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.

Surveys and Reports in multiple languages

Much easier than you might think

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the number of clients requesting survey and report applications in multiple languages. Given the 24x7 "flat world" nature of the Internet, this is hardly surprising.

We have recently developed several survey applications that support languages ranging from Spanish and German to Chinese and Japanese . Indeed, we are seeing an increase in requests for systems that can support multiple languages.

The applications were built in such a way that launching additional languages is as easy as loading translations through an online translation tool. Although the initial cost of developing a language-capable web site is 20-25% higher than developing an English-only web site, this cost can be recouped when just one additional language is offered.

Survey

Below is a sample of a survey snippet in English and Japanese.



The sample shows how all elements of the survey presentation including the items, instructions and scale can be translated.

Report

Below is a sample of the reports in the two languages.

All parts of the report page have been translated: static information such as headings, page numbers and copyright information as well as dynamic elements such as results interpretation.

Translation Tool

The online translation tool displays the text to be translated in English and has a text box for the translator to enter the translation. Because the translation tool is available online, it is very easy for the translator to refine/tweak translations as and when needed. Indeed, the translator can review the translations in real time allowing the translations to be read in context and so to be fine-tuned for tone as well as for how they fit on the web or printed page.

Items to consider when designing a multiple-language survey web site are described below.

One, the language setting of the user’s web browser can be used to determine the language in which the survey is to be shown. So, in most cases the survey experience can be seamless from the end user’s point of view. The exception to this is the case when rater anonymity and confidentiality are important. In such situations, all surveys (and in particular the comments) must be collected in the same language. If this is not done, the comments could reveal the identity of the rater.

Two, the length of text can vary widely across languages and this should be taken into account when designing the report. Imagine trying to fit "All rights reserved" and "Todos los derechos reservados" in the same space. A related issue is report pagination, or, how to avoid page breaks in unexpected places. The report may have to be designed with “fixed” elements, such as printing the results for just 5 items per page.

In summary, creating a survey and report that support multiple languages is not as difficult or expensive as one might think. By creating a platform that "speaks to" users all over the world, it becomes possible to extend the reach of your intellectual property several-fold and to reap a higher return on the investment.

Want more information? Arrange for a test-drive by emailing surveys@performanceprograms.com.