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.

What is your locus?

Yesterday, a young lady boxer from Hyderabad, sadly ended her life with a dose of poison.

Post the event, theories as to the cause are as usual many. From a harassing coach, to family disputes to simple frustration.Whatever the cause may be, the death siganlled, a sad end to what could have been a promising sporting career......

What drives a person to take his/her own life? What gives them the courage? I'm no psychologist, but by experience, belive that personality has got a good deal to do, with it & also how a person views life or death.

Another aspect of personality, that would effect the current discussuion, is 'Locus of Control'.

What is Locus of Control?

Locus of Control refers to an individual's perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life. Or, more simply:

Do you believe that your destiny is controlled by yourself or by external forces (such as fate, god, or powerful others)?
The full name Rotter gave the construct was Locus of Control of Reinforcement. In giving it this name, Rotter was bridging behavioural and cognitive psychology. Rotter's view was that behaviour was largely guided by "reinforcements" (rewards and punishments) and that through contingencies such as rewards and punishments, individuals come to hold beliefs about what causes their actions. These beliefs, in turn, guide what kinds of attitudes and behaviours people adopt. This understanding of Locus of Control is consistent, for example, with Philip Zimbardo (a famous psychologist):

A locus of control orientation is a belief about whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent on what we do (internal control orientation) or on events outside our personal control (external control orientation)."

Is an internal locus of control desirable?

In general, it seems to be psychologically healthy to perceive that one has control over those things which one is capable of influencing.

In simplistic terms, a more internal locus of control is generally seen as desirable. Having an Internal locus of control can also be referred to as "self-agency", "personal control", "self-determination", etc. Research has found the following trends:

Males tend to be more internal than females

As people get older they tend to become more internal
People higher up in organisational structures tend to be more internal.
However, its important to warn people against lapsing in the overly simplistic view notion that internal is good and external is bad.
There are important subtleties and complexities to be considered. For example:

Internals can be psychologically unhealthy and unstable. An internal orientation usually needs to be matched by competence, self-efficacy and opportunity so that the person is able to successfully experience the sense of personal control and responsibility. Overly internal people who lack competence, efficacy and opportunity can become neurotic, anxious and depressed. In other words, internals need to have a realistic sense of their circle of influence in order to experience 'success'.

Externals on the other hand can lead easy-going, relaxed, happy lives.

Traditionally people from Eastern cultures have been found to be more fatalistic or with an External LOC. It would probably also go to explain why western cultures are materially more successful but also more stressed.

However just hang on..........This is what the Brihadranyaka Upanishad had to say..

Your are what your deep driving desire is,

As your desire is, so is your will,

As your will is, so is your deed,

As your deed is, so is your destiny..........

Did the lady in question have an external LOC and decided that events could not be controlled or was she strongly internal and decided that she was not good enough after about four years in training? Did LOC have anything to do with it at all?

Your guess is as good as mine.................................Please do let me know.

The bomb goes tick-tock.................

