Evaluation of Elements of Cultural, Ethical and Value-Based Considerations in Global Managerial System

1. Introduction

The purpose of this article is to assess the fundamental competencies required of global managers and to examine the value of using a dynamic management approach in the context of a world that is continually changing. In light of these complicated issues, the article investigates the difficulties that global managers have when it comes to moral, ethical, and value-based considerations, which are essential for those who want to develop and strengthen a global mentality. This article includes a personal self-audit where I list my characteristics and talents as a global manager. The article concludes with a presentation of my professional growth strategy to broaden my management viewpoint globally.

2. Literature review

Individuals, organizations, and governments are becoming more interconnected and linked as a result of technological development and connection (Romero et al., 2021). To compete successfully in the global economy, organizations must manage complicated cultural, ethical, and value-based concerns. Similar to this, managers adopt a global perspective to comprehend the nature of the global corporate environment, which indicates openness to and respect for many cultures (Goxe and Belhoste, 2018). Cultural competence, ethical considerations, and values-based decision-making are crucial tools for managers to promote a global mentality and successfully address issues of multinational corporate contexts.

While operating in a global market, organizational leaders should include cultural considerations as a crucial component of their talents. The academic theory that assists in the development of cultural abilities in leaders is the cultural intelligence hypothesis created by Earley and Ang (Kirkman and Chen, 2006). According to this hypothesis, people may build cultural intelligence by being more aware of and knowledgeable about cultural differences. When Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft in 2014, for instance, he understood the value of cultural intelligence in a multiracial workplace (Prakash et al., 2021). He then implemented intelligence training for staff, which aided in developing an inclusive culture in the worldwide market (Hobson, 2019).

Leaders with a global mentality also take ethical thought into account while making decisions. The virtue ethics theory, which contends that moral behavior is dependent on a person’s character qualities and ideals rather than laws or consequences, is the academic theory that aids leaders in making moral judgments (Audi, 2012). When Tony Hsieh was the CEO of Zappos, he concentrated on creating a strong corporate culture that reflected his principles, which included openness, sincerity, and customer service. By harmonizing the company’s ideals with his personal principles and values, Tony thought he could create a moral and long-lasting organization. Zappos’ success in the e-commerce industry and brand development were both aided by the company’s embrace of diversity in the workplace.

Additionally, value-based factors should be fundamental components of global managers’ leadership qualities. In order to make choices and align them for the success of the company, executives must have a strong understanding of both their own values and those of their stakeholders (Prilleltensky, 2000). The stakeholder theory is a theory that aids in the development of values-based decision-making abilities in leaders. According to this philosophy, businesses must provide value for all parties involved, including the community, shareholders, workers, consumers, and employees’ families. One leader that accepted and prioritized value-based considerations in her management abilities is Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo (Miska et al., 2020). Nooyi thought that corporations had a duty to do more than simply make money for shareholders; they also had a duty to contribute to society. Products, environment, and people were her top three picks for PepsiCo’s social responsibility activities. PepsiCo implemented a number of programs under Nooyi’s direction to promote healthier goods, lessen the company’s environmental effect, and engage in the personal and professional growth of its people (Purkayastha, 2017). For instance, PepsiCo established a leadership development program for women, cut water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and launched healthier foods and drinks.

3. Self-assessment

I give my general global thinking abilities a 7 out of 10 based on how well I comprehend the ideas and examples presented. Even though I am aware of and understand certain cultural, moral, and value-based factors that affect the global business environment, there is still room for development.

Personal development plan

By watching, practicing, and putting different strategies into practice, I want to improve my global thinking abilities. In order to improve my cultural abilities by the end of the year, I first aim to enroll in a cross-cultural communication and cultural intelligence course. I’ll be able to better grasp how cultural variations affect behaviors and values if I learn about other cultures, traditions, values, and behaviors. This will assist me in effectively navigating the challenges of the global corporate world and educating people about workplace inclusion. I want to enroll in online courses like Coursera’s Cultural Intelligence for Leaders in order to gain knowledge about contemporary notions of cultural intelligence and their applicability in a global corporate setting. In a similar vein, at the end of the next quarter, I plan to enroll in the Udemy course Cross-Cultural Communication.

To strengthen my ethical reasoning, I want to increase the amount of material I study on sustainability and stakeholder theory. The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social, and Environmental Success – and How You Can Too” by Andrew W. Savit is one book that will help me in my endeavor. This offers useful suggestions for how firms should incorporate sustainability into day-to-day operations and decision-making. By the end of the next quarter, I’d also want to find a mentor who has knowledge in managing different teams and can guide me through any cross-cultural difficulties. I’ll also take advantage of possibilities for mentoring where I may impart my expertise to others. The strategy will assist me in filling up my knowledge gaps about proficiency and a diverse workplace.

4. Conclusion

In order to succeed in the global marketplace, managers who are seeking and developing a global mentality need have cultural competence, ethical concerns, and value-based decision-making abilities. Managers may then use a variety of theories and current leadership examples to successfully negotiate the complexity of international business settings and arrive at judgments that are consistent with the company’s values. Through higher sales and customer happiness, this assures the company’s operations will continue and be successful. The business environment is always changing as a result of the adoption of new and sophisticated technology; managers must thus develop their abilities to compete successfully on the global market.

References

Audi, R. (2012) ‘Virtue ethics as a resource in business’, Business Ethics Quarterly, 22(2), pp. 273–291. doi:10.5840/beq201222220.

Freeman, R.E., Harrison, J.S., Wicks, A.C., Parmar, B.L. and De Colle, S., 2010. Stakeholder theory: The state of the art. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xF8-WN1QlIMC&oi=fnd&pg

Goxe, F. and Belhoste, N. (2018) ‘Be global or be gone: Global mindset as a source of division in an international business community’, European Management Review, 16(3), pp. 617–632. doi:10.1111/emre.12300.

Hobson, P., 2019. Satya Nadella: Bringing Microsoft into the Modern Age. The E&S Magazine, 63(2), p.13. https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article

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KIRKMAN, B.L. and CHEN, G. (2006) ‘Cultural intelligence and international assignment effectiveness.’ Academy of Management Proceedings, 2006(1). doi:10.5465/ambpp.2006.27162843.

Miska, C., Economou, V. and Stahl, G.K. (2020) ‘Responsible leadership in a VUCA world’, Responsible Global Leadership, pp. 11–28. doi:10.4324/9781003037613-3.

Prakash, D., Bisla, M. and Rastogi, S.G. (2021) ‘Understanding authentic leadership style: The satya nadella microsoft approach’, Open Journal of Leadership, 10(02), pp. 95–109. doi:10.4236/ojl.2021.102007.

Prilleltensky, I. (2000) ‘Value-based leadership in organisations: Balancing values, interests, and power among citizens, workers, and leaders, Ethics & Behavior, 10(2), pp. 139–158. doi:10.1207/s15327019eb1002_03.

Purkayastha, D. and Rao, A.S., 2017. Sustainable development at PepsiCo. In Case Studies in Sustainability Management (pp. 77-98). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324

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