GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

ECONOMIC FRONT
International megamergers
Rise of regional economic
power
Privatization of
government-owned
corporations
Expanding economic
integration of Europe
Chinas growing economy
and markets

SOCIAL FRONT
Loss of national identities
Ethnic strife
Increasing conflicts
between haves and
have nots
Fundamentalist Islamic
terrorists
Growing backlash against
U.S. influence and culture
Demographic shifts due
to rapidly aging
populations in some parts
Escalating concern over
environmental
degradation

GLOBAL MINDSET
A local leader can be a global leader, sometimes even
more global than colleagues who are working or have
been working in a country other than their own. A global
organization will not function well as a global organization unless a lot of local people in that organization,
wherever they are, think global, seeing the big picture
beyond the local picture a secretary or a person
scheduling production. These are people who make
things work across national border lines, providing an
organizational glue which helps to keep the pieces
together behind the global heroes who make public
statements or sign important contracts.
Arne Olsson, Senior HR VP, ABB

Comparative International
Leadership
Asian leaders are subdued because
displaying emotion is viewed as a lack
of self-control, a weakness.

UNIVERSAL POSITIVE
LEADER ATTRIBUTES

Decisive
Informed
Administratively skilled
Just
Effective Bargainer
Win-win problem solver
Plans ahead

Source: GLOBE Project

Honest
Dynamic
Coordinator
Team builder
Dependable
Excellence oriented
Intelligent

UNIVERSAL NEGATIVE
LEADER ATTRIBUTES
Ruthless
Asocial
Irritable
Loner
Source: GLOBE Project

Egocentric
Non-explicit
Non-cooperative
Dictatorial

CULTURALLY CONTINGENT
LEADER ATTRIBUTES
Enthusiastic
Risk taking
Ambitious
Self-effacing
Unique

Source: GLOBE Project

Self-sacrificial
Sincere
Sensitive
Compassionate
Willful

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DEFINED

The process of influencing the thinking,
attitudes, and behaviors of a global
community to work together
synergistically toward a common
vision and common goals.
Organizational capacity to draw out the
necessary expertise and influence
when and where it is needed.

The Jack Welch of the future cannot be like me. I

spent my entire career in the United States. The
next head of General Electric will be somebody
who spent time in Bombay, in Hong Kong, in
Buenos Aires. We have to send our best and
brightest overseas and made sure they have the
training that will allow them to be the global
leaders who will make GE flourish in the future.
Jack Welch

Global vs. Domestic Leadership

Differences in terms of degree:

Connectedness and interdependence

Boundary Spanning
Complexity and ambiguity
Building Learning Environments/Diverse
Communities and Teams
Ethical challenges
Tensions/Paradoxes
Pattern Recognition

Global vs. Domestic Leadership:

Differences in terms of kind:
Living and working 24-7-365 in an
international context can be a
transformational experience resulting
in new mental models

WHY IS GLOBAL
LEADERSHIP IMPORTANT?
U.S. Fortune 500 survey results:
85 percent of the firms do not have an
adequate number of global leaders
67 percent of existing leaders need additional
global skills and knowledge
Global mindset is crucial for successfully
managing transnational corporations

Global Leadership
Competencies
Envisioning * Inspiring * Articulating a tangible vision/values/strategy * Global
Business Savvy * Global Organizational Savvy * Global Networking * Business
Acumen * Total Organizational Astuteness * Results-Orientation * Motivating
Employees * Establishing Close Personal Relationships * Empowering,
Influencing * Cross-Cultural Communication * Ability to Emotionally Connect
with Others * Negotiation Expertise * Conflict Management * Curiosity,
Inquisitiveness * Continual Learner * Learning Orientation * Accountability,
Integrity * Managing Cross-Cultural Ethics * Courage * Commitment * Ability to
Instill Values * Maturity * Hardiness * Balancing Global vs. Local Tensions *
Orientation towards Stakeholders * Strong Customer Orientation *
Environmental Sensemaking * Global Mindset * Improvisation * Thinking Agility
* Pattern Recognition * Cognitive Complexity * Cosmopolitanism * Managing
Uncertainty * Entrepreneurial Spirit * Change Agentry * Catalyst for Strategic
Change * Catalyst for Cultural Change * Creating Learning Systems *
Community Building * Building Organizational Networks * Strong Operational
Codes * Teambuilding

