The Role of Mobility in Developing
Global Leaders
Mark Frederick, Ph.D.
Director, Global Talent Management
IOR Global Services
mfrederick@iorworld.com
Objectives for this Session
• Discuss the key qualities and
competencies required for global leaders
• Describe the leadership challenges of
globalization
• Identify assessment tools available for
selection and development of global
leaders
• Develop a practical approach to building
an effective global leadership
development program
Leadership Qualities
What qualities do you
associate with effective
leadership?
What changes when
leadership “goes
global”?
Intercultural Adaptation:
Who Should Adapt to Whom?
When in Rome (or China)
…do as the
Romans
(Chinese) do?
or
…just be
yourself?
Studying Starbucks in China
• China has an ancient tea drinking
culture dating back nearly 5,000
years
• Not “doing as the Chinese do.”
Since 1999, Starbucks has grown
to over 700 stores
• Changing consumer tastes, “tea at
home, but Starbucks in public”
• Conspicuous consumption in the
younger generation
Intercultural Adaptation:
Key Competency for Global Leaders
• It depends! Context is key!
– Work objectives/strategy
– Organizational culture
– Flexibility/boundaries
– Team dynamics
– Personal work style
• Strategic, Global Mobility must have this
competency and needs to develop it in their
organization!
Leadership Challenges of Globalization
What challenges do
leaders face in the
global marketplace?
Leadership Challenges of Globalization
• Dramatically increased flows and
mobility of international talent in the
marketplace
• New configurations of teams never
experienced before (multicultural;
matrixed; virtual)
• Rapid changes in organizational vision,
values and policies
• Push to address, define, and promote
global sense of organizational culture
Moving Beyond Multinational
• “Welcome to the Globally Integrated
Enterprise”
• “Over the past decade, IBM and its
clients have changed structurally,
operationally, and culturally in
response to globalization and new
technology”
• “Global corporate integration will
involve significant changes in
organizational culture”
Source: IBM.com
–
Sam Palmisano, Former CEO & Chairman (2002-2012)
Global Mindset
The ability to work effectively and comfortably
in different cultural environments with diverse
populations
Attitude
Knowledge
Behavior
 Global Leadership requires a high degree of Global
Mindset!
Intercultural Development
Inventory (IDI)
• Theory-based measure of how
people (groups and individuals)
respond to cultural difference
(attitude/perspective)
– Developed by Dr. Mitch Hammer and
Dr. Milton Bennett
– 50 item instrument created from
recorded statements about difference
– Supported by significant validation
studies, both content and construct
validity over the past 20 years
– Available in 12 languages
Intercultural Development
Inventory (IDI)
• Based on developmental model of
five stages
– Denial
– Polarization
(Defense/Reversal)
– Minimization
– Acceptance
– Adaptation
Intercultural Development
Inventory (IDI)
• Useful for:
– Identifying global
leadership talent
– Building talent pools
– Creating a baseline
measurement for
development
– Tracking progress
over time
GCI: Global Competencies
Inventory
• Created by Kozai Group:
5 leading academics in
the intercultural field
• High degree of reliability
and validity (both
content and construct)
• Looks at 3 major
abilities and 16
competencies:
– Ability to learn
– Ability to develop
and manage
relationships
– Ability to manage
self
GCI: Global Competencies
Inventory
• Useful for:
– Identifying global
leadership talent
– Creating a
developmental
measurement
– Building a
coaching
developmental
plan for leaders
CWq: Culture in the Workplace
Questionnaire
• Assesses cultural value preferences
that impact work style
• Based on the research of Geert
Hofstede conducted over the past
30 years
• Examines 5 major behavioral
dimensions:





Individualism
Power Distance
Certainty
Achievement
Time Orientation
• Contrasts personal results with the
results of 5 different countries for
comparison
Sample
CWq: Culture in the Workplace
Questionnaire
• Useful for:
– Raising awareness of
cultural differences
– Improving knowledge
base of cultural
workplace behaviors
– Gap analysis to
consider degree of
cultural adaptation
– Discussion / analysis
of team and company
culture
Sample
Building an Effective Global Leadership
Development Program
• Get support from “the top”
–
–
–
–
Budget
Sponsorship
Visibility
Active participation
• Identify stakeholders and align with other areas
i.e., Talent Management, Organizational
Development, Human Resources, Learning &
Development
• Have business unit leaders identify and suggest
candidates
• Use assessment tools to create talent pools
– Integrate reports and results with your talent
management software platform or intranet
Building an Effective Global Leadership
Development Program
• Create and BRAND rotational programs
for the various regions in the
organization
– Make sure the regions are ready!
• Develop and offer educational sessions
for learning and self-awareness
leveraging the experience of global
assignees
• Identify, develop and assign mentors for
younger leadership prospects
• Use assessment tools to measure
developmental progress and build into
the performance management system
Any Other Thoughts? Questions?
Thanks and Enjoy the Conference!
mfrederick@iorworld.com