Good Global Leadership Skills - Essay Example

Introduction Since the advancement of technology, businesses have increasingly functioned on a global scale. Markets have become more competitive, and businesses have found more creative ways to expand and reach their clientele. These companies understand the true role that good global leadership skills play in multinational organizations, and they make it their aim to put these skills into practice. Good global leadership skills play a major role in multinational organizations. The role of good global leadership skills in a multinational organization includes keeping track of competitors so as to take the lead in their particular industries. Furthermore, leaders of these organizations must be able to keep the reputation of their country in mind and expand their knowledge about other countries, so they are able to effectively market to individuals in these countries, as well as in their own (Thomas, Pollock, and Gorman, 1999). Leaders in these companies must see to it that their products and services are of the highest quality. High quality products and services will insure that these companies take the lead in their respective industries. In addition to all of this, it is imperative that company leaders motivate their workers and give them incentives to work hard because hard workers will insure the success and long-term stability of the company. Properly educating workers is also helpful in that this enables companies to develop the means that they need for optimal competitiveness (Petrick, Fall, Scherer, Brodzinski, and Quinn, 1999). In addition to the need to possess these particular skills, leaders of multinational organizations must use the resource-based view of the firm along with the theory of competence-based competition. According to an article found in the British Journal of Management, “The resource-based view of the firm and the theory of competence-based competition can be used in answering basic questions regarding competition and rivalry” (Thomas and Pollock, 1999). It is crucial that such questions be answered if companies want to stay ahead of their competition and remain successful for years to come. There are four multinational companies that we will discuss that made use of all of these skills. As a result, they are very successful today, and they enjoy a reputation of being the lead in their respective industries. There are case studies that prove this to be fact. First, we will look at Capston-Whites Document Management and Production Services (CW). CW is a company that provides products and services to companies around the world to effectively address their business needs, as they manufacture multifunction devices that can copy, print, fax, and scan. CW and Microtech’s information technology services division (DMPS) merged in June of 2002, causing the company’s revenue to double to more than $60B. Ms. Before the merge, there were problems with DMPS, and money was not coming in as it should because DMPS had problems since its inception in 1996, due to poor management and a lack of coordination and good global leadership within the business. Not to mention, they did not manufacture products that were as intricate as the multifunctioning devices that they now sell presently. DMPS primarily sold printing devices, and many other companies did also, which made it difficult for DMPS to compete in their industry. When CW and DMPS merged, however, things began to change for the better. A new organizational structure was put into place, and a team of professionals was developed to make the most of the sales division that was already in existence under DMPS. Then came the inception of the multifunctioning devices. The restructuring of the business coupled with the manufacturing of the multifunctioning devices enabled CW to flourish in its industry. Along with these multifunctioning devices, other imaging and printing technologies were developed, and these are now sold to all sorts of people. No matter of an individual was a home user or the owner of a large corporation; he can find a device that suits his needs because there is no problem finding the proper devices, since CW offers something to everyone. A number of computer systems are also manufactured and sold to people of all calibers. In addition to all of these technologies, CW offers consulting to corporations to help them to manage their IT needs and warranties on all of their equipment. These practices serve CW quite well, since they market to a wide variety of people and manufacture products and provide services that appeal to them (Trimble and Lang, 2003). The second company that we will turn our focus to is Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems is an “end-to-end” company, as they like to refer to themselves, that has developed a number of practices that are now the cornerstones in the world of E-business, as these practices govern how many software packages that are designed to enable individuals in the E-commerce industry to effectively and efficiently do business are made and distributed (Anderson, Govindarajan, Trimble, and Veerman, 2001). As of 2001, Cisco Systems enjoys the reputation of being the number one E-business in the world. This is in part because Cisco Systems relies on their outstanding reputation when selling to their clientele, which always puts them ahead of their competitors. The leaders in this company also employ strategies, such as welcoming change from within the company as well as from customers, being personable and not embracing the bureaucratic way of doing business that is typically found in large corporations, investing in the proper funding sources that insures the long-term stability of Cisco Systems, and encouraging team efforts among all within the company. Company leaders find ways to keep