Introduction
A global manager is that person in an organization who has the knowledge and ability to run companies around the globe. Global management is characterized by the nature of the business in relation to the communication, culture diversity, and different time zones among other factors. Ideally, global managers are relatively described by the nature of the task that they carry out. To be categorized as one of the most successful global managers, one has to show the capability to manage the business globally besides the complexity of the business with reference to its different time-zones and diverse cultures within which they operate. Ideally, global managers are required to own a specific perspective towards the taskforce. They focus on the effectiveness of the employees in operating in global environment, which is characterized by diverse cultures and markets. In order for a global manager to perform effectively, he or she is required to manage the information and the resources from around the globe simultaneously. It is after doing so that they can then engage into informed economic activities that involve development and innovation. This should also happen globally. It is not a wonder to find out that a very skilled and professional global manger does not make out in the market. This may be because of the kind of attitude and styles of job performance that they possess. Different global managers are subjected to different challenges. Ideally, global managers could be characterized by their fields of operation. They include finance, marketing, human resource and operations among others. In that connection, the manager needs to understand the global concepts used to deal with issues related to their fields considering the diversity in culture as well as geographical locations
After an encounter with a global manager named Mr. Ayman Boodai, it becomes even clearer to understand the nature and kind of life that the global managers carry out. Mr. Ayman Boodai, comes from Kuwait. He is a human resource manager in a chain of hotels that are situated in different area around the globe. He has his cultural background in Kuwait meaning that it is the first culture with which he has identified with essentially. However, his responsibility as human resource manager makes him act like a multicultural being. That is, acquired knowledge and understanding of other cultures. First, Mr. Ayman Boodai, indicated that his encounter with other cultures had not been an easy task. This was because he had not had an exposure with diverse cultures in his life there before. Essentially, different cultures carry with them different and complex characteristics that are hard to appreciate. Mr. Ayman Boodai insisted that in his field of human resource management, he was faced by direct challenges of cultural diversity. In addition to the fact that he was a global human resource manager was that he was also dealing with a very delicate sector, the Hotel sector. For him to identify well with the other cultures, he gave some tips behind his success. First, he studied the different culture clusters that are there in the world. He estimated them to range from 7 to 8 clusters. Cluster of culture were identified locally by trying to rate people with reference geographical areas, language, and the economic development. He insisted that the cultures revolved around the above sectors.
The manager states that he identified with cultures that had the art of individualism and others were collective in their ambitions. Others are identified to have a lot of concern about the power distance. It is therefore important to first appreciate the culture when dealing with the employees. This is the foundation of the favorable relationship between the authority and the task force with reference to the culture. It becomes easier to relate with the employees since there is trust that has been built between different cultures. For instance, in one of the countries where one of the hotel branches is situated, the people in that place are characterized by individualism. In connection to that, the manager explained that it was important that the employees in that particular hotel be from the domestic cultural divide. This is because they are likely to prioritize their families, people as well as their taskforces. Failure to adhering to such a requirement would definitely lead to misunderstanding. It is very clear that any misunderstandings are likely to result to depletion of trust on the basis of culture.
In order to show commitment and due respect to the multicultural workforces that worked under the supervision of Mr. Ayman Boodai, he engages some cultural extra-curricular activities within the hotel’s calendar. In connection to that, he organized cultural events that were intended to show cultural diversity and the importance of the diversity of the culture the organization as well as the nation at large. Some of the events that took place were competitions in cultural dances as well as games. The people appreciated the organization of these events that were programmed at least twice a year. He stated that this enables not only the supervisor-employees relations to excel. It also encourages the transferability of the performing employees to other geographical locations with different cultural definitions. Besides that, being the human resource, he had to ensure that he performed some performance appraisal events that were not ethnically related. This was done to give awards of appreciation to those who had made significant efforts to maintain good relations among the employees as well as the executives globally. This was done on an informed criterion that would not lead to complains regarding favors towards one group and leaving the other behind. There was a democratic balloting done and then the executive bench of managers would make the final verdict. It is after the final verdict that a gifts as well as promotion were done.
However, the manager outlined some of the challenges that he experienced. First, living in a foreign set kind of environment is sometimes challenging. This is because it is not easy to adopt foreign cultures within a short time. In real situations, the very first aspect of cultural diversity comes with the difference in language of communication. The fact that there are very many languages and hence a myriad other languages is a challenging factor. Despite perfect efforts to maintain cultural balance during hiring of employees, it becomes hard to identify with all the cultures as required by the protocols. Secondly, owing to the fact that the hotel industry deals with food production as well as services, there is usually need for expertise in making of different dishes. For example, there are the al carte dishes that require expertise. It would be very unfortunate in case where the community that one is dealing with is individualistic. A situation where the recruits who qualify for the job are not from the domestic culture becomes a bone to chew for the human resource management department. Ideally, operations within the industry become complicated as such that the management is forced to take risk employing a foreigner.
Being a global manager is one of the most recognizable things that one achieves in life. However, to succeed being a global manager requires much more than just being a global manager. It is necessary and sufficient that one has the ability to transact business in different environments. One is required to respect the different life styles and believes that people have. In addition, one is required to acquire the courage to solve issues that arise without delay. Communication with different people from other cultures effectively is also a requirement for this kind of job, owing to the fact that it is a highly technical expertise-demanding job. Observing the above strategies among others guarantees optimum performance as a global manager.
