A Manager's Guide to Globalization

Although globalization has arrived in the world, it has not done so in most of the world’s organizations. This is unfortunate: To be viable during the next century, all organizations (domestic or international) will need to become more global- at least in their outlook. It is also unfortunate that conventional wisdom about the inability of U.S. firms to compete effectively in the global marketplace usually blames inadequate spending in technology, plants, and equipment, when the real culprit is usually the lack of global mindsets in key managers. Changes in management thinking and education, then, must include placing greater emphasis on people skills, adding a more global perspective, fostering creativity and innovation, promoting real-world problem solving, and examining business issues from the viewpoint of several disciplines. There are also cultural requirements for effective global competition: 1.There must be the realization that the new game will not be driven by the U.S. business model. 2.There needs be a modification of certain barriers, misconceptions, and beliefs if U.S. enterprises are going to work with multinational teams and strategies in a managerially competitive way. Diversity will be the engine that drives the creative energy of the corporation of the next century. Building a global corporate culture, infrastructure, and globally oriented work force will have no effect if a corporation is unclear about its destiny. Strategy and structure must therefore be intertwined with the motivation of the business, the nature of the business, the function under consideration, and the task to be undertaken.