Management Coursework

Questions:

The Wharton article discusses 4 types of differences that can create problems for global teams: cultural, geographic, demographic and structural. Have you experienced any of these barriers in your work? In hindsight, what might have helped to build team cohesion and communication?

The Talent Management Processes article identifies best practices for
uncovering high potential talent from “non-traditional” populations. What similarities or differences do you see with their recommendations from other course readings?

The Deloitte Global Talent Mobility slides discuss the intensifying global competitiveness for talent. Does your company use global mobility brand and strategy to broaden their global talent strategy and redefine mobility as part of a talent cycle? If not, how might they benefit and what might they do to begin this process?
Please answer each question individually after reading this articles. Putting in mind I am a fashion designer who worked in a small boutique and our company is has no issues in diversity.
• Reyes, A. (September 2009). ‘Locals,’ ‘Cosmopolitans’ and Other
Keys to Creating Successful Global Teams. Knowledge @
Wharton. Retrieved May 30, 2011 from http://
knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2328
• RC Worldwide (November 2009). Talent Management Processes
for a Diverse Leadership Team: A Study Conducted by ORC
Worldwide Global Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Practice for
Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc. Retrieved May 30, 2011
from http://www.ircounselors.org/downloads/
2009_Talent_Management_Study.pdf
• Deloitte: Global Talent Mobility: The 21st Century Business
Imperative (2080). Slides retrieved May 30, 2011 from: http://
www.globalhrnews.com/b4/vsites/22/storydoc/
deloitte_globaltalentmobility.pdf

Answers:

Question 1

Fashion is one of the leading industries in terms of diversity of human capital. As a fashion designer working with a team of fashion designers from different locations and cultures I have encountered various challenges in efforts to promote teamwork. Reyes identifies four differences that often create problems for global teams, and they include geographic, demographic, cultural, and structure. However, in the fashion-design teams, the only challenges that were experienced included demographic, structural, and cultural. As a design team of four members, one of the challenges we encountered was the different ideas and styles brought about by cultural differences. Initially, this made it difficult to successfully create good designs on time. We also experienced structural differences owing to different positions each of us held in previous work in the boutique resulting in a superiority battle and severe competition against each other. Finally, age differences were manifested in the team. There was one particularly older designer who posed demographic barriers because of the authoritative manner in which she address other team members. Though these barriers did not paralyze our activities, they greatly contributed to our being late and disorganized in most projects. These barriers would have been easily dealt with if we openly agreed to air out our grievances early enough considering that we were a small team of four members. The efforts would have led to the opening up of chains of communication and interaction which would in turn have made us embrace these differences in order to strengthen our level of excellence in the fashion industry.

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Question 2

The article on talent management process discusses the barriers in diversity and how to obtain high-potential talent from a wide range of employees despite these barriers (RC Worldwide). The common barriers are demographic, ethnic, and gender-based. In many ways, this article has similar recommendations to other readings. It describes the need to develop diversified teams consciously very early and then tracking their growth and subsequent pool diversification. It adds to the common diversity management approach of developing clear strategies for diverse team participation and leadership. Even though the recommendations are the same and involve open communication and quality leadership, it differs in the sense that it actually encourages steps to diversification and not just those meant for handling diversity after it has already manifested itself in an organization. This article clearly outlines the need to embrace and implement workplace diversity in efforts to manage talent.

Question 3

The boutique I work for is a local store with a primarily local customer base. However, it does intend to grow and venture into the international market. The company, being in the fashion industry is driven by the need for diversity and global talent strategy that emphasizes redefining mobility as a core component of a talent cycle in the world of fashion. However, the company has not actively diversified satisfactorily in its search for talent, except in the design department. Even in this department, the move does not seem particularly pre-determined, but rather somewhat coincidental. For a company that seeks to expand into international market, global talent and diversification is essentially a very complex undertaking (Pearce 8). As have most industries, fashion is also embracing and looking to the emerging markets for inspiration and ideas.

At the same time, the fashion industry is very dependent on old and traditional markets. For this reason, the company will have to incorporate talent-based mobility strategies to create a brand that is diverse, yet original and easy to identify with. This objective can be achieved through a thorough selection procedure based on talent, efforts to outline responsibilities, and development monitoring before, during, and after deployment. It is also important to understand the challenges facing global mobility, which include talent recruiting, leadership, and matching skill with opportunity. In accordance with the article, the company can record massive short-term and long-term progress by structuring its strategies in consideration of these challenges.

Works Cited

Pearce, Jonathan. (2008). Global Talent Mobility: The 21st Century Business Imperative. New York: Deloitte Development LLC. Web.

RC Worldwide. 2009 Talent Management Process for a Diverse Leadership Team. New York: ORC Worldwide Global Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practice for Industrial Relations Counselors, Inc., 2009. Web.

Reyes, Andre. (2009). Locals, Cosmopolitans and Other Keys to Creating Successful Global Teams. Knowledge at Wharton. Web.

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