Global Managers:Myth or Reality?: Burhani Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai

GLOBAL MANAGERS :MYTH OR REALITY?
Report submitted by: VIRAJ C. TATKAR,
MMS batch 2009-2011, SEM 1,
Subject : PERSPECTIVE MANAGEMENT,
Roll number: 54,
Submitted to : PROF.QURESH M.MOOCHHALA
Date of submission: 18th November 2009,
BURHANI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND

RESEARCH,MUMBAI
Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge a deep sense of gratitude to PROF.Q.M.MOOCHHALA for his

valuable guidance as far as the subject matter and its presentation is concerned. I would also like
to thank various authers whose work has served as a valuable reference material for developing
the further understanding of the topic of global managers .I would also like to thank
MR.HUSSAIN TANKIWALA for helping me to use e- resources effectively. At the end I would
like to thank BURHANI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH,MUMBAI and
our director PROF .VIKRAM SHIKHARE for providing us the best possible educational
facilities and environment to develop ourselves as tomorrow’s global business leaders ,in the
bustling global business scenario.
CONTENTS:
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3. CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
HYPOTHESIS
5. OBSERVATIONS
6. CONCLUSION
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
With the continuing growth of globalization, companies need to pay careful attention to selecting
and managing people who may become their “global managers.” The best way to achieve this is
by coming up with a clear concept of what constitutes such a manager. But the examination of a
wide set of possible characteristics indicates that there seems to be no distinct set of such
individual qualities, so there is no consistent way to point out what a global manager is. What we
are left with is the search for good “conventional” managers with a global mindset who could
succeed in the international marketplace.(see bibliography:websites/no:5)
CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
Global management is the one in which an organization has operations in other parts of the
countries and is managed in all parts of the world(bibliography/website/no.1)
The profile of a global manager is not just looking at the global market but also the domestic
market. And the ingredients which make a global manager are simple basics which are imbibed
into us but lose their prominence. Awareness, exposure, comprehension, conviction and maturity
are the qualities which make the global managers of today, said
corporate(bibliography/websites/3)
Globalization today means that a company is competing in the domestic market and protecting
its turf from international players making an entry. Alternatively, it is the same company
foraying into international market. So in essence, the trait of a global manager is as useful
internationally as it is when it comes to the domestic market. A global manager is one who
understands and recognizes the patterns. The manager is able to withstand the pressure and is
sensitive to issues and lastly the family or social moorings also play an important role in making
a good manager(bibliography/e database/proquest)
The report is aimed to find out that what is a Global manager and is it myth or reality?
To study is topic the method used is the comparison of opinions from various authors and reports
from various journals in this context. The major emphasis is laid on understanding the process of
globalization and responsibilities of managers handling international operations for a global
company. An attempt is made to find out the responsibilities, and expectations from such
managers and at the end an attempt is made to establish relationship between the term global
manager and the term efficient manager with capability to handle his responsibilities in the
diversified global environment.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY A GLOBAL COMPANY.?
We take global to mean at least 20% of sales in each of the three main regions of the world:
North America, Europe and a group of leading Asian countries. One of us was involved in
research involving the Fortune 500, and of those companies, 320 were home-based with only
modest sales in the other two regions. Another 36 were 'bi-regional', with at least 20% of their
sales in two of the three regions. Only nine companies were truly global, with at least 20% of
their sales in all three regions. This is a picture of regionalization, not globalization (see The
Myth of the Global Company, p34).
How about a global mindset? Consider the 10 most senior executives in the most global
company you can think of. How many of them come from, or at least have spent a significant
part of their careers in a different country to that in which the company is headquartered? We
note that there are pitifully few. Maybe Shell and Unilever stand out because their executives are
rooted in two cultures. Perhaps this helps to explain the long-term success of these two
companies.
In any event, our point is that global coverage does not a global mindset make. We need to take a
good hard look at the whole question of global and worldly. (bibliography/websites/no2)
So what makes a global manager?
Every country has its own needs, its own culture, the particular characteristics of its own people.
Copying another style, especially one labelled falsely as universal or global, can only weaken
people from one culture in competition with others. We all have to build on our own intrinsic
strengths.
The profile of a global manager is not just looking at the global market but also the domestic
market. And the ingredients which make a global manager are simple basics which are imbibed
into us but lose their prominence. Awareness, exposure, comprehension, conviction and maturity
are the qualities which make the global managers of today, said corporates. At the other end of
the spectrum, management institutions need to constantly upgrade their knowledge and be
sensitive to the changing environment to help create global managers.
R Gopalakrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons Ltd said that global managers are made not
through inherent quality but ones which are acquired. “There are three or four criteria which
make global managers. They are the awareness of the world beyond your realm, need to gain
exposure, comprehension of the fact that the information is relevant for me as well and
conviction,” said Mr Gopalakrishnan.
Mr Arvind Agarwal, president - corporate development & HR, RPG Enterprises, said that there
are business managers, country managers and functional managers, who have their own set of
responsibilities. At the core of a global manager is personal maturity and the maturity comprises
of discipline, focus, respect for the cultural differences, ability to manage own's growth in the
highly competitive atmosphere and emotional intelligence, said Mr Agarwal. He added that the
hallmarks of a global managers is that they are hands on and tend to take the responsibilities on
themselves instead of passing it onto others. The traits of a global manager are fundamental and
are present in all managers. They are not Chinese, Japanese or Indian, said Mr Agarwal.
speakers from the industry said that in the era of globalisation, there is no such thing as a global
manager. Instead business managers of today have to operate in a climate which comprise the
changing aspirations of customers, shareholders, employees and Government.
1. Selection of foreign subsidiary managers is becoming increasingly important, as more and

