I struggle with the lack of innovation, improvisation, invention, self motivation every day in my job. The nationals that work for me are bright, great people. But, they really struggle when it comes to thinking of new ways of doing things. The propensity to sit back and let things happen, rather than driving a new way in maddening. A simple thing like getting up in front of the group and presenting a project and convincing people of your point of view...and then, getting the audience to question what is being presented. We (westerners) don't think twice about interrupting and asking questions...but not here.
Training can only take me so far...there is so much ingrained habits that have to be overcome.

Chinese are trained to learn by rote. Historically, the ladder of imperial success, to quote Ho Ping-ti, depended upon rote learning, and that tradition follows to the present day. In classes of 50 or more, little else can accomplished but the memorization of discrete bits of information and spitting it out again. By seeing the best students -- those who have made it through the sieve into the college system -- that we think Chinese are, as a rule, so very intelligent and well-learned. But go into the great mass of businesses and train the sales force (college grads, nonetheless), as I have, and one finds only a handful prepared to think on their own. When education fosters dependency, who can expect more?