It is one area I watch with morbid fascination. I watch with a sense of awe and expectancy,impending doom, because I can see, bit by bit, piece by piece the explosive being readied for detonation and when it does happen, it is going to be painful, cause a great deal of hand wringing and life in the work place is never going to be the same again or workplace dynamics are going to change for ever. If you think I'm alluding to Pokhran III, then you have got me wrong.I'm talking about 'Sexual Harassment' at the work place. By default we assume that the harassed are generally women, but that need not be. However its an area I'm not going into here. Sexual harassment is in the air, literally, these days due to the spat on Air India Sharjah-Lucknow-Delhi flight IC-884 on October 3rd,where an air hostess accused the Captain of harassing her, which in her opinion was sexual in nature. The charge, has since been dismissed and the air hostess suspended post an in house disciplinary enquiry.I watch these charges with morbid fascination, because in this area, we are babes in the wood. The Macho Indian man, high on Power Distance, thinks it his divine right to lord it over all women, at home and otherwise. The young, independent, Indian women, single and wanting to live life, are exploring a new path and on occasion are guilty of flirting with the wrong types, giving wrong signals which then leads to charges and counter charges.Unfortunately both men and women in India are new to the game, are exploring areas not visited before and therein lies the challenge. The bomb is waiting to go off because women are flooding the work place and most organizations have not the faintest clue as to how do deal with any kind of harassment and many a HR would run hearing the word 'Sexual' ( It takes an effort to discuss the issue in class ) Sexual Harassment as an issue, is a serious subject for discussion and must be dealt with in academic institutions if the force of detonation is going to be softened. Who & what is the type of harassment? There is usually more than one type of harassing behavior present, so a single harasser will often fit more than one category. These are brief summations of each type. Power-player - Legally termed "quid pro quo" harassment, these harassers insist on sexual favors in exchange for benefits they can dispense because of their positions in hierarchies: getting or keeping a job, favorable grades, recommendations, credentials, projects, promotion, orders, and other types of opportunities. One-of-the-Gang - harassment occurs when groups of men or women embarrass others with lewd comments, physical evaluations, or other unwanted sexual attention. Harassers may act individually in order to belong or impress the others, or groups may gang up on a particular target. Serial Harasser - Harassers of this type carefully build up an image so that people would find it hard to believe they would do anyone any harm. They plan their approaches carefully, and strike in private so that it is their word against that of their victims. Groper - Whenever the opportunity presents itself, these harassers' eyes and hands begin to wander, engaging in unwanted physical contact that may start innocuous but lead to worse. Opportunist - Opportunist use physical settings and circumstances, or infrequently occurring opportunities, to mask premeditated or intentional sexual behavior towards targets. This will often involve changing the environment in order to minimize inhibitory effects of the workplace or school or taking advantage of physical tasks to 'accidentally' grope a target. Bully - In this case, sexual harassment is used to punish the victim for some transgression, such as rejection of the harasser's interest or advances, or making the harasser feel insecure about himself or herself or his or her abilities. The bully uses sexual harassment to put the victim in his or her "proper place." Situational Harasser - Harassing behavior begins when the perpetrator endures a traumatic event (psychological), or begins to experience very stressful life situations, such as psychological or medical problems, marital problems, or divorce. The harassment will usually stop if the situation changes or the pressures are removed. Pest - This is the stereotypical "won't take 'no' for an answer" harasser who persists in hounding a target for attention and dates even after persistent rejections. This behavior is usually misguided, with no malicious intent. Intellectual Seducer - Most often found in educational settings, these harassers will try to use their knowledge and skills as an avenue to gain access to students, or information about students, for sexual purposes. They may require students participate in exercises or "studies" that reveal information about their sexual experiences, preferences, and habits. Incompetent - These are socially inept individuals who desire the attentions of their targets, who do not reciprocate these feelings. They may display a sense of entitlement, believing their targets should feel flattered by their attentions. When rejected, this type of harasser may use bullying methods as a form of revenge. Stalking - The persistent watching, following, contacting or observing of an individual, sometimes motivated by what the stalker believes to be love, or by sexual obsession, or by anger and hostility. Unintentional - Acts or comments of a sexual nature, not intended to harass, can constitute sexual harassment if another person feels uncomfortable with such subjects As an HR, I watch with interest, the drama unfold...........and hope that academicians and senior managers give the issue its due. What is at stake? The harassed suffer psychological damage which many a time is not reversible and the organization may have to live with disengaged employees and attrition rates that are not tenable, while the harasser gets off scot free.A situation that no decent organization, should be able to live with!
Interestingly in a experiential exercise in my International HRM class, I found that many of my students said that they would rather downplay the incident, than make an issue.
To me that would be suicide...............

Why Hillary did what she did?

