Interview with LU ZHENGGANG

水晶石背后的大脑 From image to imagination

——卢正刚: 多样化、破坏与混乱的制造者

何新城：我们似乎正处于特殊的时刻，中国过去三十年的高速发展在奥运会达到顶峰，之后的经济形势发生了变化。水晶石在经历了十年的快速成长后，是否也处于一个相似的时间点？

卢正刚：2008年的结束的确是个转折点。水晶石是中国近十年来尤其是奥运会的主要受益者。从1998年申奥开始，到奥运会宣传、教育，奥运会场馆的建设以及后来的奥运会开幕式，水晶石参与了整个过程。仅奥运会这一个机会就让水晶石从1998年60来名员工发展到如今2000多人的规模。下一个推动我们的事件将是世博会，但合作方式已有所不同。

何新城：水晶石当时的竞争优势是什么？

卢正刚：水晶石是中国最早从事图像服务的公司，在奥运会筹备的早期，水晶石在图像渲染、模拟和可视化效果等方面拥有绝对的技术优势；第二，水晶石在图像服务的专业化也绝对领先于提供图像服务的国有企业。

何新城：水晶石今天还具备最前沿的技术优势么？

卢正刚：水晶石今天的综合技术优势在中国仍然非常明显，除了个别技术单元需要更新外，一些独有技术仍然相当先锋，比如水晶石能将一座城市数字化并放在互联网上。这一技术目前正用于网上世博会。将世博会所有的场馆、展示都放在互联网上是2010年上海世博会的亮点之一，这也是本届世博会的创举。

何新城：你所说的实际上是通过创新从而引导市场，是否可以这样理解，水晶石的科技事实上在重新定义建筑行业的工作方式？

卢正刚：是这样。水晶石一开始只有一种技术，就是建筑表现渲染，客户也集中在建筑业，而现在的客户群已经非常多元化了。我们的确拉动了客户的需求，而有想像力、走在前沿的客户也在促进我们成长。因为水晶石是一个高度市场化的公司，所以我们总能比同行更先了解到市场需求的变化。

何新城：当虚拟建筑变得日益重要时，传统意义上的建筑表现市场是否越来越不重要了呢？

卢正刚：现在还看不到对传统建筑表现的需求有任何萎缩的迹象。越来越多的建筑师能熟练地运用各种建筑表现工具，与此同时，建筑师对于表现图行业的依赖之深也是前所未有的。对于水晶石这样的供应商来说，则意味着要面对越来越挑剔、精明、有成本意识的建筑师。我还能看到一个时间差，目前国外建筑师在可视化方面的需求基本上是中国五年前的水平。这说明，经过十年的发展，建筑表现已经从一个高精尖的技术变成了一个建筑师的必备工具了，其需求正在趋于稳定。

水晶石的海外客户目前占一半左右，但是当我仔细研究我们在海外的客户时，我发现我们还不是真正国际化的公司，水晶石在美国、欧洲和中东地区的客户都是以前在中国发展认识再转移到当地的。从市场占有率、品牌乃至客户认可度来说，水晶石都还不能说已经国际化了，这是我对目前的一个理智的判断。

何新城：水晶石走向国际市场似乎是坐标变化的指针。过去的十年都是全球化的公司打入中国市场，而现在水晶石是第一批真正走出去的先锋之一。

卢正刚：水晶石向海外发展并不是因为中国市场的衰退。水晶石的海外拓展目前有两个挑战，一是人才瓶颈，既懂语言又懂业务还懂当地文化的中国人才奇缺，二是水晶石的规模是适合中国的市场需求的。如此大规模的公司要适应不同国家多样化的需求对公司内部的结构是一个巨大的挑战。

何新城：伟大的商业领袖都会思考公司的可持续发展的问题而不是短期的利润。对于水晶石来说，这方面的努力是否体现在对员工的培训和构建内部交流平台的尝试？
卢正刚：实现水晶石的平衡是我长期的目标。一是商业与专业的平衡，太商业则无法进步，太专业则只能成为一个小工作室，这是一个非常艰难的平衡；二是短期与长期的平衡，短期的利益最大化不能造成长期竞争力的下滑。

保持长期的竞争力永远是我的第一任务，而核心又在于如何创新的问题。对于我来说，要实现创新就必须对这个组织有一定的破坏。不破坏老的结构就无法产生新的结构。破坏会产生混乱，混乱也会产生创新。

除了破坏以外，竞争也会产生创新。我要保持内部有不同的思想、观点、视角，让它们共存，让它们碰撞，又不让谁灭了谁。多样化、破坏与混乱是保持创新的三个关键词。

何新城：作为商业领袖，你如何看待四万亿的经济刺激计划？

卢正刚：我对这个四万亿计划持一定保留意见。四万亿其实是个口号，中央政府只出一万亿。我觉得它可能会让中国的经济保持两三年高增长，但它会让中国的市场经济倒退。这界政府似乎在不断强化国有经济，且坚信政府的强势可以拯救经济。但这一定会抹杀创新，会破坏市场经济。这也是为什么在有四万亿的经济刺激计划下我却坚持要走出去的原因。

我现在下了一个巨大的赌注，就是赞助伦敦奥运会，一千万英镑的赞助费还只是投入的一部分。公司内有很多人反对，理由在于伦敦奥运会对水晶石来说不是一个像北京奥运会 一样巨大的商机，而且英国现在面临衰退。当其他人都不看好伦敦时，我却异常坚决。现在的压力非常大，但我相信，再经过四年的锻炼和洗礼，水晶石会大不同。

From image to imagination

CEO Lu Zhenggang on Crystal’s catharsis

NM: We are at a very special moment in time. Thirty years of relentless growth, topped by the Olympics, directly followed by a new economic reality. Is Crystal at a similar point in time, after ten years of amazing growth?

