The Hunt for Executive Talent is Getting More Competitive – Cultural Flexibility in Demand

Source: Wall Street Journal, 4/11/2011

“Global businesses are looking for leaders who have the ability to move easily between different cultures and have deep local roots as well as international operational experience…. The talent pool is very small.”

When there is not enough immediately qualified talent, you have two options.

1. Design the work to fit the people you can find, or
2. Hire people who will respond to training efforts who can then fill the spots.

The latter option is probably more efficient. And there are three excellent assessments that directly address cultural flexibility that you can use with your global-based clients to develop their own talent pool.

The granddaddy in the field was originally developed in the 1970s for the Peace Corps: the Overseas Assignment Inventory. The OAI eventually found its way into the capabilities provided by Prudential Intercultural. Working with Prudential we extensively revised and revalidated it in 2008. It focuses on successful expatriate adjustment to a foreign assignment. Some of the secrets to success that it reveals are: 

1. Having both personal and career motivations for wanting the assignment
2. Having a clear set of job tasks in the new assignment
3. Having high quality communication and support from family

Other skills that make things go smoothly for expatriates are realistic expectations, respect for beliefs that differ from one’s own, and willingness to be open to letting others know you.

All of these are part personality tendency and part learned behavior, so the assessment points out areas for development.

The Global Assessment Inventory (GAI) was designed to look at the skills a person has working cross culturally but not as an expatriate. The most important areas here are global sensitivity (recognize the value of different perspectives), risk taking (flexibility in solving problems), and patience. As with the OAI, the assessment provides a view of personal tendencies and behavior, comparing you with those who successfully navigate cross-cultural relationship situations. Then it offers development recommendations on how you can do better.

The third assessment we recommend, Global Mindset Inventory (GMI), comes out of Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is ranked #1 among business schools in international business. Professors there have studied thousands of their graduates (see HBR article) who are employed all over the globe and identified the set of competencies of high-performers:

1. Intellectual Capital – Your cognitive capabilities, business savvy, and cosmopolitan outlook
2. Psychological Capital – Your level of confidence, sense of adventure and appreciation of diversity
3. Social Capital – Your empathy, diplomacy and interpersonal impact

For a more detailed description of the personal capabilities that make a difference in global talent, refer to their article from the April 2010 Harvard Business Review.

Development is the surest way to increase your talent pool and it begins with accurate, appropriate assessment. This is one more way to make Human Resources a strategic competitive advantage.

Success in Cross Cultural Business Settings

Measure Your "Globe-Ability"

The Global Assessment Inventory (GAI) measures ten attributes crucial for successful adaptation to multiple cultures, particularly in your work environment. GAI is now available online from Performance Programs. The price is normally $55 per individual, but the 17-page report is currently free of charge while we continue our norm study. Global Assessment Inventory reports on the following attributes:

1. Change Tolerance : Willingness to meet challenges and cope with change.
2. Initiative: Ability to take charge of new or challenging situations.
3. Respect for Beliefs: Receptiveness to new ideas and other political or religious beliefs.
4. Patience: The extent to which you believe you have influence over your life events.
5. Risk Taking: Willingness to try new approaches and ways of doing things.
6. Sociability: Extent to which you enjoy being with other people.
7. Openness: Willingness to let others know you.
8. Global Sensitivity: Clarity of the job tasks.
9. Travel Flexibility
10. Travel Expectations

The GAI is especially good at measuring the attributes necessary for work that involves international business travel. Visit the Performance Programs shopping cart and complete the check out process. No charges will occur. All data is confidential. No individual's responses will be identified in the norms. GAI is proprietary and created by Prudential Relocation's Intercultural Group; Performance Programs is a research partner and distributor.

