Now be honest, are you really working globally?

Many, actually nearly all, of the clients that I work with have locations in more than one country. Notice that I did not say that nearly all of my clients are global. To me, there is a huge difference.

Companies locate in various countries for many reasons: merger, economics of manufacturing, tax laws, customer reach, new market expansion, the list goes on.

Working across locations does not necessarily mean they are skilled at working globally.

Companies working effectively on a global basis are dealing head-on with the challenges of cross-cultural communications, time zone issues, language barriers, and the need to collaborate across all types of boundaries. There is much more to working globally then simply having multiple international locations.

I remember these same topics discussed in boardrooms in the mid 90’s, when expansion was the name of the game and money flowed freely. We may have missed some valuable opportunities to create the processes, cultural understanding and infrastructure that would have facilitated global success. Perhaps we were running too fast after the short-term opportunities and forgetting the long-term needs and benefits. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

The need to work effectively globally will not go away, but will instead be enhanced as US-based companies put even greater emphasis on emerging markets. It may suddenly become apparent to those working in the US that they are the minority in their organizations and most of their colleagues are located across an ocean or at least across a border. I believe that preparation now will be the key to competitive advantage in the future. How will you communicate and share critical learning in lightning speed across geographic and cultural gaps? How will you ensure that everyone in the organization, no matter the location, is as fast, bright, well prepared, and knowledgeable as your best people? There is no time like the present to begin that journey. Or, do we want to continue to work in multiple international locations? Working globally makes a great deal more business sense.

Reflection as a Key to Success

Reflection. What does that mean?

You think of seeing your reflection in a mirror, in a still pond. You look at YOU, carefully, critically and hopefully, honestly. You look to assess what is honestly in front of your eyes. You determine what is working and what needs to be changed. It is a useful exercise, not always easy but very helpful to ensure you continue to look your best, to improve.

That is also true in an organization.

Reflection is key not only in managing knowledge but to sustained organizational success.

Assumptions rule us, they often rule behaviors and actions. We assume many things. We assume we know what our problems are, what is working for us and what is not. We assume we are well aware of our biggest challenges and our strengths.

Reflection is when we challenge those assumptions. We take in the information around us, the signs and signals, even the nuanced or subtle ones and assess them to challenge our assumptions. Reflection is necessary for sustained success.

Let me give you an example. Many of my client organizations are multi-national --even the smaller organizations now do business in a number of countries. The world has gotten smaller, technology simpler and cheaper, it has become easy to do business in many countries.

However, very few companies know how to actually WORK GLOBALLY.

We assume that because we have locations and employees in a number of countries that we know how to work globally without challenging that assumption. We assume we know what it takes to work globally. I would make the assertion that we are not familiar with or perhaps do not truly embrace the competencies, behaviors, beliefs and actions it takes to effectively work on an international basis.

We will do more with this in upcoming blogs, but I challenge each of you to take time to REFLECT on working globally. Check the assumptions. What does it take, what are the challenges to working globally? What competencies do you need and does the organization possess those competencies? Can you identify the assumptions you hold or are they so ingrained as to be difficult to recognize? What information are you getting about those assumptions?

For example-- when you are making a leadership decision, do you seek input from those in your location or do you, on a regular basis and as a habit, seek the input from those in your most remote locations? Do you collaborate as easily and often with India as you do with Boston?

I would wager that some of the assumptions you make about your ability to work globally are off base. Gather some information, get some opinions and some facts and assessments. Check your assumptions. What have you got to lose?

Reflection. It is a valuable skill and it takes courage, honesty and time. Without it we can be following each other off a cliff. Reflection is a key component to enhancing and using knowledge globally.