The Global Manager in the 21st century

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Cultural adaptation provides a considerable competitive edge for the global operator... it's just one of the attributes he or she will need at the dawn of the 21st century...

In a recent discussion on the Money Programme, the head of one of Britain's largest multi-nationals was asked - what was the single most important quality that he looked for in an employee? His answer - "communication".

The Impact of Globalisation on organisations

Some of you may feel that there is more than enough effective communication going on! However, the importance of communication cannot be underestimated, particularly in the world of business. The buzz-words such as "globalisation", "e-commerce", "multi-tasking", "virtual management" may rankle with those who have a love for the English language but they have a place and that place is increasingly becoming the norm. So, why resist? Let's look at the attributes required of the global manager at the dawn of the 21st century.

Many organisations have, during the past ten years, realised the impact of globalisation on the group as a whole and on the individual operating company in particular and the need to sustain competitive advantage. To this end, we have seen a marked increase in the need for training employees to operate effectively in a multi-cultural environment, even for those who are home-based. Gone are the days when it was standard practice for executives to charge off round the world, shouting loudly in English and trying to apply their own management styles over the local methods and expecting results.

Co-operation achieves the best results

We all know that co-operation achieves the best results and that in order to co-operate effectively, communication has to be successful. Words are not always enough and an understanding of approach, body-language and other non-verbal methods of communicating are skills that every global operator must have. An exercise that took place in the US entailed prospective assignees looking at a video of a group of people talking whose language the assignees did not understand at all. They were then asked to guess what was going on. The ones that succeeded best in identifying what was happening went on to be more successful in subsequent overseas postings. This should in no way diminish the need to learn the language of the country to which you are being posted! However, it does demonstrate the value of understanding non-verbal communication.

Whose language will the Global Manager speak?

Cultural adaptation provides a considerable competitive edge to the global operator. Many employers are now being forced to consider the fact that a manager who is hugely successful at home may fail miserably on an assignment to another country because of this home-based success. Someone who is used to achieving and therefore doing things their way will certainly struggle with the ways of business in Asia, Africa or Eastern Europe where other factors such as attitude to time, personal relationships and family issues impinge on deadlines, creating immense frustration in the successful westerner. The main characteristics, therefore, for a global manager to have are: flexibility - an acceptance of, and lack of resistance to, change; an understanding of differences and how to make them work to his or her advantage rather than be seen as a barrier to effectiveness; extreme patience and; above all, a sense of humour. With these personal qualities, supported by an in-depth understanding of the country and business context in which he or she is operating, and wherever possible, knowledge of the language, a manager will be successful.

WILL YOU BE WELL BRIEFED FOR OUR PLANET?

The benefits of understanding the language cannot be underestimated. Imagine the scene - you are in Germany having dinner with a group of local managers and clients following a day of meetings which have all taken place in English (the company's corporate language) and everyone is relaxed now the formal part of the day is over. Global managers know that whilst a great deal can be achieved in formal meetings, the cement is applied in the informal ones. Back to the scene - the locals are relaxed, having a drink and have slipped into their own language - and you do not speak one word of German. You are now outside the circle and they realise that you do not understand what they are saying. They can now discuss anything in front of you and you will not be able to take part. You now feel your comfort zone has gone and insecurity, even irritation, fear and eventually, anger are replacing it. The result? All too often, the relationships collapse, the competitive edge is lost and the objectives of all that work have failed.

Set the scene again, this time with someone who has prepared, studied even just a little German but enough to establish that some knowledge is there, and the first scene will not happen. Not only do the locals realise that you have made this effort and you do know some German, but they do not know how much you DON'T know. They are more likely to respect your efforts and work to keep you in the group. Result? The situation is saved.

So, back to the future. What is in store for the global manager of the 21st century? Will we be increasingly dependent on video-conferences, e-commerce and the web and become glued to a chair whilst hot-desking around the work space (no offices in the future), and never leaving our home countries? Or will we be contemplating space of a different sort and providing briefings for Mars, cultural adaptation strategies for the Moon or Working with an Interplanetary Team? Surely we would all prefer to think that travelling on our own planet will still be a key element to the success of effective international business and that the face-to-face meeting will remain the most successful method of communication.