GAI is based on the Overseas Assignment Inventory (OAI), a 30-year-old measurement from Prudential Relocation's Intercultural Group. The OAI is an online assessment designed for expatriate candidates that measures nine attributes and six context factors crucial for successful adaptation to living fulltime and working in another culture. It is provided for both the expatriate job candidate and his or her spouse or partner. PPI establishes local norms and conducts ongoing validation studies of the OAI. OAI is proprietary and created by Prudential Relocation's Intercultural Group.

Study: Usefulness of 360 Feedback Varies Across Cultures

Low "power distance" and individualism mark the cultures where 360 feedback seems to be most effective, reports a study recently published in the Academy of Management's Learning and Education (2007, Vol. 6, No. 1, 33-50). "Power distance" refers to the degree of inequality among social levels, while "individualism" refers to identity based on self rather than one's group.

Feedback recipients in the U.S., where 360 feedback for management development originated, and Ireland, where power distance is lowest of the five cultures studied, showed the greatest gains. Lower gains were achieved in Israel, Phillipines and Malaysia.

The study, titled "Does 360 Feedback Process Create Actionable Knowledge Equally Across Cultures?", was coauthored by Frank Shipper, Richard Hoffman and Denise Rotondo. Shipper has researched various aspects of management effectiveness for more than 20 years, often using Clark Wilson Group 360 feedback instruments. This study included 360 feedback recipients in the US, Ireland, Israel, Philippines, and Malaysia. Culture is likely to affect 360 feedback in two basic ways, say the authors. "The process of seeking and providing multiple sources of feedback is based on values and assumptions not equally shared by all cultures," they write. In addition, "the relationship of [360 feedback] outcomes to various cultural values may also come into play."

Using Clark Wilson Group's Survey of Management Practices™, the study showed important nuances in the usefulness of feedback information to individuals from five different business cultures. It used four values that have been found to differentiate cultures: uncertainty avoidance, power distance, individualism and "masculinity" (orientation to competition and outcome, as opposed to cooperation and process).

The paper discusses the implications for both further research and practice. The printed article is available on the PPI shopping cart for $10 including shipping to the U.S and Canada (for international shipping please contact PPI).

Research Shows Many Feel Blocked from Full Engagement by Outside Factors

What is the biggest obstacle to having more energy and being fully engaged at work? According to comments from the Full Engagement 360 Profile, nearly 30% of 5500 respondents believe the answer to that question lies outside their control (see "Read More" section for details). For instance, 170 people name their office facilities as the biggest obstacle to increased energy and engagement. Over 100 name their bosses as the greatest obstacles, and another 100 cite meetings as their biggest obstacle.


“This is a fascinating insight into the nature of personal storytelling,” says Dr. Jim Loehr, a performance psychologist and CEO of the Human Performance Institute. The Institute offers training that puts executives on a path towards sustained energy and full engagement. The Full Engagement 360 Profile is a part of their training. “As long as external objects such as the office and the boss have a key role in someone’s personal story, they will be blocked from more useful self-messages,” he says. “Until employees shift the locus of control in their stories from external to internal, little progress can be made to deepen levels of engagement at work.”

The table below details some of the external “obstacles” cited by respondents:


Table 1

External Obstacles Cited by
28% of Respondents to the
Full Engagement 360 Profile

Office/facility 170
More help/assistance 140
Boss/Supervisor 109
Meetings 106
Empowerment/Control 107
Projects 105
More challenging work 89
Decisions by management 88
Not enough time 88
Business (nature of) 84
Better training/skills 65
Company 56
Email 55
Colleagues 54
Better teamwork 50
More responsibility 48
Vision 48
Environment 43
Career 41
Position 39
Interruptions 36
Clients/Customers 35
Direction 33
Phones (calls, cell, voicemail) 30
More supportive work environment 29
Office politics 23
School 23
Employees 19
House 19
Deadlines 17
Current job/new job 16
Lack of feedback 11
Single parent 9
Divorce 8
Accountability 6
Market 6
Relocation 5

For more information on Full Engagement Training or the Full Engagement 360 Profile, contact Jackie Bick at the Human Performance Institute, 407-438-9911.