Display

Technologies

Building a Global Engineering Team

Vincent W. Howell
Project Portfolio Manager

Institute of Industrial Engineers

2008 Annual Conference & Expo
Vancouver, BC, Canada
May 17-21, 2008
Why is this topic important?
“The global work team is an emerging type of internal alliance. As the workforce is
going global, such a team concept is quickly following suit. And with good reason:
They can have a dramatic impact on an organization’ s bottom line because they
capitalize on the expertise from a variety of people and offer companies a better
understanding of the needs of international customers.”

- Larraine Segil, Lared Group

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Abstract
As globalization becomes a reality, more and more companies are setting up
international operations in which new divisions are built and staffed by local
nationals. Whereas the norm in the past may have been to rely on a high number of
expats, some studies show a reduction in that trend. Today, local engineering
groups (industrial and manufacturing engineering) are being formed and trained for
the long-term operation of global manufacturing plants.

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Key questions arise as a company utilizes local talent
to run international operations
• What must we understand about the local culture?
• How do we best recruit at local engineering colleges?
• How do we integrate diverse cultures?
• What are appropriate leadership strategies?

This presentation will address such questions from the perspective of an

expat who built an engineering team at Corning’ s LCD glass substrate
plants in Taiwan

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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview

• Strategy for building a global engineering organization

• How we built our global team

• Key lessons learned

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Corning Incorporated
• Headquartered in Corning,
New York

• 157 year old innovation leader in the

area of glass and ceramics

• 2007 Revenues: $5.86 billion

• Employees: approximately 25,000

worldwide

• Research facilities in
North America, Europe, and Asia

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A history of life-changing innovations
Electric lightbulb

Pyrex® Glass

Telescope mirror

T.V. bulb

CorningWare®
Housewares

Spacecraft windows

Optical Fiber

AMLCD glass substrate

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 Displays have been central to communications
over the last 100 years
Increasing Complexity
of Information

Railroad Signals Radio Black and Color TV High-Definition Advanced

White TV TV Wireless Devices

1940s

1960s

1980s

2000s
1920s
1879

High Temp Glass Vacuum Tube CRT Funnels Optical Fiber AMLCD Substrates
Envelopes
Innovations
Corning

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Corning Display Technologies is a global business,
with manufacturing located close to our customers

Beijing, China Sakai City, Japan (Opening 2010) Harrodsburg, KY, USA
CDTC Corning Japan KK CDT

Gumi & Cheonan, Korea Tainan & Taichung, Taiwan Shizuoka, Japan Corning, NY, USA
Samsung Corning Precision CDTT Corning Japan KK Corning Incorporated
Corporate Headquarters

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Background
• LCD panel / glass substrate market growth

• LCD substrate plant producing in Japan

• Growth in 1990s resulted in Samsung-Corning joint equity for LCD glass

– World-class plants now in Gumi and Cheonan, South Korea

• Market expansion in Taiwan in late 1990s and early 2000

– First LCD glass manufacturing plant set up in Tainan in 2000
– Market continues to grow, justifying expansion in Taichung

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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview

• Strategy for building a global engineering organization

• How we built our global team

• Key lessons learned

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Strategy for Expanding the Global Team
• Organization Mission:
– Deliver LCD glass finishing technology and processes

• Strategy:
– Expand the Division Engineering team into Taiwan

Result: A global team of engineers in US, Japan, and Taiwan

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CDT Engineering Organization Concept

Plant Engineering Division Engineering

disciplines disciplines
(Single plant focus) (Global Focus)

Equipment Equipment

Process Process

Industrial Project

Maintenance Project Managers

Subject Matter
Experts

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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview

• Strategy for building a global engineering organization

• How we built our global team

• Key lessons learned

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How we started
1. Understanding the culture
• Began to learn the language
• Learned how engineers are trained in the culture
• Gained insight into what engineers expect when they work for a global company
• Began to build the team in the context of a global culture

2. Kept an open mind

• There is no right or wrong, only differences

3. Defined the engineering requirements in the context of the broader organization,

and in the context of local engineering perspectives

4. Worked with local HR groups and associates to understand “local”engineering

culture and how it compares to our company values

5. Worked with local HR leaders and consultants to define talent sources

• What methods work best in Taiwan?
• Agencies, recruiting fairs, universities, informal networks
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Understanding culture
• This starts on Day 1, and continues every day!

• Local / city / country culture

• Language
– Fluency is not the prerequisite; trying to learn, embracing is important

• Understand needs and expectations of the local engineering community

• Understand the educational system

– How engineering curriculums work and similarities to parent country location

• Within country companies leadership style?

– How are teams formed and what sustains them?

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Starting to build the team –the interview process
• Help future team members understand the company
– Global company may be different than local companies or other global
operations where they previously worked
• Communicate the organization’ s design. In our case, the division engineering
concept was a new paradigm
• Look beyond skills and assess fit within the overall organization
• Assess adaptability to a diverse work force
• Take your time –multi-lingual communication takes time and good listening skills
• Draw out dialogue and questions
• Look for non-verbal insights; intangibles
• Think long-term –“is this a future leader when the expats go home?”
• Assess fit within corporate values
(this aids in understanding their new work environment)

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Build a solid foundation based on corporate values
At Corning, our values are the historic strength of our company. They guide our
every move, and continue to set us apart from other companies.

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Building the team after the hiring process
• Plant / Business HR systems are critical
– Orientation plan, training plans, policies
• Emphasize face-to-face communication
– E-mail is OK, but understand you are dealing with a 2nd language
– If English is your primary language, understand “all English is not the same.”
• Provide communication that links the new team members to broader corporation
• Hold regular team meetings
• Conduct hands-on, class room training for company “tool box”
• Adapt your listening to the new environment
– “You are not in Kansas anymore!”
– Listen, listen, listen!
• Mentor your new hires
• Organize team-building events
– My colleagues told me in Taiwan that eating together builds relationships

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Team building in the global context;
Research says…
• In some cultures, strong alliances are not agreements. They are built on trust and
understanding first. Without this, success is at risk.

• You must select the optimal cross-cultural team members. Success has been
underpinned when the engineer chooses to join a cross cultural team.

• Willingness to learn about other cultures can be as important as the engineering

skill that is brought to the table.

From: Global Work Teams: A Cultural Perspective, Larraine Segil,

PM Network, March 1999.

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Build a long-term talent pool through local
engineering colleges and universities
• Global talent pool is tight in Taiwan, just as in many parts of the world
– Realize that some specific skills may be scarce
– Be open to developing skills in-house

• Understand in-country engineering curriculums (vs. home country location)

• Many new global operations look for experience, but for the long term, there is
benefit to establishing relationships with feeder organizations, like colleges
– Participate in career days
– Recruit at university career fairs
– Use these events to build your brand in-country

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What are the appropriate leadership strategies?

Leadership Strategies

Adaptable to local culture

Flexible, willing to listen, open

Team oriented

Results-oriented

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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview

• Strategy for building a global engineering organization

• What we did to build our global team

• Key lessons learned

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Summary: Lessons Learned
• Start with a strategy for the purpose of your global engineering organization

• Learn and understand the culture of your location

• Learn how engineers are educated and perform work in other regions

• Adapt your leadership style

• Build a solid foundation based on your corporate values

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