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Before we can proceed to develop a plan for one’s global mindset and analysing it for a certain objective, we must resolve to understand the concept of global mindset, and its significance when it comes to the global marketplace. When you are in a race to marketing your product/service across borders it is very important to understand the needs that the diverse set of people uphold.
We can describe a global mindset as the awareness of diversity that spreads across various cultures, countries and markets. When you are running a company, you need to make sure that your team views your audience in terms of cultural and geographic differences, and develop tools and techniques that can be applied to all of them no matter where your target audiences come from. With the turn of the new century we have witnessed a technological revolution and an ideological change around the world and this is the reason why companies today struggle to become a global company. Companies like GE, P&E, Nestle, Unilever and Colgate are one of the existing global mindsets in the world today. If you are planning to establish partnerships irrespective of cultural, economic or political differences developing a global mindset become obligatory.
At this point we come across the important question: “What do I need to do to increase my own Global Mindset and Global Leadership skills?” We must assess this in great detail if we plan to identify new opportunities, anticipate challenges, and formulate alternatives in an increasingly competitive global business environment. Many of us might consider this to be a futile quest as we have already worked with an international understanding but when it comes to the global market there is always room for learning and expanding.
When it comes to talking about business and communication we can safely say that developing a global mindset is crucial and it more of an approach to becoming a ‘citizen of the world’ meaning to be able to effectively market and sell your product/service on an international scale. You need not necessarily have to travel anymore around the world to understand and cater to international clients. Today you have the aid of technologies like Skype, Google Hangouts, and Tango to help you keep up with other time zones and interact with people around the world. But yes it is important to have an international understanding otherwise all the technologies in the world cannot help you sell your product/service. By developing a global mindset you will also be able to establish global leadership skills which will help you to come up with solutions which will reflect global considerations. In simple terms you need not only have a team which views your target audiences with a global perspective but also you need to make decisions effecting on an international scale. A leader who has achieved a lot in a local setting cannot be expected to do the same on an international market. In order to develop global leadership skills you must; start thinking globally, comprehend and appreciate cultural diversity, become competent with the latest technologies, build alliances across the world and learn to share your leadership spot.
When you are aiming to developing and establishing a global leadership mindset, keep in view three of the fundamental dichotomies. First of all let’s talk about global formalization versus local flexibility which means to make the product/service look more culturally and geographically acceptable to the target audience without having to change the look of the brand on the international market. Thus your consumers will know what brand they are purchasing but the product/service will be packaged according to the local setting, comprehension and demands. Then comes the global standardization versus local customization whereby you will have to change the product’s content according to the local regulatory controls without having to endanger the consumers. Last but not the least requires you to look into the global versus local delegation – wherein you will have to listen to local customs and authorities to dictate your business in a certain way but not let them affect your defined corporate values. To understand these we can look into the example set my McDonalds whereby it allows the host country to manufacture their own buns, bags, and business practices, and cuisines to local tastes (Gumbel, 2008).
When you are planning to establish an international market on a planet with 196 geographic barriers you need to have a certain degree of cultural intelligence without which it will be virtually impossible to sell your idea. People with cultural intelligence are able to identify the differences and similarities different groups of people share and tabulate solutions both feasible for the company and appealing to the masses.
If your company can practice global consistency you will be able to accentuate formalization, standardization and form global leaders. Your new global mindset will help you achieve a competitive edge in the market and your global executives will help you lead the way to increased revenues and long-term success. However you need to understand that the pursuit for global mindset can never really end or even come to a halt. The world we live in is dynamic and complexities surface each day but also house unlimited opportunities and it is up to us to understand and explore them, develop links, focus on self-growth and generate profits across a much diverse earth.
Works Cited
Global Leadership: The Next Generation, Financial Times. 2003: Prentice-Hall, n.d. Print.
Gumbel, P. Big Mac's local flavor. 5. Fortune , 2008. Print.
McCall, Morgan W. ., Michael M. . Lombardo, and Ann M. . Morrison. The Lessons of Experience How Successful Executives Develop on the Job. New York: Free, 1988. Print.
Segil, Larraine, Marshall Goldsmith, and James A. Belasco. Partnering: The New Face of Leadership. New York: AMACOM, 2003. Print.
