The Hindu Business Line : The global manager in perspective

TODAY'S corporates need to look at the whole world, and develop appropriate strategies that will work across national frontiers. A logical corollary of this trend is that the corporate leaders need to develop skills which are effective both inside and outside their countries.

It is essential to clarify, in this context, that the term leaders does not define only those in the upper echelons of management. Leadership is not an attribute or function of position or status. It is a function of action and involves directing, inspiring, and coordinating the actions of people.

What kind of qualities must the global leader, or manager, possess? How can companies discover and develop managers with global leadership potential? What are the distinguishing features of this brand new animal in the management firmament?

A set of four characteristics has been identified as essential for global management. These are ubiquitous and universal, regardless of which countries these managers hail from, which industries they belong to, or what are their functional backgrounds. These virtues are driven by the global dynamics of business. They are curiosity, perspective, character and savvy.

Curiosity, or better still, inquisitiveness is both the binding glue — which holds the other characteristics together — and also, the source of energy for action. Inquisitiveness is more an attitude than a skill. It is a state of mind, which provides necessary nourishment and sustenance required by a global manager, whose role in business is similar to that of the captain of a ship on a voyage.

Just as curiosity and a spirit of enterprise drove explorers several centuries ago to sail long distances through uncharted seas and trudge through unmapped land, inquisitiveness drives the desire of global managers to understand and explore new international markets. Far from being overwhelmed by the diversity of language, culture, customs, and so on, between one country and another, they are invigorated by the variety they encounter.

Global managers possess a unique perspective about the people and the places around them. The term perspective is all about how managers look at the world. It has two components: Embracing uncertainty and balancing tensions.

While a majority of managers dislike uncertainty and indulge in all kinds of tactics to avoid it, the global manager takes it in his stride and makes an opportunity out of it: He perceives it as part and parcel of the game of globalisation. So also, while most managers are pretty uncomfortable with the stresses and strains of the "pressure cooker" milieu in the profession of business management, the global manager will be sitting pretty to face the challenge of balancing the tensions between global integration and local adaptation.

The ability of global managers to relate easily and emotionally with people of different hues and backgrounds is a virtue par excellence. Similarly, their personal integrity and character of a high order in a field which is notorious for ethical misdemeanour is a standalone characteristic. Successful global initiatives warrant the goodwill and trust of people beyond the formal lines of authority; and hence, connectivity with them emotionally, and establishing uncompromising integrity are crucial imperatives to obtain their faith and bonhomie.

A global manager must display exceptional business savvy and organisational savvy. Savvy is demonstrated by the ability to recognise global business opportunities and, then, to mobilise adequate organisational resources to capitalise on them. He must have a clear sense of what needs to be done, and how to access the resources to make it happen. He must be able to figure out which activities need to be globally integrated, and which need to be locally adapted: and how to satisfy both demands to optimise returns from both.

While the focus hitherto has been on such attributes of global managerial acumen and leadership, which are driven by global dynamics, there are also specific characteristics propelled by specific dynamics. The first such attribute is country affiliation. There are certain leadership criteria which are relevant and critical to each country. What is significant for India may be different from what is for Japan, the US, and so on.

The second criterion is oriented to industry. Different industries have different product cycle times, roles for technology, and so on. Therefore, specific skills to handle these dynamics vary from industry to industry. The third dynamics is company affiliation. Each company has its own specific culture, set of values, and management philosophy. The fourth dynamics is functional responsibility. Leading a team of software engineers requires different competencies from leading a team of legal advisers, or internal auditors. Each of these four dynamics plays an important and complementary role in determining the complete portfolio of competencies required for effective global management. Every executive's personal situation in his professional environment differs and demands appropriate skills to meet his individual context. Further, as and when a manager changes contexts, a new set of specific competencies may be required.

Over the past few years, globalisation has moved from the periphery to the centre-stage. Globalisation creates new opportunities, which require new capabilities. Such capabilities cannot be acquired overnight. In this context, a frequently asked question is whether global managers are born or made? The answer is that they are born, and then, made. To become a successful global manager, the candidate must be competent and deeply interested in international business. He must constantly keep updating the frontiers of his knowledge and understanding. He must be gregarious, socially intelligent, and he must immensely like and love people.

Often people declare that the world is getting smaller. In fact, the converse seems to be proximate to reality. Several companies are now operating in more places than they ever did before. Countries which did not even show up on the commercial radar screen ten years ago, function in major global markets today. Competitors come from virtually any and every country, and global managers recognise that they cannot afford to merely defend their home turf and survive in business. Hence, for global managers, the concept and dimension of the world is indeed getting larger, and not smaller.

Gone are the days when a manager could look across the street, or even as far as his own national borders, to find out what his business rivals are up to. The tsunami of globalisation is inescapable. Managers must delve deep and down, below the surface, to investigate the underlying tectonic plates of technology and costs. Technology is both wonderful and wicked. It is wonderful in terms of what it can do; it is wicked in terms of what it can cost.

For instance, a single personal computertoday has more computing power than what was available in the whole world in 1950. However, the investment required to put in place a new plant to produce the microprocessor will cost $2 billion. Chip-makers, therefore, have no choice but to go global. As technology becomes a critical lever for competitive advantage, and as development and manufacturing costs rise steeply, the market required to recover the investment must stretch and outreach beyond the shores and into the world abroad.

The wave of globalisation demands a global model of management persona grata — a model which transcends the narrow and national outlook; and presents an untraditional, international and, perhaps, even a maverick version of the millennium manager.

(The author is a Chennai-based freelance writer.)

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