I have read that in this age of global business, it's difficult to find employees who are willing to work internationally (not relocate - just travel abroad as needed) and are also 'internationally savvy', i.e., they are culturally sophisticated, know how to build and maintain excellent relationships with global partners and have a good sense of the social and economic world in which our partners live. They read the Economist and the IHT as well as technical journals, speak at least a modicum of languages besides English, and know the ins and outs of global travel, i.e., how to get around from Barcelona to Berlin, deal with currency issues - whatever. When working in Germany, they can name at least a few of the German states, and in France, a couple of the Departments. Bonus points awarded for having some knowledge of the local politics and geography.
Is this an accurate assessment? Is it really that hard to find Relationship Managers, Client Service professionals, Project Managers, or Account Executives who possess the qualities to tread comfortably in a foreign locale, and professionally represent one's company in an international setting ? When I've worked abroad with colleagues from Germany, Finland, or Italy for example, beyond English and their native language, they often speak a 3rd (or even fourth !) language quite well, and even beyond that, they have a good understanding of US news, politics, or even sports.
Do the Dutch, Germans, and Swedes have a corner on this ability to maintain intercultural competency in a business setting? Is there hope for US business to compete on a global setting and be respected by our business partners on a cultural level ? Can we raise our global IQ to compete on their level ?
No comments:
Post a Comment