more firms are driven by competition to extend their global reach through a physical
presence in foreign markets or via the virtual world of the internet (Ashamalla, 1998;
Cook, and Emler, 1999; Ones and Viswesvaran, 1999; Ruhe and Alien 1997). As always,
subsidiary managers are seen as the "linchpin" to many activities between the parent firm
and local market contacts (Lindsley, 1999). In these roles subsidiary managers help
establish good relations with local intermediaries who can help firms further their market
penetration and diversification (Dillon and Reid, 2000). Another reason for placing greater
importance on manager selection stems from the more traditional role of the manager
argued by Forster (1997) who proposes, "coordination, integration and control issues
[about local operations] faced by the multinational enterprises (MNEs) must all be
channeled through...[subsidiary]... managers" (p. 78). Often, these individuals are required
to co-exist between widely dissimilar cultures thus leading to issues of "fit" between
manager and country.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1194641211&sid=2&Fmt=4&clientId=103388&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Author: José Castillo
2. There are 6 mandates global managers need to follow in order to successfully respond to
business forces. The first is to develop a shared vision and strategy. In this step,
communication with employees is essential because it builds commitment and aligns
individual goals with company goals. The 2nd mandate is to prompt the organization to
respond to changes. The 3rd mandate is to expect continuous improvement. This applies
not only to goods and services, but also to every activity in which the manager and the
organization are involved. The 4th mandate is to develop a multicultural perspective. The
workforce is becoming more diversified, and global managers might want to rethink how
they manage people. The 5th mandate is to empower individual employees to accept more
responsibility, and the 6th is to build team performance
Author: Sullivan, Paul
3. One of the greatest challenges facing US industry is the internationalization of business.

