The International Manager.......

I'm just through with a course on International Human Resource Management. The course went wonderfully well & I had a lot of fun. My course starts with a case on the ship 'Tampa' and her obstinate Captain Rinan. Right up my street,and the case brilliantly deals with many aspects and challenges that an international manager would face.The Captain has to grapple with a whole lot of Afghan refugees on board his craft who turn increasingly mutinuous as days go by and no country is ready to give them refuge.

A great challenge for MNC's is how do you deal with a workforce at a subsidiary and keep them motivated and raring to go.?

In today’s global economy, managers often supervise staffers who work thousands of miles away. But how?
Managing employees who work in the same office is challenging enough. But in today’s global economy, it’s often necessary to work with and for people thousands of miles away. E-mail and teleconferences are helpful, but they’re only tools; they can’t guarantee that you won’t misunderstand, offend, inconvenience or otherwise annoy co-workers and clients overseas.

So how can an executive keep a global workforce motivated and avoid slipping up at the same time? And is it possible to do it without working literally around the clock?

Some tips:

1. Use time zones to your advantage
Many companies take advantage of time-zone differences and cheaper labor to maintain around-the-clock workflow. But it takes constant communication.


2. Gather the team
For the past 11 years, Boston Consulting’s Sirkin and his 15-person leadership team have gathered twice a year, in Chicago and Paris, to talk business and, just as important, to build personal relationships.

it cost money but builds camaraderie.

3. Be sensitive to cultural differences

In 1998, Erin Peterson, now based in Lincolnshire as global head of talent acquisition for Hewitt Associates Inc., relocated to Germany for three years to lead a Western European recruiting team for another company. Faced with a large task, and unaware of the region’s hierarchical culture, she took a collaborative approach.

"I told the group that I didn’t have all the answers and that we’d figure it out together," she recalls. A Swiss colleague pulled her aside and told her that if she didn’t have all the answers, she wouldn’t be the boss. Peterson quickly changed her tone.

4. Provide meaningful opportunities
Software maker SPSS Inc. uses teams at its Chicago headquarters and in China to develop its flagship statistics software. When the U.S. workday ends, China takes over testing and customer support.

What makes it work?

"Our China team is doing true R&D work, not piecemeal projects," says Richard Holada, who is senior vice president of technology and oversees 400 employees in seven countries. "We want everyone to have a sense of ownership and accomplishment."

5. Recognize talent worldwide
Experts say the companies doing the best job of retaining top talent are looking beyond traditional boundaries for leadership.

Hewitt recently promoted its first global leader based in India.


6. Keep employees motivated
Like all things global, cultural preferences vary when it comes to motivating employees. In the U.S., people generally like to be recognized individually for their successes, while Europeans tend to reward teams for a job well done. Working in Germany, Hewitt’s Peterson singled out an employee for praise. "It was not welcome," she says.

But she finds her recruiting team in India responds well to a combination of both styles.

She uses regular monthly conference calls to praise the group and encourages individuals to share best practices.

7. Videoconferencing is your friend
While e-mail is a constant link, Smart of Bermuda-based Accenture says it’s critical to find the right mix of communications channels. She is based in Chicago, but the consulting giant has leaders in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and beyond.

Smart likes to see people when communicating, so she relies on videoconferencing technology in the office and a webcam on her home computer.

The internation manager has a job which is tough and challenging.It needs total engagement and involvement.