GLOBAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS

 Global Outlook
 Strategic Vision in long term
 Ability to work in a diverse cultures
 Willingness to relocate
 Ability to manage transition Change.

Adjustment
Initial Euphoria

Adjustment

Cultural Shock

Time

The collapse of international economic boundaries, rapid changes, workforce mobility and diversity, and the economic
interdependence of countries is what is popularly known as Globalisation. This phenomena poses difficult challenges to everyone
especially mangers to reassess their capabilities and get ready to manage internationally. The need arises from the fact that
traditional management skills are designed to manage only in local environment which is comparatively static and non changing.
Contrarily international business environment is highly volatile, and rapidly changing. The skills meant for local environment will thus
be insufficient if one has to manage in an international scene. It can be compared with the example of a person who can swim in a
swimming pool but what will happen if the same person is thrown to a deep sea having turbulent Waives and engulfing tides.

In essence today managers need new management skills which are equally effective for managing both local and international
business operations. Armed with these skills one can become like an international soldier capable of fighting international wars. The
skills inventory can be very long but grouped together the following core skills will be required for effective global managers:

1. COMFORT WITH RAPID CHANGE:

Change is not just a fad word but a reality and a harsh reality to be embraced and dealt with. As such global managers must be very
comfortable with rapid changes and competent in making futuristic decisions. It also means reducing one’s susceptibility to cultural
shocks and developing a high tolerance for unfamiliar people, situations and things.

2. NETWORKING SKILLS:

The adage that ‘It doesn’t matter how much you know-rather it matters who do you know’ is extremely relevant in most of the
countries. It is thus extremely important for international business operators to acquire the knack for developing good relations with
the influential and effective people in other countries. The most important aspect here is the choice of local partners and
counterparts. Getting involved with the right partners and avoiding wrong associates is a highly desirable trait which must be learnt
by these managers.

3. CROSS CULTURAL SENSITIVITY:

Culture means the set of beliefs, values and attitudes deeply held by people of one country, race or religion which set them apart
from other people belonging to different countries, races, and religions. Culture deeply affects peoples values, beliefs and
perceptions and make them different than that of others. This may lead to a lot of misunderstandings. For example a Westerner
while talking to someone in the East who is looking down and not maintaining eyes contact with him may perceive that person to be
some one telling lies. Contrarily the Easterner being looked directly into his eyes may find it rude or intimidating. To overcome these
types of problems managers must develop cross cultural sensitivity-the ability to correctly understand, respect ad successfully deal
with the people of other cultures. It should be emphasised here that cross cultural sensitivity is extremely important for a modern
manager as trivial mistakes can lead to great losses and problems.

4. SELF MOTIVATION:

Self motivation is the ability to pick up one’s self on continuous basis. Away from home country in another place many things can
happen leading to disappointments and failures. To cope up, an international manager must see it very positively and show
resilience. The psyche of looking at problems as opportunities and challenges can lead to success.

5. LEARNING ATTITUDE:
An insatiable appetite for learning, flexibility, and openness are other qualities which one has to acquire to become a successful
global manager. An international manager must have the desire to learn everyday and everywhere and come up with new ideas and
solutions so as to cope up with pervasive changes. The quest for knowledge reflected through reading habits, observing and curious
attitude and above all the courage to ask a lot of questions is what is known as a learning attitude highly required for an
international manager.

The nature of doing business has tremendously changed as compared to that of the past. And ironically it is constantly changing
every day with a higher speed. To cope up with these changes and become a successful manager one needs to shift gears from
national to international manager. The skills as mentioned above are some of the key skills which are required for global managers.
Armed with these skills one can successfully manage in intentional environment. Those who lack these skills and do not acquire them
are helping their competitors and their employers to dis-arm and ground them.