A concept from OB that has often made me think ( I agree, that I'm found wanting in this area on occasion ) is that of 'Emotional Load'. Emotion load is an interesting manifestation of growing consumerism,customer focus and hype. Emotion load comes into play, when you can get that smile on to your face at the flick of a switch and make it disappear at short notice. When the smile does not reach your eyes and you smile because it is good to be seen smiling. Folk who made this an art, were of course the Americans ! The air hostess, in airlines to the store lady at Walmart are all trained and trained again to be super cool and flash a 1000 $ smile, when they bump into you. Makes everybody feel good to see that smile. But then think again, does it really make everybody feel good ? You are in a really miserable mood and you have to put on an act for people who you do not know, or maybe even care about. You have had a blazing row with your spouse and have to be nice to customers, who are queuing up with complaints. How does it work ? The first to rebel were the Europeans. The French Will have nothing of it and so when you saunter in to the little shop selling perfume not far from the Eiffel Tower, you may receive a cold welcome from a not too friendly sales person. If you feel aggrieved then it is you problem. While being uber cool and poised does have its, plus, the down side is that, people suffering from emotional load, place themselves under severe stress and even tually breakdown and many suffer prolonged bouts of depression. When Walmart imported their famous 'Walmart Jingle' to Germany, many German's found it ridiculous and apparently hid in the wash room, rather than take part in this bonding ritual which is an integral part of Walmart America. The point is where is this little piece leading? Yesterday, one my favourite ladies, gave it to our neighbors the Pakistanis. On a four day visit to Pakistan, Hillary Clinton, Secerary of State, USA ( I wish we could have ladies like that governing us ) found herself hemmed in by hostile journalists at a power lunch gave it to them right where it mattered. The lady shed her load and told the Pakistanis where to get off. In effect she said that the Pakistani leadership was dishonest and that Pakistanis should cease, to expect to be pampered any more. The message was loud and clear, and left both the Americans and Pakistanis squirming. Attaboy Hillary!!!!!! Emotional load is on the rise, in our over the hill business ventures and many a time you can see the hollowness. The most consistent act that I saw was in the shopping malls in Taiwan. The pretty girls,with even prettier clothes would make you feel special. The effect of all this is that, these days when I see a genuine smile that reaches the eyes, it warms my heart and leaves me floored. That is why I'm glad I teach youngsters, because you can see genuine joy in the young on occasion's when they flash that big uninhibited smile and forget to be politically correct.

Tough guys & Bullies!

A chance meeting amongst a few colleagues, a while back got us discussing, persons that we mutually knew and that if we considered them tough.

One of my colleagues said that, a particular gentleman was tough, because he terrorized those who were beholden to him in one way or the other. He also had an aggressive streak, more so with people, who were not aggressive themselves! I naturally disagreed and called the gent a bully!

As far as I'm concerned if you are tough, stand up to the power's to be and not harass your subordinates.Unfortunately we associate toughness to aggression and make a mockery of both. Some of the toughest people that I've known have been the most docile and come through trying times or incidents intact, while the aggressive ones have scurried for cover.

A great example would be Gandhi, who was both mentally and physically tough, as the South Africans and Brits found out. Was he an aggressive man ? No, he wasn't.

Good leaders are psychologically tough people and during a staffing process you want people who will stand the test of time & and not run for cover at the first sign of trouble.

One of my question's during an interview is 'What was the most difficult moment of your life and how did you overcome it?'

What gets my goat is when bullies, are called tough and begin to believe that they are tough because they get away by harassing hapless, helpless folk.

In the workplace it is fundamental to delineate the bullies and call their bluff........As a manager it is one job that you will have to do with toughness....

How the East was lost!

In the years to come, the period that we live in will go down, as the inexorable shift in power from the West to the East. It is a process that many would not really be able to see, because they are part of the change. We live that change.

The resurgence of Europe, that began in about 1500 AD, is finally drawing to a close. We always say that the west came good against the east, because, of greater technical superiority, but the truth is that the west, had borrowed much of its early mathematics from India and political thought from the Chinese.

Gunpowder came from the east & the Turks had the best artillery. Indian shipbuilders were the best and Chinese cartographers were amazingly good.

Why then was the east lost? If we had the best ships & charts, how did the Portuguese establish a stranglehold on the seas from West to East, as early as 1509. They were masters of the Indian Ocean & had landed at Goa ( Vasco Da Gama ) establishing a beachhead which as an event stands unparalleled even in comparison to the Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy, in France ( 1945 ).

