Global leadership and management knowledge: leverage its value

Having global management and leadership capabilities is imperative to conducting business now and in the future. Pivotal to the expansion of worldwide business initiatives, of course, are rocketing evolving technological imperatives. These are the tools that will continue to help us navigate global business, enabling swift connectivity and streamlined logistical distribution. 

There is also the human element in global business leadership that, at least for now, controls digital devices and provides final decision-making authority. Needed core global leadership and management skills can be developed, honed, practiced, and taught. Explore the value of growing your leadership and management in business knowledge.

International business is finding its way to you

There was a time when most of an organization’s workforce worked within close proximity to their daily jobs. Today’s culturally and logistically diverse workforce is increasingly mobile and globally connected. That’s partly due to an increase in remote work and migration of workers from near and afar. 

Even if your organization doesn’t currently conduct business transnationally, it’s likely to find its way to you soon if it hasn’t. This may come in the form of top talent for a job role who lives in another place on the globe and vendors and customers you speak with on teleconferencing calls.  

Understanding cross-cultural business

Diversification of the workforce is only one aspect of global and cross-cultural business that can provide benefits to organizations. Employees from a variety of cultures tend to have different experiences, viewpoints, and perspectives. Such differences can be a positive challenge for team members to brainstorm and provide solutions for solving them.

Culturally diverse team members

Culturally diverse team members can be valuable in terms of considering several viewpoints that can improve project success.    

Your long-held business skills and beliefs may be solid and proven, but an understanding of cross-cultural business aspects is becoming more vital. Build on your current skills by increasing your business knowledge.   

Are leadership and management the same?

Leadership and management skills are not the same thing, but they are certainly interrelated. 

Managers: Management duties typically include setting project or other goals and bringing them to fruition. Ways to do this include organizing groups, individuals, and teams to achieve a business’s goals. They also actively enable employee development and growth that align with overall organizational goals. 

Leaders: Leadership inspires, influences, carries out the organizational mission, sets the tone for all employees, and creates working environments that allow managers and their departmental teams to work collaboratively. Successful managers also share many of the traits of leaders and vice versa.

Transformational leadership

Transformational leadership involves strategic thinking to improve performance and efficiency that are aligned with the business’s overarching goal.

Global mindset’s role in effective leadership and management

Having a strong global mindset today and in the future is crucial to effective business leadership. The core qualities and attributes of a global mindset assist managers in guiding individuals, groups, and organizations in countries around the world.

A newer, holistic approach to global leadership* explores findings that support the idea of global leaders being capable of being part of their non-native cultures without judgment. They are also able to dismiss biases in favor of humanity’s great good. Holistic global leaders additionally possess a growth mindset that drives continuous growth and evolution of the global economy.  

Is global leadership and management education worth it?

Only you can decide whether advancing and investing in your global business knowledge is worthwhile to help future-proof your career. 

Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University offers several options for funding your Thunderbird global leadership, management, and business education.  

Global leadership and management education

The international workspace is expanding. The business world is getting bigger, and demand for related skills will expand in this space. Now is a good time to invest in your education to develop or hone your international business leadership and management skills. 

Thunderbird offers a specialized global approach in providing critical transnational developmental leadership and management knowledge in business. 

Explore your options at Thunderbird.

*Wickramasinghe, Amanda & Cissna, Kerri & Gross, Charles. (2023). Beyond East and West: The Making of Global Leadership. 10.1007/978-3-030-75831-8_7-1.