The Soft Skills of Global Managers

While top performance usually is what gets global managers their international assignments, soft skills may be more
important
Despite nearly two decades of corporate globalization efforts, many organizations still struggle to find managers who are
comfortable and effective in the increasingly global economy. Most suffer both from a lack of cultural awareness when
dealing with employees and partners overseas and from a lack of experience managing increasingly complex processes
over long distances.
Though a few insightful corporate giants such as CISCO , Intel have made strides in developing successful global
managers, many human resources leaders and senior executives continue to be frustrated with the available skills and
resources.
But why is it so difficult to develop effective global managers? The answers are as complex as the world's geographies.
Each company has its own specific needs and challenges, and every country presents a unique and rapidly changing
landscape in which work must be accomplished.
But even so, there are steps companies and managers can take to better prepare for the challenges of managing
globally. Our focus here is threefold:
(1) to develop a clearer understanding of the challenges of managing people across borders;
(2) to instill in new global managers an awareness of and an appreciation for the vast differences among the cultures in
which they do business; and
(3) to give global managers the tools and support they need to succeed.

The yawning cultural chasm

With the emergence of China and India as the newest and most daunting playing fields, experienced executives and
thought leaders agree that softer cultural issues have become the source of notable management problems.
"Managing in a global environment means you manage people who are separated not only by time and distance but also
by cultural, social, and language differences," says S. Devarajan, managing director of Cisco Systems Global Development
Center in Bangalore, India. Cisco India has more than 2,500 employees and close to 4,500 partner employees.
"The main challenge here is to integrate and coordinate these individuals in ways that will ensure success. You need to
build a relationship and have frequent interaction and communication among your team members," he says. "And you
also need to be sensitive to and respect the cultural differences. People from different cultures tend to misunderstand
each other's behaviors or stereotype people from other countries. It is essential to recognize the discrepancies between
cultures in order to work together effectively."
This, of course, is no simple task.
Letting go of the headquarters mindset
Embracing differences among cultures and taking advantage of them to build value begins by addressing what is called
"a headquarters mindset,"
Simply put: Too many companies assume that they can do things abroad in the same manner as they do them
domestically, "When we see companies that are underperforming in the global environment, we hear them saying, 'We
have people who are just like the ones at home, and we expect everybody else to be just like them.' And people don't
work that way."

Among the rarest of traits is the ability to balance the need for consistent corporate practices with the need for
regional uniqueness.
these constraints can be overcome if leaders focus more closely on the empathic qualities of prospective global
managers.
"What is essential in a global environment is the ability to work with individuals, groups, organizations, and systems that
are unlike our own," she says. "We must also understand what differentiates people and what unites them.
Understanding that tension—how are we alike and how are we different—is a critically important starting point."
At the very least, organizations need to ensure that managers have had the opportunity to build a basic understanding
of the new cultures in which they will be immersed—with a particular focus on appreciating how behaviors differentiate.
Key characteristics that successful global managers Among them are three that resonate loudly:
(1) a belief that differences matter;
(2) openness to new and different ideas; and
(3) cognitive complexity, or the ability to focus on both the "hard" and "soft" metrics in an organization—the hard
quantitative side along with the softer, people side.
These three success factors provide a useful framework for prospective global managers to use as they assess their skills
and their preparedness for their new assignment.

Differences matter
There are great cultural differences between the people who make up global companies. Understanding how people
think, work, eat, and interact in a foreign workplace is crucial to building a successful operation. Most managers, new to
these exotic environments, are ill prepared for these nuances.
You have to realize the complexity that is involved in managing people in different countries,What is important to them?
How do they take information you give them and interpret it back to those who work for them?"

Openness to new ideas

As emerging markets such as China continue to expand, executives must also tap into the management expertise in
these geographies and be willing to move international managers experienced in one country to other countries. Too
many companies view globalization as a one-way street, which is a shortsighted view the integration of international
managers plays a big factor in developing global expertise.
Moving U.S.-based personnel overseas is one thing, but what about bringing some of the Chinese or Indian managers to
Europe or South America and plugging them into the mix while some large companies have had success with this cross-
fertilization, very few small and midsized companies do it.
But consider what this can achieve. Domestic managers must think about how to be more flexible in their thinking and
to appreciate how incorporating different perspectives is good management and good business.