employees motivated, so they put out only the best quality products, contribute their best efforts, and strive for the utmost satisfaction of the customers (Anderson, Govindarajan, Trimble, and Veerman, 2001). Then, there is Corning Microarray Technologies. Corning Microarray Technologies is a multinational company that specializes in the development of technologies that enable the scientific community to examine various aspects of DNA. While it is possible for the scientific community to completely map the human genome, more effective tools for experimentation were needed to solve the most difficult scientific inquiries. Knowing this, Corning Microarray Technologies developed tools that measure very small quantities of fluid that enable scientific professionals to not only address complex scientific inquiries and make new and interesting discoveries but to also get the job done more effectively and efficiently. Corning Microarray Technologies knew that manufacturing such technologies was a very creative way to put their company ahead of all of its competitors and those scientists worldwide would become their customers (Trimble and Bellur, 2003). Finding creative ways to beat their competitors, as well as finding a product that would be successful in practically any country, were the two best global leadership skills that Corning Microarray Technologies ever employed, as these skills enabled the company to enjoy outstanding success. Finally, there is Hasbro Interactive. Hasbro Interactive is a company that manufactures PC and video games based on their line of toys. Hasbro Interactive knows that children want everything that they can have when it comes to their favorite toy or cartoon, so they used this knowledge to manufacture an assortment of games to match their toy lines that were already created, which enabled their customers to come back more than on one occasion, becoming sources of residual income. Hasbro Interactive is constantly thinking of more innovative ways to perfect their many games, and their ambition is to make all future games as realistic and interactive as possible, which will captivate their customer base and cause them to remain long time customers. Not to mention, this approach will cause their customer base to grow by leaps and bounds, as more will become interested in the products created by Hasbro Interactive, due to an immense amount of creativity on the part of the company and the way they target their audience (Trimble, 2004). Since we have provided some insight on how good global leadership skills play a major role in multinational industries, it is fitting that we move on to discuss the purpose of this research proposal. The purpose of this proposal is to research the role of good leadership skills in multinational organizations. We must expand our knowledge on the subject and develop a greater understanding of how these skills can affect the success of such organizations. Now that we have given background on our research and have discussed the purpose of this proposal, it is important to outline the aims and objectives of this project. One aim and objective is that we compile a large amount of information on this topic that will not only answer our question concerning the role that good global leadership skills play in multinational organizations, but we must also compile enough so that we may be well rounded on the topic and answer this question from all angles. A second aim and objective of this project is that we must see to it that all cultural groups are researched and represented fairly. Finally, there is the aim and objective of sticking to a strict schedule and making the most of our time. If we follow these aims and objectives closely, the project will run smoothly. Methods of research There are a number of different research methods that will be used to obtain the necessary information on the topic at hand. The reason that so many different research methods will be used in gathering the information is because they will provide a number of different perspectives on the subject, and they will enable a large amount of information to be obtained from a number of different sources. These research methods are the following: Interviews—Individuals working in multinational organizations can be interviewed. Interviews will enable us to gain a personal perspective of what it is like for people working in such organizations. Not to mention, we will be able to obtain firsthand information concerning what is needed to effectively and successfully lead a global organization. Databases—Databases will enable us to obtain sources that are very specific to the topic at hand. Databases have options that will enable researchers to narrow searches, so they are only able to receive results that are very specific to the topic. Because this is the case, it is very unlikely that we will come across any sources that have nothing to do with the topic or that will even deviate from it slightly. In addition, databases will enable us to find sources that are authoritative and peer reviewed. Libraries—Libraries have a lot to offer in the way of research because libraries can provide us with a number of different tools that we can use to find the information that we need. For one, libraries will have sources that are not found on the Internet, in newspapers, or in databases. Furthermore, libraries will enable us to research using books that are not in digital format. In addition to this, libraries will enable us to access a wide variety of databases, as most libraries have database subscriptions, so the public will have use of them at the cost of having a library card or membership. Internet—the Internet will put us in touch with a wide variety of sources. On the Internet, we will be able to read company profiles, research a wide variety of articles on the subject