Abstract:     Realization of the catch-up goal of latecomer firms is not only restricted by their backwardness of technology, but also limited by the managerial constraints caused by their outdated management ideas, backward management methods and so on. In the face of increasingly fierce international competition, breaking through managerial constraints and improving management capability have become the key for latecomer firms to achieve sustainable catch-up nowadays. Different from the traditional research streams in catch-up field, which used to focus on the backwardness of technology and the process of accumulation and promotion of technological capability of latecomer firms, this paper focuses on the reality of managerial constraints faced by latecomer firms, and pays attention to the process that latecomer firms improve their management capabilities through managerial learning during the period of catch-up. This paper takes a world-famous Chinese domestic company named Huawei as the sample of case study. Based on the method of case study and three-step coding method, this paper explores the managerial constraints faced by Huawei and its managerial learning practice in the catch-up process. 
     The conclusions of this paper are as follows: (1) Managerial constraint is an important reason for the latecomers to fall into the catch-up dilemma,and its restrictions on the catch-up actions of Huawei are mainly reflected in the low-level following development mode of the strategic dimension, the closed way of technology accumulation in the R & D development process, and the insufficient supply of talents in the human resources management dimension; (2) The complexity of managerial constraints on the catch-up process of latecomers, which is embodied in the multi-dimension and multi-level of managerial constraints. The multi-dimension of Huawei managerial constraints is embodied in strategic management dimension, R&D process management dimension and human resource management dimension, and the multi-level is embodied in strategic level and functional level; (3) The implementation of targeted managerial learning action is the key to break through the managerial constraints of the latecomers.The targeted managerial learning actions taken by Huawei include: the target managerial learning practice based on strategic management benchmarking, the managerial learning practice based on systematic research and development, and the managerial learning practice based on institutionalized human resources management.
    The main contributions of this paper are as follows: (1) Supplement the research conclusions of management catch-up dimension for the research field of latecomer firms catch-up by exploring these latecomer firms′ management catch-up actions; (2) It deeply analyzes the improving process of management capability through managerial learning of the latecomer firms, and expands the research conclusions in the field of managerial learning in the catch-up context of latecomer firms. 
    The research results of this paper have the following practical implications for the implementation of catch-up strategy of latecomer firms in nowadays: (1) The multi-dimensional and multi-level management constraints are the main factors that limit the realization of the goal of catch-up of latecomer firms; (2) The catch-up actions of technology and management dimensions jointly promote the realization of the catch-up goal of latecomer firms; (3) The important mechanism to improve management capability for latecomer firms is to carry out managerial learning.

Key words:  latecomer, managerial learning, catch up, Huawei