Global Management Competencies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Global Management Competencies - Essay Example Beyond such person-to-person skills, global organization development and consulting skill areas such as multicultural team building, technology transfer, innovation, and change management are also covered in this paper. Generic skill areas are applied and adapted to the specific business practices of different localities. Geographical examples are drawn from Asia, Europe, Latin America, Russia, and the Middle East. The business manager of today must have diversity principles at the forefront of his thinking. The contemporary catch phrase "think globally, act locally" comes to mind as a recommendation to what the business managers and executives should have for an attitude. The Internet, rapid travel capability, satellite-based communications, and corporate expansion into the level of the transnational have all contributed to making our local realms more globally connected, shrinking our world and folding us all closer together with other people of sometimes very different culture and perspective. It is widely agreed that the critical factor for companies to succeed in global competition is effective development of global managers and executives (Pucik, 2000; Bartlett & Ghoshal, 2000; Evans, 2000; Tichy & Sherman, 2003; Gates, 2001). However, in management development literature, there seems to be a great deal of confusion about the meaning of various terms defining expatriate/international/global managers. In an effort to clarify the differences between the expatriate and the global manager, this article explores the definitions of the two concepts, and explains the differences in behaviors, competencies, and characteristics of the two types of managers. The article also identifies and compares the human resource practices necessary for an effective development of the expatriate and global managers. Building and sustaining organizational capabilities for global operations is a critical challenge for most globalizing firms (Nohria & Ghoshal, 2001). Meeting this challenge requires changes in cognitive processes through which managers frame business problems (Murtha, Lenway & Bagozzi, 2000). Global thinking places high value on sharing information, knowledge, and experience across national, functional, and business boundaries and on balancing competing country, business, and functional priorities that emerge in the globalization process. This set of attitudes is often described as global mindset. The emphasis on the mindset helps to differentiate between expatriate (international) and global managers. The definition of an expatriate/international manager is linked to the location of the assignment whereas the global manager is defined by his or her frame of mind. The term "expatriate (or international) manager" defines an executive who is able to assume a Management position fulfilling