GlobalThink 101A Primer for

International Human Resources Management

Elements of GlobalThink

Global Acculturation

Systems Thinking

Organization

DevelopmentIntellectual

Development

Knowledge Managemen

t

Teamwork

Fusion

The New Global

(Dis)Order

Occupy Wall Street

Social Media

Post Digital Revolution

Global Knowledge Economy

Arab Spring

Age of Networked Intelligence

Global Economic Dominos

“Ask most people which is the dominant language on planet Earth, and they will reply that it’s either English

or Chinese. A good guess, but they would be wrong. Binary is now dominant, with computers and machines having more conversations every working day than a sum total of mankind going back to the birth of Eve.”

Source: Peter Conchrane

Digital Rules

Dominant language planet

earth =Binary

Globalization and technology are mutually reinforcing drivers of

change.

Technology = Key enabler of globalization

Multinational enterprises are

transforming into global learning organizations.

Convergence

Learning

Work

Learning is about

work, work is about learning.

Learning is integral to work - a by-product of

work rather than something done in

isolation

- say like most training

Characteristics of the Global L.O.

• Global free flow of knowledge• Systems thinking• Thinking “outside the cubicle”• Learning = key strategic global

asset• Self-directed lifelong learning

Global Free Flow of Knowledge

Ability to rapidly develop and access information globally –

The key enabler of global performance

Often knowledge is locked away inside remote

departments, BUs and communities of practice and fiercely protected from both competitors,

and cohorts.

People must willingly contribute knowledge.

“You can have the perfect e-mail system. The perfect groupware. Be wired up the gazoo. But it doesn’t

mean that the organization will rapidly - and exhaustively and in a timely fashion-share information.”

Source: Tom Peters

Knowledge = Information in Context + Understanding

Knowledge = Information in Context + Understanding

I get it!

Knowledge is not neat or simple.

It is a complex mixture of various elements; it is fluid and formally structured and comes in at least

two flavors.

Knowledge Data

“It is all to easy to confuse data with with knowledge and information with information technology.”

Source: Peter Drucker

Knowledge originates and

resides in people’s minds.

In the post digital revolution, global organizations are more dependent on people than ever.

Knowledge = transient assetKnowledge = transient asset

Knowledge Management

(Kind of) Defined“KM is a lofty concept - debated by academics and even doubted by some

analysts - and one that few businesses have mastered.”

Source: InformationWeek

KM = A term used to describe the evolving practice of accelerating learning

and performance by connecting and coordinating organizational intellectual resources and information technology.

Learning Knowledge

Explicit TacitHard skills,

facts that can be codified

Skills, judgment, intuition,

operational know-

how

A process that generates knowledge

Formal systems can’t easily store or transfer tacit

knowledge.

Knowledge treated as a tangible.

KM frequently isolated in IT department.

KM Problem:

“most workplace learning goes on unbudgeted,

unplanned, and uncaptured by the organization…Up to 70% of workplace learning

is informal.”Source: Center for Workforce

Development study

Overvalue explicit - Undervalue tacitOvervalue explicit - Undervalue tacit

Learning Knowledge

Explicit TacitHard skills,

facts that can be codified

Skills, judgment, intuition,

operational know-

how

A process that generates knowledge

Most KM practice focuses on collecting,

distributing, re-using, and

measuring existing codified knowledge

and information.

Reality

“A logic goal is to identify critical knowledge assets codify them.”

Source: Annie Brooking

Looks Good on Paper, But….

OK, Let’s convert tacit to explicit!

The crux of the KM issue is not information, information technology, or

knowledge.

It’s really about how you get busy people to support KM.

The KM Fix

The answer has much more to do with motivation and leadership than

bits and bytes.

The Hard PartEmotional Engagement

Motivation

Knowing DoingKnowledge &

information are vitally important, but ultimately it’s performance that

counts.Acknowledge

emotionAcknowledge

emotion

“Organizations learn only through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee

organizational learning. But without it no organizational learning occurs.”

Source: Pete Senge

It’s Personal

The absence of the human moment - on an organizational scale - will

wreak havoc.

Human Interactions = Real substance of global teamwork.

“Links between human beings, not between machines, is the

real challenge of globalization”

Source: Devereaux & Johansen

Systems Thinking

“How can a team of committed managers with individual IQs above

120 have a collective IQ of 63?”Source: Peter Senge

Workforce = principle asset

Global organizations have a need for not only scientists,

computer wizards, and engineers, but for a highly-

skilled workforce as a whole.

This means

everyone!

GlobalThink: The Skills Sets• Technical competency• Flexible, self-directed team player• Ability to cope with ambiguity• Strong communications skills• Ability to stay current - maintain work

skills• Ability to deal with change• Sense of responsibility• Ability to appreciate a diverse

multicultural workplace

Changing Nature of Work

• Low skilled• Meaningless

repetitive tasks• Individual work• Single skilled• Coordination from

above

Pre Digital Revolution

Changing Nature of Work

• Knowledge work• Innovative tasks• Teamwork• Multiskilled• Peer coordination

Post Digital Revolution

Globalization demands that individuals develop cultural

literacy -- a sense of comfort that enables them to be effective

anywhere, anytime, with anyone.

Multicultural Intelligence

We are all Global Citizens

“There are no foreigners in a global world.”

Source: Ted Turner

“Globalization is not a fashion, or a temporary development. It is here to stay, and most companies or managers have yet to make their accommodation to it.”

Source: Jeannet

Competitive Advantage = Workforce fluent in the ways of the

world

Single Culture Dominance

Multicultural Perspective

Born in the USA

Ethnocentricity?Organizations tend to develop policies and strategies that

concentrate on nationals of the headquarters country.

American technology, entrepreneurial spirit,

productivity and everything to do with

Digital revolution.Provincial

attitudes, ignorant of world affairs,

excessively materialistic.

European Managers Views on American

Business Source: WSJ, 8/15/00

Declare global citizenship.

Accept equality of all cultures represented by stakeholders.

Recognize that our own cultural provincialities are invisible to you (and maybe us).

Get a Global Mindset

Your First Steps

“Most multinational companies now do a

good job of globalizing the

supply chains for all their essential raw materials -- except human resources”

Source: Quelch & Bloom

Missing in action:

Global human resources

While operations, sales, and marketing have generally made significant progress to go

global………HR is lagging behind

Global HR Essentials

Develop, nurture, and reward global diversity.

Globally connect all HR activities.

Build global awareness at all levels - in all HR groups and locations. No exceptions.

Create an Global HR mission statement.

The only real core competency is growing

talent globally

The right talent in the right places at the right times.