orking from
his Glencoe, Illinois, home on a typical Monday in November, Harold Sirkin was up
at 5:30 a.m. responding to overnight e-mails from Europe and Asia.
At 6 a.m., Sirkin, the global leader of Boston Consulting Group’s operations practice,
spoke by phone to colleagues in China. At 7:30 a.m., he led a conference call with
team members in Asia, Europe, South America and the United States.
At 3:30 p.m., he left for O’Hare International Airport, flying
to Paris to meet with executives there. On Tuesday, he flew from Paris to Germany
for a client meeting. On Wednesday, he had a client breakfast at the airport before
returning to Chicago.
Like most nights, he says, he was up until "midnight or beyond"
to stay on top of e-mails with a staff that spans 38 countries. "This is a full-contact
sport," Sirkin says.
"I’m very responsive to e-mail, but you can’t lead a global
organization without meeting the people you’re working with," says the co-author
of the book Globality: Competing With Everyone From Everywhere for Everything.
"People need a connection," he says. "They need to have a chance to ask questions
and be part of the management decision-making process. And you have to be there
and be listening. You can’t do this by e-mail or phone alone."
Managing employees who work in the same office is challenging
enough. But in today’s global economy, it’s often necessary to work with and for
people thousands of miles away. E-mail and teleconferences are helpful, but they’re
only tools; they can’t guarantee that you won’t misunderstand, offend, inconvenience
or otherwise annoy co-workers and clients overseas.
So how can an executive keep a global workforce motivated
and avoid slipping up at the same time? And is it possible to do it without working
literally around the clock?
Veterans emphasize flexibility and these other tips:
1. Use time zones to your advantage
Many companies take advantage of time-zone differences and cheaper labor to maintain
around-the-clock workflow. But it takes constant communication. The Chicago and
New Zealand offices of ad agency TimeZoneOne, for example, work together on most
of the 50-person shop’s clients but are separated by a 17-hour time difference.
"We brief our creative team in New Zealand every afternoon
at 2 p.m., and they get back to us the next day with the work they’ve done," says
Lor Gold, the Chicago-based agency’s global chief creative officer.
2. Gather the team
For the past 11 years, Boston Consulting’s Sirkin and his 15-person leadership team
have gathered twice a year, in Chicago and Paris, to talk business and, just as
important, to build personal relationships.
TimeZoneOne’s Chicago staff headed to New Zealand for a week
in November to share skills and help solidify its culture in anticipation of future
growth.
"We want to make sure our culture is solid before we add in
people, or it will bust us up," says creative chief Gold.
3. Be sensitive to cultural differences
Jill Smart, chief human resources officer at Accenture, says that "managing with
awareness" generates good will. Alternate the times of weekly conference calls so
global counterparts aren’t always inconvenienced; schedule meetings during the week
instead of on Mondays so international colleagues can avoid weekend travel; and
learn about other cultures.
Still, sometimes you can’t figure out the cultural playbook
until you make some mistakes.
In 1998, Erin Peterson, now based in Lincolnshire as global
head of talent acquisition for Hewitt Associates Inc., relocated to Germany for
three years to lead a Western European recruiting team for another company. Faced
with a large task, and unaware of the region’s hierarchical culture, she took a
collaborative approach.
"I told the group that I didn’t have all the answers and that
we’d figure it out together," she recalls. A Swiss colleague pulled her aside and
told her that if she didn’t have all the answers, she wouldn’t be the boss. Peterson
quickly changed her tone.
4. Provide meaningful opportunities
Software maker SPSS Inc. uses teams at its Chicago headquarters and in China to
develop its flagship statistics software. When the U.S. workday ends, China takes
over testing and customer support.
What makes it work?
"Our China team is doing true R&D work, not piecemeal projects,"
says Richard Holada, who is senior vice president of technology and oversees 400
employees in seven countries. "We want everyone to have a sense of ownership and
accomplishment."
5. Recognize talent worldwide
Experts say the companies doing the best job of retaining top talent are looking
beyond traditional boundaries for leadership.
Hewitt recently promoted its first global leader based in
India.
And during its Chinese New Year celebration in January, SPSS will recognize the
first employee in China—and one of only 19 people worldwide—to earn the prestigious
title of master software engineer.
"If people think there’s a glass ceiling, it’s not going to
work," Sirkin says. "They need to have the opportunity to move beyond being a local
employee to being an active member of the company."
6. Keep employees motivated
Like all things global, cultural preferences vary when it comes to motivating employees.
In the U.S., people generally like to be recognized individually for their successes,
while Europeans tend to reward teams for a job well done. Working in Germany, Hewitt’s
Peterson singled out an employee for praise. "It was not welcome," she says.
But she finds her recruiting team in India responds well to
a combination of both styles.
She uses regular monthly conference calls to praise the group and encourages individuals
to share best practices.
7. Videoconferencing is your friend
While e-mail is a constant link, Smart of Bermuda-based Accenture says it’s critical
to find the right mix of communications channels. She is based in Chicago, but the
consulting giant has leaders in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and beyond.
Smart likes to see people when communicating, so she relies
on videoconferencing technology in the office and a webcam on her home computer.
"The personal connection is drastically different," she says.
"It feels like we’re all there in one meeting."
Workforce Management Online, January 2009 -- Register Now!
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