How did the Portuguese achieve this? A careful analysis would indicate that they had the most literate naval gunners. Ship board artillery, or for that matter, any artillery at the time required a series of steps that were both complicated and called for precision, over the entire process. The more literate Portuguese seaman achieved this better than most! The British later turned drills into a religion and established solid processes which went like clockwork.

The situation, in most large organizations has not seen much of a change to this age. Policies & Procedures, Rules & Regulations, Quality Standards all require a fairly high degree of comprehension and verbal intelligence to understand and disseminate, to your peers, subordinates & bosses.It is seen to be belived, the quantum of confusion, a verbally challenged person creates at a workplace.

So, the next time somebody, in an interview or entrance test asks you what abatjour means, you won't cringe but will know what they are checking out!

Why did the east lose out ? Our forces had only two classes, the Upper Middle Class nobility & poor foot soldier who was illiterate. ( Our caste structure ). A clear disconnect. It is little wonder that the Europeans with their more literate soldiers called the shots for close to 400 years.

To keep the suspense down abatjour means- n. sky-light; device at window to throw light downwards.

Inconsequential, but you did not know the word!

Success & Self efficacy!

The azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea, slightly choppy, a fair skinned youth with a broad brow & aquiline nose lying on the deck of a pirate sloop.The year 76 BC.
Pirates who had captured the noble looking youngster, were pleased, as their catch would fetch them a ransom of at least twenty talents. After all he spelt nobility.
When the prisoner, heard the ransom, he laughed! Twenty talents, he was worth fifty he said and further added that he would be back to see the pirates hang.
Julius Cesar did return, capture the pirates in a naval expedition & watch each one of them hang! Dealing with pirates was his first major success.
That was Cesar, the epitome of confidence and a man who was always open to learning. He learnt everywhere & from everything.
Self efficacy & Openness to learning are fundamental parameters for success, in any field. It is not surprising that Julius Cesar was successful at almost everything that he took a shot at: Politician, General,Governor & then Emperor of Rome.
Cesar's high self confidence came from his high self efficacy which in turn came from past success. It is the reason why managers, must celebrate every small success of subordinates. It builds the platform for greater success.Nothing succeeds like success.
Like most great leaders Cesar was so steeped in his own pursuits, that he ignored the environment and when assassinated in the Senate,it was a sad swift end.He had ignored jealous conspirators! With his last breath he gasped, 'Kai, su teknon?', as Brutus drove a dagger into his loins.The phrase translates, to 'Even you my son', driving historians to speculate that Brutus was his illegitimate son.
Later Mark Antony, said, at Cesar's funeral pyre ' Often the good that men do lies interred with their bones'.An impassioned cry to the masses.( The rostrum, from where he is said to have made his speech, can still be seen in Rome)
Not for Cesar! He remains on of my favourite leaders for his ability to manage men, through trying circumstances.He was the architect of the 'Julian Calendar' and from the 'Czar to Kaiser', kings adopted his name.Most of all he was brilliant tactician.
As for Brutus, he committed suicide, not long after & his good, if he did any, lies interred with his bones!

Great Ability & low self monitors!

Great Ability & Poor Self Monitors! organization behavior
Great Ability & Poor Self Monitors! Three of the most colorful characters from the 2nd World War, were without doubt, Gen. Patton, Gen.Douglas Mac Arthur & Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.While the first two, fought under the American flag, Rommel commanded his Afrika Korps, under the Swastika.The three were brilliant tacticians and soldiers, who leadership was exemplary.One of the most complicated military men of all time, General George Smith Patton, Jr. was born November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California. He was known for carrying pistols with ivory handles and his intemperate manner, and is regarded as one of the most successful United States field commanders of any war. He continually strove to train his troops to the highest standard of excellence.Once when asked, if his troops fought well, because they loved him, he said no, the fought well because they were well trained! No double speak for Patton, he was frequently in trouble, for freely speaking his mind at the most inappropriate time & place.On another occasion, he said that he did not trust the Russians, this in the midst of battle, when the Russians were a key ally in the drive to Germany.
A sample-"The difficulty in understanding the Russian is that we do not take cognizance of the fact that he is not a European, but an Asiatic, and therefore thinks deviously. We can no more understand a Russian than a Chinese or a Japanese, and from what I have seen of them, I have no particular desire to understand them except to ascertain how much lead or iron it takes to kill them. In addition to his other amiable characteristics, the Russian has no regard for human life and they are all out sons-of-bitches, barbarians, and chronic drunks."
Patton was relived of his command, after publicly slapping one of his trooper's, accusing the soldier of cowardice.History does not dispute that the three soldiers mentioned here, were all superb military men. History also does not dispute, that, lesser men rose higher. Patton, died a lonely death, his junior Omar Bradley, was promoted ahead of him. Mac Arthur, was sacked after tangling with President Trueman & Erwin Rommel, comitted suicide, after he was involved in a plot to kill Hitler, failed.
Why?
I think fundamentally all three lacked the ability to be good 'self monitors' or in other words just could not be politically correct and lost out to men who played the game better.At the workplace too, ability is one thing, being politically correct, is another. As for me, I like Patton the way he was, a 'Prima Donna', who admitted it freely & made no bones about