Cognitive complexity: Getting the hard and soft in concert

Among the rarest of traits is the ability to balance the need for consistent corporate practices with the need for regional
uniqueness—both in terms of respecting cultural differences across geographies and seizing the unique advantages of
each market.
But teaching new global managers how to balance corporate philosophy with the unique circumstances of the local
market is not easy; it requires an awareness of cultures in the midst of dynamic change. It also demands a healthy dose
of independent thinking among some very unfamiliar surroundings. Inexperienced managers may end up clinging to the
practices they know and, thus, fall prey to the headquarters mentality Or they may succumb to a form of cultural
intimidation in which they allow for whatever the local team is used to. In doing so, they open their organization to the
problems.
One way companies can help is to allow new global managers to immerse themselves in their assignments slowly.
Companies must commence a new manager's global assignment by having him work on a virtual team—that is,
managing an overseas process or project while still being stationed in one's home country. By allowing people to learn to
work together digitally, companies provide an opportunity for managers to hone the skills they will need to draw on
when they are on the ground in a foreign country—but to do so while still in familiar territory.

Leadership in Global Business Environment

Studies show that all leaders exhibit some common characteristics. Successful leaders in the global and multicultural
teams are those that are forward looking, innovative and creative. In addition, they have a vision and an established
mission based on the fundamental core values of the organization they are leading. Successful leaders in the global and
multicultural teams are communicative, they communicate clearly to their workforce; they motivate the workforce and
live exemplary lives worthy of emulation. They empower their workforce by delegating authority with clear and concise
instructions.

Good Leadership Style in Global Environment

            Most management consultants and scholar affirm that good leadership style in the global business environment is
the participatory and transformational leadership styles.  These leadership styles are used interchangeably to describe
visionary and forward looking leaders in the global business market place.  Participatory leaders are more open minded
and welcoming than the other types of leadership styles.  They get diverse perspective from diverse groups of people
which enables them to always make sound decisions because everybody else’s input is included in the ultimate decision.
For example, good participatory leaders in a multicultural organization will ensure that their workforce is properly
trained cross culturally.  They help create positive environment for professional development among teams.  They
understand individual’s perspective, they show empathy and understanding in dealing with conflicts and resolutions;
and this makes a participatory leader the ideal leader in the global and multicultural organization.  Some other group of
scholars asserts that good multicultural leadership is based on cultural, religious and socio-economic environment and
values of the people that are led.  Global business leaders that fail to recognize those dimensions are prone to fail in the
global marketplace. For those who work in international business, it is sometimes amazing how different people in other
cultures behave.  We tend to have a human instinct that deep inside all people are the same – but they are not. 
Therefore, if we go into another country and make decisions based on how we operate in our own home country – the
chances are we’ll make some very bad decisions

Participatory leadership style is democratic, they involve individuals in the decision making process; they appreciate
diversity and are fully aware of cultural differences among individuals.  The participatory leadership style is essential in
leading global multicultural team because; they are culturally sensitive, culturally competent, understanding, and
tolerant of other cultures; and this is the kind of leadership that global multicultural organizations need to lead their
workforce abroad.  “Participatory leaders never say I, they do not think I; they think we”

The advent of globalization has diminished most leadership styles and strengthened participatory leadership because of
the diversity of input and voice in the decision making process.  “Participatory leadership models have a long history in
organizations and in higher education; they have become even more popular as traditional, hierarchical approaches
have fallen out of favor”.  Participatory and transformational leadership styles are closely linked to a successful
operation of global and multicultural teams worldwide; because of their appreciation of diversity, cultural competency,
empathy, and understanding of diverse opinions. The core characteristics and skills essential to leading global teams are
empathy, cultural awareness, tolerance, cultural competency, and understanding.  In the global marketplace, good
business leaders rely on teams to achieve organization mission and vision. 
Personal behavioral competences required for success in global leadership are:
1. cultural open-mindedness and awareness;
2. toleration of ambiguity;
3. coping ability;
4. strong communication skills relevant to different countries;
5. resilience;  
6. listening skills;
7. multicultural team-selection skill, with broad
8. empathy with local customs,

Good Team Attributes in a Global Business Environment with Multicultural Teams

                      Good team attributes in the global environment with multicultural teams are those that demonstrate spirit of
belongingness.  Because of the diversity of culture and opinion, good teams encourage other members to express their
opinions freely; they do not stereotype or pre-judge their members.  Each and every member is respected in a
productive global business environment with multicultural or diverse teams. Positive thinking is the constant habit of
good teams in the global market environment with multicultural teams.  It will be impossible for a global multicultural
organization to function properly without good team attributes because of the wide acceptance of teams as well as
multicultural teams in the global business environment.  The concept of teamwork is gaining rapid acceptance in
numerous organizations and disciplines around the world