Critical Issues in Business

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Besides, in order to catch up with the rapidly changing pace of environment and accomplish optimal organizational performance, various diverse corporations have recognized the importance of equipping leaders with a global mindset (Crowne, 2008; Yan, et al., 2002). Despite its numerous literature and description, global mindset can be generally described as “the ability to develop and interpret criteria for personal and business performance that are independent from the assumptions of a single country, culture, or context; and to implement those criteria appropriately in different countries, cultures, and contexts” (Maznevski and Lane, 2004, p. 172) or as “a predisposition to see the world in a particular way that sets boundaries and provides explanations for why things are the way they are, while at the same time establishing guidance for ways in which we should behave” (Rhinesmith, 1992, p.63). It is no doubt that there are numerous research conducted by scholars from all over the world on identifying the fundamental traits of a global leader’s perspective, therefore, attempting to look for a totally homogeneous view on this issue would be impossible. Instead, there are several worth-mentioning skills which can make great contribution to develop a global mindset.

First, a global mindset requires managers to enrich their cultural intelligence (Lovvorn & Chen, 2011) and demonstrate an acceptance of complexity and its contradictions (Srinivas, 1995). These two traits can be collaborated together as they would reap similar benefits if properly acquired. Cultural intelligence, by definition, concerns a set of skills and characteristics that enable one to communicate with various socio-cultural backgrounds more effectively (MacNab, Brislin & Worthley, 2012). Other scholars such as Early, et al. (2006) also considered it as the competence to smoothly adapt to unfamiliar cultural contexts. It is not uncommon nowadays to spot a lot of failure from companies which attempt to penetrate foreign markets due to their inadequate understanding of the country and different individuals who may have contrasting perceptions and their particular behaviors formed by their distinct cultural background, life experiences, and values. Therefore, to conquer the highly globalized competition and lead their people effectively in today economies, global leaders must ensure they have sufficient cultural awareness competency.

Second, in line with cultural intelligence, many researchers such as Goldsmith and Walt (1999) or Jordan and Cartwright (1998) also considered acceptance of complexity and its contradictions as an essential “must have” feature of cross-cultural leaders as the fast changing interconnected world has led many domestic experts to feel like walking off a cliff blindfolded. Besides, Byrd (2007) also suggested that a global leader must demonstrate a high tolerance for ambiguity in order to tackle inevitably racial tensions and to develop mutual understanding in the workplace. This competency, accordingly, describes one’s capability to see the opportunity among cultural differences and make it a stringboard for creativity and leading life on various levels (Srinivas, 1995).

Another competency that is well-worth cultivating so as to achieve a global mindset is empathy as Rahman & Castelli (2013) stated that empathy can play a crucial part in developing trust in the relationships between leaders and employees. This notion is further strengthened by Skinner and Spurgeon (2005) as they pointed out that the significance of sympathy in leadership behavior should not be neglected since empathy offers leaders the power to understand and recognize the diversity in culture and thanks to which, helps them make better decisions. This helps leaders to acknowledge that every individual and country are differently impacted (Swanson & Holton, 2009) and treat their people with respect (Choan, 2003). Since people may have different assumptions of a typical phenomenon based on their perceptions and values, instead of forcing people to follow a particular conventional path drawn by the manager which can obviously lead to multiples conflicts, it is recommended that leaders should be empathetic and show respect to individual uniqueness so that they can unleash full potential of their workers in a multi-national workplace. Brake (1997) also suggested that these competencies can make profound contribution to broaden the organizational vision on both local and global challenges if combined with proper approaches; and can help leaders to manage conflicts and narrow the gap between domestic and international demands (Gregersen et al., 1998). Although, empathy helps leaders to cultivate bonds and enhance people skills, they need to acknowledge that being empathy to other people does not mean they have to reach a consensus with them; instead, it is more about the willingness to understand and appreciate every individual’s differences.

The fourth worth-mentioning trait of a multi-cultural mindset is an ability to create and deliver a clear, measureable and motivating vision (Chuang, 2013). Due to the complexity of the environment, it is easy for the organization to be led astray if leaders do not determine a clear path for their own firm. For that reason, they must develop a realistic plan which connects with the current global trends (Lussier, 2005). That is to say, instead of focusing on what others have been doing and demonstrating a fear of taking on new roles, it is crucial that they look at a bigger picture, anticipate future challenges and dare to take risks when doing business. They should always drive for a broader vision, staying abreast of the latest trend and standards of the world’s competition and acknowledging the approaches to match those standards (Birchall et al., 1996). Additionally, they ought to overcome the conventional ways of thinking, and apply multiples senses when looking for a solution and always stay alert to every situation and notice potential opportunities (Dubrin, 2004).

Fifth, after having a transparent vision in mind, it is of paramount importance that leaders know how to effectively articulate and communicate it to the subordinates and influence them to work towards the common goals (Cranford & Glover, 2007). Particularly, in pursuance of exceptional performance or the organization, leaders must place a significant emphasis on developing both verbal and non-verbal communication skills (Chuang, 2013) to exchange messages in an explicit and empathic way as conflict can easily stem from the differences in culture and perceptions This also includes cross-border negotiation skills in order to achieve a sustainable competitiveness among different countries (Okoro, 2012). Another element which cannot be underestimated by leaders is non-verbal