what he thought!
On more than one occasion he admitted that he talked too much without thought!
These were the last true warriors, who went to war for the love & romance of battle and not as a career!
A little known fact is that Gen.Patton, participated in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics & though he did not win a medal, performed creditably as an athlete.
Gen.Mac Arthur, designed his own uniform and for some reason thought that he was superior to the President of the USA! It is men like these that make the world a fun place to be in.

Literature and OB!

What has literature & drama got to do with Organization Behavior ? By my guess, plenty. They are facets of life played out on different stages.

Isn't all life a drama and all of us actors of one hue or another?

The 1964 film, My Fair Lady is a case in point.

My Fair Lady (1964), a film version of the musical starring Audrey Hepburn as "Eliza" and Rex Harrison as "Higgins", is loosely based on George Bernard Shaw's classic, drama, 'Pygmalion' ( 1913).

What does it deal with- Higgins, a professor, full of himself, is firmly of the opinion that he can pick up a poor flower girl, train her to speak with an upper class accent & pass her off as nobility, in all of six months.

While Eliza, the girl, does wonderfully well & makes the transition, Higgins is surprised, that only in his presence does she slip back to her old cockney accent.

Eliza later says that, because Higgins treats her like a flower girl, she behaves like one, before walking out on the very much in love Higgins !

The concept has been developed into a full blown OB theory & the Pygmalion Effect, is a captivating model which makes a lot of sense. I think all managers must reflect and set a high enough bar for their subordinates, guiding them to get there. If you assume, that your staff, are going to fail, be certain that they will not disappoint you & fail they will.

As for the film, I watched it in the 1980's, and loved it, much to the amusement of my friends who thought me rather quaint in watching romantic flicks that seem to go nowhere.

I, always the die hard romantic, worried for a quite a while, as to why, Eliza & the Professor, could not reach a rapprochement and live life happily ever after. With time & age I've realized, that it was best, that it ended the way it did.Though the, pretty cockney accented flower girl and the sauve professor do make a handsome couple.

As an OB concept, I'm a great believer in the Pygmalion Effect and as for the movie, one of my all time favourites! As for the songs, amazing..

Pirate Medicine!

In this photo released by the Turkish military, seven pirates aboard a skiff, hold up their hands a Turkish commandos approach their boat in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. The Turkish military said Saturday navy commandos aboard the Turkish frigate TCG Gediz, part of a NATO force patrolling the seas, have captured seven pirates. Commandos raided the skiff Saturday morning upon a request to block it before it could attack a ship. It says a navy helicopter aboard a Turkish frigate also took part in the operation.11:10 a.m. ET, 9/26/09

The chickens they say finally come home to roost!

I almost split my sides on reading the following story.

PARIS - Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said.
The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates.
No one was wounded by the volleys from the Kalashnikov rifles directed at La Somme, a 3,800-ton refueling ship, French military spokesman Rear Adm. Christophe Prazuck said.

I'm glad the lot got a taste of their own medicine.Pirates at sea can be a terrifying experience for unarmed ships making voyages on the high seas.