from various sources, such as universities, business help sites, and online libraries, and we will be able to possibly find a number of eBooks on the subject. Newspapers—Sometimes, newspapers will report statistics regarding businesses that operate on a global scale. They may be important to include in our research because they will allow us to have insight on which organizations are running effectively and which ones are not. We can then compare these organizations and see which strategies are making the successful ones successful leaders in their respective business industries. This will be helpful in that this will enable us to have an understanding of what is considered good global leadership skills in a global organization and what is not. Then, we can incorporate this information into our research. If all five of these research methods are put into place, then there is no doubt that there will not be a shortage of information concerning this topic. As a matter of fact, there will be enough information to have a well rounded view, as well as an in depth understanding about all aspects of this particular topic. There ARE SOME Ethical issues that may come up during this research. For one, stereotypes can cloud the research because we can have preconceived ideas about people who come from certain ethnic groups. For instance, we may have the idea that just because one particular group comes from a third world country, they do not have the means to be as successful as those coming from countries that are more affluent. Then, there is the issue of not researching all cultural groups fairly. This can happen because we may find favor with some groups over others. For instance, we may want to give more time and attention to groups that are from the Western world because we are also from the Western world, thus can relate better to their ideas; however, this causes us to dismiss the ideas of others, as a result of close mindedness, thus the groups that we will not consider as much will be given the time and attention they deserve. To avoid any of these issues from cropping up, there are some measures that we need to take that will safeguard us against these things. To avoid stereotypes getting in the way of our research, we need to put all of our thinking about certain cultural groups aside and look at them fairly. To avoid not being fair in our research, we need to give the same time and attention to all cultural groups and focus entirely on how their businesses function, as well as how they are lead. With these measures in place, these ethical issues will be under control. Research Limitations Of course, with any research project, there are limitations. One limitation that comes to mind is that there may not be enough time to research all that we need to research; or, time may not be used wisely. To properly address this particular limitation, a schedule will need to be made. This schedule will insure that everything is properly planned. When all activities are properly planned, everything will be done in a timely fashion, and time will be used wisely. Not to mention, more research will get done compared to if the project is not planned. Another limitation that we may run into is that it may be difficult to compile all of the information that we need. For instance, we may have a difficult time obtaining enough interview subjects to gain a full personal perspective on the subject. We may also have a difficult time finding the amount of information that we need to research the topic in depth. To overcome this limitation, we need to schedule appointments in advance with as many interview subjects as possible, just in case some may fall through. And to effectively deal with the issue of not being able to obtain enough information concerning the topic, it is imperative that we see to it that we plan to consult a variety of resources rather than just focusing on a few because utilizing variety of resources will enable us to get a number of perspectives on this topic and obtain in depth and very detailed information. If we deal with these limitations in this way, the research project will, no doubt, be successful. References Anderson P, Govindarajan V, Trimble C, and Veerman K 2001, Cisco Systems (A), Dartmouth College, Viewed 19 May, 2010, http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/cgl/current_research/case_studies.html Anderson P, Govindarajan V, Trimble C, and Veerman K 2001, Cisco Systems (B), Dartmouth College, Viewed 19 May, 2010, http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/cgl/current_research/case_studies.html Petrick J A, Scherer R F, Brodzinski J D, Quinn J F, and Fall M 1999, ‘Global leadership skills and reputational capital: intangible resources for sustainable competitive advantage’, The Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 13, No. 1, PP. 5869. Thomas H, Pollock T 1999, ‘From I-O economics S-C-P paradigm through strategic groups to competence-based competition: reflections on the puzzle of competitive strategy’, British Journal of Management, Vol. 10, pp. 127-140. Pollock T, and Gorman P 1999, ‘Global Strategic Analyses: Frameworks and Approaches’, the Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 13, No. 1, PP. 7082. Trimble C 2004, Hasbro Interactive, Dartmouth College, Viewed 19 May, 2010, http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/cgl/current_research/case_studies.html Trimble C and Bellur G 2003, Corning Microarray Technologies, Dartmouth College, Viewed 19 May, 2010, http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/cgl/current_research/case_studies.html Trimble C and Lang J 2003, Capston-Whites Document Management and Production Services, Dartmouth College, Viewed 19 May, 2010, http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/cgl/current_research/case_studies.html Read More