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Chapter 11
Developing Global Managers
"When going global, you have to communicate to everyone what the company vision is and what the long term goals are. And then you have to follow through and design processes that force the interaction to continue. Every single employee must believe that there is a great value in managing the company in an integrated way. To do that, you have to bring people together on real projects that tackle real problems or that explore opportunities on a cross border basis.”
David Whitwam, CEO, Whirlpool[1]
Introduction
Transnational corporations, as explained in earlier chapters, are complex entities with diverse roles and responsibilities and a highly sophisticated configuration of resources and assets. Without suitable mechanisms for integration and unification of various activities, such organizations will become too unwieldy to manage. Top management commitment and suitable systems and processes can help. But what is clearly needed to make such an organization work to its full potential is the personal commitment of individual managers, who can take a sufficiently broad perspective while solving problems. To sum up, a major challenge for global companies is to develop a cadre of managers, who can understand and respond to the needs of the international business environment. These managers need to go beyond a narrow national perspective towards a multidimensional view, which takes into account the requirements of the entire global system. In other words, these companies have to create a cadre of people who are comfortable with 'global' careers.
This chapter will deal with some of the special challenges, which global companies face in the selection, training and development of their human resources in general and expatriates in particular. It will also look at some of the key behavioural issues faced by global companies in the coordination of their activities across the globe.
Understanding global mindset
As Vijay
Developing Global Managers
"When going global, you have to communicate to everyone what the company vision is and what the long term goals are. And then you have to follow through and design processes that force the interaction to continue. Every single employee must believe that there is a great value in managing the company in an integrated way. To do that, you have to bring people together on real projects that tackle real problems or that explore opportunities on a cross border basis.”
David Whitwam, CEO, Whirlpool[1]
Introduction
Transnational corporations, as explained in earlier chapters, are complex entities with diverse roles and responsibilities and a highly sophisticated configuration of resources and assets. Without suitable mechanisms for integration and unification of various activities, such organizations will become too unwieldy to manage. Top management commitment and suitable systems and processes can help. But what is clearly needed to make such an organization work to its full potential is the personal commitment of individual managers, who can take a sufficiently broad perspective while solving problems. To sum up, a major challenge for global companies is to develop a cadre of managers, who can understand and respond to the needs of the international business environment. These managers need to go beyond a narrow national perspective towards a multidimensional view, which takes into account the requirements of the entire global system. In other words, these companies have to create a cadre of people who are comfortable with 'global' careers.
This chapter will deal with some of the special challenges, which global companies face in the selection, training and development of their human resources in general and expatriates in particular. It will also look at some of the key behavioural issues faced by global companies in the coordination of their activities across the globe.
Understanding global mindset
As Vijay