Global Leadership
Dimensions
with attendant Competencies
CrossCultural
Relationship
Skills
Building Relationships
XC Communication Skills

Traits and
Values
Inquisitiveness/Curiosity
Continual Learner
Accountability
Integrity
Courage

Global
Business
Expertise

Global
Organizing
Expertise

Global Business Savvy

Team Building

Global Organizational Savvy

Community Building

Business Acumen

Organizational Networking

Stakeholder Orientation

Creating Learning Systems

External Orientation

Architecting/designing

Results-Orientation

Global Networking
Strong Customer Orientation

Cognitive
Orientation

Business Literacy

Visioning

Ability to Emotionally
Connect

Commitment

Environmental Sensemaking

Inspire, Motivate Others

Hardiness

Global Mindset

Change Agentry

Thinking Agility

Articulating a tangible vision

and strategy

Improvisation

Envisioning

Pattern Recognition

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Conflict Management

Maturity

Negotiation Expertise

Results-Orientation

Empowering Others

Personal Literacy

Cognitive Complexity

Catalyst for Cultural Change

Managing XC Ethical
Issues

Tenacity

Cosmopolitanism

Catalyst for Strategic Change

Emotional Intelligence

Managing Uncertainty

Social Literacy
Cultural Literacy

Local vs. Global Paradoxes

Behavioral Flexibility

Source: Mendenhall &

Osland, 2002

The Building Blocks of Global

Competency
System
Skills
Leading
Change & Make Ethical
creativity
Decisions
Span
Build
Boundaries
Community

Interpersonal Skills
Mindful
Communicatio
n

Create &
Build Trust

Teaming

Attitudes & Orientations

Global Mindset
Cognitive Complexity
Cosmopolitanism

Threshold Traits
Integrity

Humility

Inquisitiveness

Global Knowledge

Hardiness

What Effective Global

Executives Do
Perceive, analyze,
diagnose-decode the
situation

Possess the behavioral

repertoire and flexibility
to act appropriately,
then do so

Accurately identify what

managerial action would
be most effective in the
situation

HIRE AND PROMOTE THESE

PERSONALITY
CHARACTERISTICS

Openness
Flexibility
Not ethnocentric
Integrity
Curiosity
Hardiness

WAYS TO DEVELOP GLOBAL

LEADERSHIP & MINDSET

Hire diverse employees

Use cross-border teams
Create cross-border action learning projects
Short immersion experiences
Expatriate assignments
Hold meetings and locate business-unit headquarters in
foreign locales
Foster social networks across cultures
Take formal education courses to expand knowledge
bases and skills
Corporate training programs

WAYS TO DEVELOP GLOBAL

LEADERSHIP & MINDSET
Executive coaching
Use incentives to reward acquisition of GL
competencies
Inclusive selection criteria for GL programs to
avoid ethnocentrism
360-degree feedback that includes input from
foreign organizational members
International travel that leverages learning
Assessment centers
International simulations

Leveraging Repatriate Cadres

Mandatory debriefings when repatriates return to
capture their knowledge and insights
Mandatory Globalizing Seminars taught by
repatriates
Inclusion of repatriates in important international
business trips and global strategic planning
processes
Mentoring of future and current expatriates

Leveraging Travel Assignments

Send a clear message that the purpose of the
trip is for development purposes, not just for
task accomplishment.
Assignments should be given to the manager
that he or she must complete during the trip.
Each of these assignments should relate to
developmental purposes and be part of
performance evaluation.
Pre-trip training should cover the nature of
the competencies that will be developed, and
include training.