LZG: The end of 2008 is a turning point. But Crystal is in fact just a very small company in the large economy of China. We got seriously involved with the Beijing Olympics, right from the bid in 1998, to the PR, building the stadiums and the opening ceremony. The size of Crystal and the brand has been elevated tremendously during the ten years of hosting the Olympics. This single opportunity made Crystal grow from a company of 60 to more than 2000 employees today. We are one of the main beneficiaries of the Olympics in the last ten years. The next event that will push us moving forward will be the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

NM: What was the competitive advantage of Crystal?

LZG: Crystal was one of the first companies in China that produce computer graphics. during the early stage of the Olympics preparation, Crystal had absolute cutting edge technology in rendering, modeling and visual effects. Secondly, Crystal was way ahead of the state owned enterprises in terms of professional service.

NM: Today still have a technological cutting-edge advantage?

LZG: Overall Crystal still has a technological advantage, however, computer graphics technology right now is much more diversified and some technical aspects needs to be updated. On the other hand, now Crystal can produce an entire city in virtual reality and upload it online. Such technology is absolutely cutting-edge and is being applied in the online World Expo in 2010. All the museums and exhibitions of the Expo will be replicated. This is one of the major highlights of the Shanghai World Expo. That’s unprecedented.

NM: Creating new products shapes the market. This seems to me to suggest that Crystal’s technologies are actually redefining the architectural profession.

LZG: True. Crystal only had one technology in the beginning which is architectural rendering and all of our clients were from the architectural fields but our client base has much diversified now. On the one hand, we create new demand but at the same time, those clients who have great imagination and who are ahead of us have helped us to expand. Crystal is a highly market-driven company. We know the change of demands faster than our competitors.

NM: As the importance of virtual architecture is expanding, does that mean the market of architecture in the traditional sense is becoming less important for you?

LZG: I haven’t seen any sign that the traditional rendering is diminishing. Yet market structure has certainly changed. More and more architects know how to use architectural rendering tools. However, the dependence of architects on renderings is also unprecedented. It means that service providers like Crystal will face ever more critical and smart architects who are ever more aware of costs. At the same time, i can also see that the foreign demand of visualization is five years behind that of China. It means that after ten years of development, architectural rendering has evolved from an advanced cutting-edge to a popular tool and the demand for the service is ever more stable.

In fact, about half of Crystal’s clients are foreign architects nowadays. But recently, as I’m studying our foreign client base more carefully, i realized that we are still not a truly international company. Most of the clients in our offices in the States, Europe and The Middle East have emerged in China and expanded to those places. In terms of either market share, brand recognition or client satisfaction, Crystal hasn’t even started to become international. That’s my observation of the current situation.

NM: Crystal entering the world market is one of the indicators of a real paradigm shift. The last ten years global companies have fought hard to enter the Chinese market, now Crystal is among the frontrunners of Chinese companies expanding it’s horizon.

LZG: Crystal’s overseas expansion is not because the Chinese market has receded. There are two challenges in terms of Crystal’s overseas expansion, one is the lack of talent. There’s a major shortage of Chinese who speak the local language, and understand the culture and Crystal’s business. Secondly, the size of Crystal suits the Chinese market. It will be a major challenge to the business structure of such a big company to meet the diversified demands in different countries.

NM: Every great business leader thinks about sustainable growth rather than quick profit. I know for Crystal this means educating it’s people and trying to build a community.

LZG: it has always been my primary mission to achieve a balanced growth. Primarily the balance of commercialism and professionalism. Not too commercial yet not too professionalized like a small studio. Maximizing short-term profits should not diminishing the long-term competitiveness. Maintaining long-term competitiveness is always my first priority mission, essentially by promoting innovation. I believe to a certain extent innovation means damaging the organization. If you don’t destroy the old structure there will never be a new one. Damage will cause chaos and chaos will promote innovation. Besides damage, competition will also result in innovation. I need to maintain the co-existence of different ideas, viewpoints and opinions, allowing them to clash with each other without destroying each other. Diversification, damage and chaos are the three key words in my dictionary to promote innovation.

NM: Finally, on the topic of competition, as a business leader how do you feel about China’s stimulus package?

LZG: I have my doubts about the four trillion RMB stimulus. Other than the fact it is just an empty slogan, and the central government will only spend one trillion, i think the stimulus package will make the transition to the market economy in China move backwards. I oppose such economic policies of this government. They are increasingly empowering the national economy and they firmly believe that a strong government will be able to save the economy. It might have some short-term effect the next two or three years, but it will kill innovation and damage the free market economy. I’m not worried about our business but i don’t like the political economic environment. I don’t like that i will need to face up to an ever more powerful government.

This also explains that why we decide to expand the overseas market even though China has a four trillion RMB stimulus package lined-up. I made a huge bet which is to become a major sponsor of London Olympics. the ten million sponsor fee is only part of the investment we will make. Many people within the company are against it, arguing that the london olympics is not as big a commercial opportunity like Beijing. Yet I insist to invest. I’m under huge pressure at the moment, but I believe that after another four years of struggle and self-reflection, Crystal will have its rebirth.