In the era of globalization, however, our companies, managers, partners, colleagues and constituents are spread out all over the world. A company based in New York might hire a team in India to manage a project on the ground in Europe. Or a California company might have a presence in China, South Korea or Mexico — or all three. American professionals can no longer afford to be insular.
For several years, I talked up the idea of global competence to anyone who would listen, until one day I realized that I was being hypocritical. I had never spent more than a few weeks outside the United States or worked extensively with people in other countries. So when my husband, Stewart Shankman, an associate professor of clinical psychology, received an opportunity for a sabbatical at King’s College in London, our whole family crossed the pond for several months, and I decided to continue my work as a consultant and writer there, with the goal of enhancing my own global competence.
After moving into a flat in the literary neighborhood of Bloomsbury, I expected the heavy weight of expat anxiety to descend upon me. But then I realized that I had felt more culture shock when I moved from New York to Chicago in 2004 than I did in relocating to London. Britain is like the middle ground between the United States and the rest of Europe. But there are subtle differences that are important to understand if an American professional is to be competent there.
For one thing, most Britons are unfailingly polite. A professional based in London may agree to something in order to be nice, but you shouldn’t necessarily expect the request to be granted. And compared with Americans, Britons tend to be emotionally restrained at work. Major displays of enthusiasm or dismay are rare, and aggressive arguments and overt self-promotion are no-nos. Yet they will happily call you on the phone for a chat or a check-in. I found that I had to be careful not to mistake some of them for telemarketers.
Mastering these nuances little by little, I dived into the task of learning how business was done in Britain. Because my principal area of expertise is talent management, I focused on that. For example, I met with nearly two dozen British professionals — women and men, and of different ages and ethnicities — in fields including human resources, marketing, transportation, health care and banking.
At the London Business School, I sat down with Lynda Gratton, a professor of management practice who talks about globalization in her book, “The Shift.” Although she told me that my global competence would be better honed in Bangalore, India, she echoed my feelings about its necessity in the future world of work. “Pervasive connectivity means that organizations are operating in a global context even if they don’t have a presence overseas,” she said. “This is true for individuals, too.”
If you’re a contractor, for instance, you will increasingly have access to a global resource pool. “With the right specialization and a diverse network, you can sell your products and services to clients all over the world,” Professor Gratton said. “However, this requires a certain mind-set. It means being familiar enough with your clients’ cultures to know how a sentence will sound there.”
FINE-TUNING your global competence doesn’t have to mean a lifestyle overhaul. If you’re employed by a decent-size company, ask to spend a few days in a foreign office, or for an assignment that involves close business dealings with other countries. Read foreign newspapers to gain insights into the daily goings-on of a particular country. Hop onto Skype and interview international colleagues to learn how your industry operates abroad.
My British work experience ended last month, and I’m back in Chicago. The most important thing I’ve brought back with me is a greater sensitivity and perceptiveness. I’m beginning to see that global competence is also about understanding the interplay among individuals, countries, industries and organizational cultures. Those who seek out people and situations foreign to them and master the ability to assimilate are far more likely to be successful in a world that’s becoming both bigger and smaller at the same time.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/jobs/global-competence-is-vital-in-business.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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