The globalization of the world's markets and the corresponding shift from domestic to
international interactions requires the learning and adoption of new management skills.
Managers on foreign assignment for multinational corporations must be able to operate
effectively and comfortably in a multicultural, multilingual, and geocentric environment.
Even though the management of the expatriate adjustment process has been identified as
the most pressing human resource task for the multinational corporation, studies indicate
that these employees often fail. The importance of cultural training in the area of
international business is delineated by addressing the need for such training and
examining how it should be conducted. Cultural differences are explored, common
training methods are compared, and a case is made for the around-the-job training (AJT)
approach. In the global training arena, AJT has the potential to be more effective than
traditional training methods
Author: Mishra, Jitrenda, McKendall, Marie
a.Global managers have a strong interest in and tolerance for other cultures and
understand how a particular decision might affect a company's markets or competitors around
the world. Yet at issue is how such understanding can be created. Global companies are
spending more time trying to figure out what attributes produce the kinds of employees who
can succeed in another culture. When the Conference Board, a business research firm,
surveyed companies on this question, it found a certain uniformity among US and non-US
companies.
b.The 2nd success factors that tied for first place were knowledge of the business and a
high degree of tolerance and flexibility.
c.The 3rd success factor on the list was the ability to work with people. The Colgate-
Palmolive Co. looks for 5 things in potential candidates for global managers: 1. work or
education overseas, 2. proficiency in a language other than English, 3. computer skills, 4.
adaptability and 5. some marketing, sales, or entrepreneurial experience.
author : Geber, Beverly
RECOMMENDATIONS OR FINAL COMMENTS:
From the above observations we can conclude that:
1.MNCs are venturing into new foreign territories to withstand in the global competition in
business scenario.
2.Managers working for such company’s subsidiary in the foreign territories need to show
adaptation with the local environment while pushing the company into the local market.
3.So such a manager cant actually implement values of his company directly to the foreign
territory he is looking after.
4.He has to be a good local manager which maintaining harmony with the core values of the
company.
5.Succeeding as a global leader takes more than a surface understanding of a country's etiquette,
protocols and idiosyncrasies. Companies need to ensure their executives understand the different
leadership styles between countries before sending them on a foreign assignment. Failure to do
this could jeopardize business results -- and devastate the career of the executive. As business
becomes even more globalized, the companies that will ultimately succeed are those that have an
articulated set of business goals -- and a global leadership strategy that is aligned with these
goals.
author: Marjo Johne
6.Thus in reality any manager who is termed as a global manager is actually a local manager
with Global outlook and such purly global manger is possible in any part of the world. Thus
global manager is atually a global manager in the precise manner.
CONCLUSION
BIBLOGRAPHY:
Websites:
1. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Define_global_management
2. Mintzberg H. & Moore K. (2006) Global or Wordly, World Business Magazine, Management
Today Website: http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/search/article/547318/global-worldly
3. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/global-manager-a-myth-or-reality/100381
4.www.tata_com Global manager A myth or reality.mht
5. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W45-45Y4H80-
8&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1
093392267&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=
10&md5=432e8d7d85ae70bae57a49786101aec5
E –database:
www.Proquest.umi.com
1.http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1194641211&sid=2&Fmt=4&clientId=103388&RQT=309&VName=PQD
2. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=393561&sid=4&Fmt=3&clientId=103388&RQT=309&VName=PQD
3. Mishra J. & McKendall M. (1993) Globalizing business: The importance of around-the-job cultural
training, International journal of Management, Vol. 19, Proquest. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?
did=1212441&sid=4&Fmt=2&clientId=103388&RQT=309&VName=PQD
15.http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?
did=1759546251&sid=15&Fmt=3&clientId=103388&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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GLOBAL MANAGERS :MYTH OR REALITY?

Report submitted by: VIRAJ C. TATKAR,

MMS batch 2009-2011, SEM 1,

Subject : PERSPECTIVE MANAGEMENT,

Roll number: 54,

Submitted to : PROF.QURESH M.MOOCHHALA

Date of submission: 18th November 2009,

BURHANI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND

I would like to acknowledge a deep sense of gratitude to PROF.Q.M.MOOCHHALA for his

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY A GLOBAL COMPANY.?

So what makes a global manager?

1. Selection of foreign subsidiary managers is becoming increasingly important, as more and

3. One of the greatest challenges facing US industry is the internationalization of business.

author : Geber, Beverly

RECOMMENDATIONS OR FINAL COMMENTS:

From the above observations we can conclude that:

4.www.tata_com Global manager A myth or reality.mht

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