| "You must be the change you wish to see in the | | | | (b) the difficulty of recreating competitive |
| world." | | | | advantages, (c) the issues of increasing geopolitical |
| Mohandas Gandhi | | | | uncertainty, and (d) problems with sacrificing global |
| Do leaders really understand the global customer? Do | | | | customers. In fact, today customers are more |
| we really understand the attributes of an international | | | | powerful because they have both influence and more |
| community? Clearly, if 21st century organizations | | | | information. For most large organizations, the rigidity |
| want to survive, they must be able to answer those | | | | of organization structure prevents global success and |
| questions. Large organizations are continuing to grow | | | | creates stiff bureaucracy. Senge, a management |
| their business globally so that they can gain more | | | | consultant, suggests that many businesses suffer a |
| customers and increase their profits. When these | | | | narrowness of focus. Therefore, going global needs |
| companies go global, many of them are creating | | | | more flexibility. |
| multi-talented, cross cultural teams. Unfortunately, this | | | | References: |
| is no easy task. | | | | Drucker, P. (1964). Managing for Results. New York: |
| Drucker, a management guru, argued leaders must | | | | Harper & Row, Publishers. |
| understand the needs of customers while optimizing | | | | Gailbraith, J. (2000). Designing the Global Corporation. |
| the efficiency of the whole supply chain. Therefore, | | | | San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass |
| leaders cannot afford to neglect any component in | | | | Nadler, D. and Tushman, M. (1997). Competing by |
| the socio-technical system. Going global isn't easy. | | | | Design. New York: Oxford University Press. |
| Galbraith, author of Designing Organizations, discusses | | | | Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline. New York: |
| four barriers that prevent businesses for going global: | | | | DoubleDay. |
| (a) complexity of doing business in many countries, | | | | © 2007 by Daryl D. |