IHRM: People Management in a Multinational Context

Session 11: Working with people in a multinational context

Special Star Guest

Alexander Stubb, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade of Finland

Working with people in a multinational context: Global mindset

Global Mindset
Cultural perspective
Citizens of the world, who are able to accept and work with cultural diversity and view heterogeneity as a source of opportunity

Strategic perspective
Matrix in the mind of managers who are able to balance competing strategic priorities and understand the legitimacy of alternative points of view

Remember this example...

There are situations all the time when interests are different and people dont speak the same language the countries want the plans to suit their individual needs, marketing wants to maximize their investment, sales wants the most competitive price, logistics wants to deliver big streamlined parcels, accounting and finance want to maximize prices and minimize costs there is a fundamental kind of conflict the more we speak the same language and understand each other, the more optimal the result becomes.

It all links together...

At the core of Global Mindset is the capacity to understand and accept multiple perspectives Working out the tensions that often exist between different subunits and perspectives requires: A network of social relationships supported by shared values and norms concerning how to deal with contention

Next question

Can you develop global mindset?

Global Mindset
Cultural perspective
Citizens of the world, who are able to accept and work with cultural diversity and view heterogeneity as a source of opportunity

Strategic perspective
Matrix in the mind of managers who are able to balance competing strategic priorities and understand the legitimacy of alternative points of view

At the individual level, this requires a combination of

Intellectual capital Psychological capital Social capital

Adapted from: Thunderbird School of Global Management

Global Mindset: Intellectual Capital

Global Business Savvy Knowledge of global industry Knowledge of global competitive business and marketing strategies Knowledge of how to transact business and assess risk of doing business internationally Cosmopolitan outlook Knowledge of cultures in different parts of the world Knowledge of geography, history, economic & political issues, concerns & hot topics, and important persons of different countries Up-to-date knowledge of important world events Cognitive complexity Ability to grasp complex concepts quickly Strong analytical and problem solving skills Ability to understand abstract ideas Ability to take complex issues and explain the main points simply and understandably

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Global Mindset: Social Capital

Intercultural empathy Ability to work well with people from other parts of the world Ability to understand nonverbal expressions of people from other cultures Ability to emotionally connect to people from other cultures Ability to engage people from other parts of the world to work together Interpersonal impact Experience in negotiating with other cultures Strong networks with people from other cultures Reputation as a leader

Diplomacy Ease of starting a conversation with a stranger Ability to integrate different perspectives Ability to listen what others have to say Willingness to collaborate

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Global Mindset: Psychological Capital

Passion for diversity Enjoy travelling and exploring other parts of the world Enjoy getting to know people from other parts of the world Enjoy living in another country Quest for adventure Interest in dealing with challenging situations Willingness to take risks and test ones abilities Enjoy dealing with unpredictable situations Self-assurance Energetic Self-confident Comfortable in uncomfortable situations Witty in tough situations

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Reflection assignment 4
Personal reflection on (the development of) global mindset / people management and leadership skills: Analyze and reflect upon yourself from the perspectives of the Thunderbird Global Mindset inventory
What did you learn from this exercise? Your personal strengths and development areas? Looking ahead, is there anything that you will start doing / do differently as a result of this exercise? Include learnings from Alexander Stubbs, Paula Caligiuris and Guenter Stahls talks

Due with final portfolio May 10

Reflection assignment 5
Putting it all together:
1. Prepare a mind map of the course (the IHRM field)
This will reinforce learning, and help you link the different parts together Hand-drawn is absolutely fine!

2. Summarize what you have learned from the course

The most important take-outs for you personally How has your thinking about people management evolved during the course (compare to Reflection assignment 1) What (if anything) you will think about and/or do differently from now on

Due with final portfolio May 10

Voluntary compensation assignment

Can be used to compensate for a missed case/assignment or replace the lowest case/reading assignment grade

Choose one of the topics discussed during the course Find a recent business press article (broadly) related to the topic, that refers to a specific organization or person Discuss and analyze the case from a people perspective

3-5 ppt-slides, due May 10

Opportunity for individual discussion May 7 at 14-16

Please note that there is an (entirely voluntary) opportunity to discuss your portfolio, any IHRM topic that you would like to know more of or that we have missed, or any other issue one-on-one with Kristiina on Tue May

7 between 14-16 (in Kristiinas office at the IB

department).

Course evaluation forms

This is also an HRM tool! 360 feedback Part of teachers performance management

Next week: Special Star Guests

Guenter Stahl (INSEAD & WU Wien) Paula Caligiuri (Rutgers University)