SCMP's news website remains blocked in mainland China... something that former Spotify marketing, Digg chief and former "investor and advisor" Liu hopes will change as the 115-year-old publisher "turns a new page".

Peter Coleman

• This article first appeared in GXpress Magazine May/June 2018

Pictured (from left): Elsie Cheung; the SCMP's historic, storm-battered headquarters; two of its new mobile products

Sections: Newsmedia industry

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