Idea in Brief
The Problem
Many global corporations suffer from miscommunication and misunderstandings, especially between the head office and regional units. This leads to a breakdown in trust. In trying to prevent those problems, companies often lose a key component of what makes them successful.
The Challenge
How can managers adapt individual employees and the organization as a whole to the realities of working in a global marketplace?
The Approach
Success involves the careful application of five principles:
- Identify the dimensions of difference
- Give everyone a voice
- Protect your most creative units
- Train everyone in key norms
- Be heterogeneous everywhere
Until recently most of us worked in organizations that were largely local. We interacted with colleagues and clients who were with us and culturally like us. Fellow staff members were often in the same building and at the very least were in the same country, which meant that they had similar ways of communicating and making decisions.
