October - November 2001  

World Bytes

Reach Out — Now

by Terrance Malkinson

A Thought to Chew On

The people of Canada express their deepest sympathies to those who were so profoundly affected by the tragic events of 11 September. We join all citizens in working toward building a more understanding and compassionate world. Regrettably, tragic events have been part of the history of humanity, and they affect not just one nation but all nations. To honor the memory of the innocent people who were lost, or to offer comfort to those who lost friends and loved ones, we must come to understand the root causes, take every measure possible to eliminate the etiology, and move forward.

An unprecedented event such as this presents enormous challenges to our political, community and business leaders. So too, in our careers, we will encounter situations for which there is no precedent and no clear course of action, but rather requires rapid information gathering, analysis and decision-making. Observe how our leaders have and continue to respond. Analyze what has been effective and what has not. Learn from this event. This way would be the best to honor all those directly affected by recent and on-going events.

So reach out now — locally, nationally and internationally, with compassion and understanding to others in our global family. Our futures depend on it.

World News Bytes

Here are just a few of the many things going on in and around the global engineering community.

• "Cultural Acumen for the Global Manager" is the title of an article in Organizational Dynamics 29(4): 289-305, 2001, by M. Javidan and R.J. House. www.organizational-dynamics.com. The article discusses findings from the GLOBE research program, which has been collecting data from 18,000 middle managers in 62 countries. It also examines nine critical cultural dimensions and their implications for global managers. For additional information, go to the GLOBE website, http://mgmt3.ucalgary.ca/web/globe.nsf/index.

• "We Don't Need Another Hero" is the title of an article in Harvard Business Review 79(8): 121-126, 2001, by J.L. Badaracco. www.hbr.org. The article includes a discussion of leadership, with the authors' opinion that people who work quietly behind the scenes for quiet victories provide the most effective moral leadership. The most difficult human problems are not solved by dramatic efforts but by the consistent striving of people working far from the limelight.

• "Distance Still Matters: The Hard Reality of Global Expansion" is the title of an article in Harvard Business Review 79(8): 137-147, 2001, by P. Ghemawat, www.hbr.org. This article presents a rational approach to evaluating global opportunities that avoids exaggerating the attractiveness of foreign markets. Four dimensions of distance — cultural, administrative, geographic and economic — are discussed.

• "Trust — The Fundamental Bond in Global Collaboration" is the title of an article in Organizational Dynamics 29(4): 274-288, 2001, by J. Child. www.organizational-dynamics.com. The global economy is characterized by the need to collaborate effectively across national boundaries. Trust and trustworthiness are valued by all and is not easy to obtain locally, let alone internationally; these core traits are essential for success. The authors discuss the benefits and methods of generating, cultivating and sustaining trust.

• An attempt to measure globalization is discussed in Foreign Policy, Jan.-Feb. 2001, www.foreignpolicy.com. The A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy Magazine Globalization Index TM offers a comprehensive guide to globalization in 50 developed countries and key emerging markets worldwide. It breaks down globalization into its most important component parts and quantifies it.

• Two articles related to care of our spiritual lives: "Is Success a Sin?" in Harvard Business Review 79(8): 63-69, 2001; and "A Reconnection with Core Values" in FT Career Point, 20 September 2001, www.ft.com. Both articles address the issue of caring for our spiritual lives and reconnecting with our core values, while at the same time being effective in business.

• BusinessWeek Online, www.businessweek.com, has a number of articles related to high-technology savvy. "The Mood Now" (L. Walczak, 27 August) discusses how the dot-com flameout has not shaken America's faith in technology and renewed prosperity. "Management Lessons from the Bust" (J. Weber, 27 August) discusses how nimble organizations reacted to the slowdown and what they can teach less successful companies. "The Digital Age Storms the Corner Office" (E. Wahlgren, 06 September) discusses the critical importance that information technology has to business operations and offers that everyone, including CEOs, have no choice but to understand it. Finally, "Six Secrets of Successful E-Leaders" (D. MacRae, 06 September) discusses strategies that technology-savvy people use to ensure that their businesses are always innovative.

• D.A. Garvin and M.A. Roberto provide a new way of looking at the process of decision-making in "What You Don't Know About Making Decisions," published in Harvard Business Review 79(8): 108-116, 2001, www.hbr.org. Leaders are made or broken by the quality of their decisions. The authors suggest that decision-making is a designed and managed process, rather than an event. The authors explore how a person can design and manage a sound, effective decision-making process.

Terrance Malkinson is a proposal manager/documentation specialist with GE Capital IT Solutions Inc.