HP Replaces 6,000 Jobs
HP recently cut 9,000 jobs and will hire 6,000 new employees outside the US. According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, HP is shedding the sizable portion of its workforce to be more competitive with IBM.
This story, like many others, underscores the continuing effects of globalization and the increasingly crucial need for managers to develop global business skills and intercultural competency. We now understand companies can no longer rely on a national approach to the market to be competitive. Developing economies around the world have created an environment multinational corporations find hard to resist. Can their global endeavors be sustainable without acknowledging significant cultural differences before establishing operations in numerous foreign countries?
Joshua
Having spent over half my career working overseas for both U.S. and foreign companies, I see frequently the challenge of both training managers to operate well in multiple countries, as well as of being such an executive. Some companies have developed robust governance and cultural processes that incorporate challenges of operating across many borders. But even among these, it is not uncommon to see a “sink or swim” psychology when the company sends a manager overseas. That’s why the challenge of helping managers quickly grasp the differences they must face and of providing the tools and programs to them is so rewarding and exciting.