Howe-Walsh, Liza

Turnbull, Sarah

English

Portsmouth University Research Portal (Pure)

Summer InternatIonal Hr advIser
19nurturing global leaders
To achieve success in the global 
marketplace organisations need to 
operate effectively across borders and 
manage positive cross-cultural rela-
tionships. Selecting and developing 
individuals that are able to manage 
themselves and their relationships with 
others from different cultures is imper-
ative.  Organisations therefore need to 
be able to identify the skills and traits 
necessary for their employees to man-
age in culturally diverse environments 
and develop an individual’s global 
competencies. Nurturing global lead-
ers has become a strategic priority for 
many global organisations that see the 
development of global competencies 
amongst their workforce as a key to 
sustainable competitive advantage.        
This article discusses the importance 
of identifying and developing individual 
employee’s global competencies as part of a 
wider global leadership programme. In par-
ticular we look at the use of psychometric 
assessment techniques to diagnose an indi-
vidual's global competencies and more spe-
cifically the personal competencies that col-
lectively determine the global effectiveness 
of an individual. We outline the three key 
areas that are assessed; Perception Manage-
ment; Relationship Management and Self-
Management. We also outline the develop-
ment opportunities that such assessment 
provides, and consider the experiential and 
reflective learning that is commonly used 
to develop global leadership competen-
cies.  In addition we look at the wider use 
of such assessment tools in the selection of 
individuals for expatriate assignments and 
for the wider selection of new employees by 
organisations wishing to recruit individuals 
with existing global competencies.   
What makes a Global Leader? 
Firstly it is worth considering what we 
mean by a ‘global leader’ and how one is 
made. Academics have identified a number 
of personality and behavioural traits that 
contribute towards global leadership. Fur-
thermore, research in this field  has identi-
fied that intercultural experiences in both 
early and later life contribute to a better 
appreciation of working with others from 
different cultural backgrounds. Children 
born into families with bi-lingual parents 
or from different countries for example, 
are exposed to different languages and cul-
tures from an early age. A good example of 
the influence of such early inter-cultural 
experiences is the Chairman, President and 
Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor 
Co. Ltd, Carlos Ghosn*, who was born in 
Brazil but moved with his Lebanese parents 
to Lebanon and later studied in France. 
His language capabilities were strength-
ened from these experiences as he is flu-
ent in French, Arabic, English, Portuguese 
and more recently Japanese.  Many experts 
hold him up as an example of what compe-
tencies a global leader should possess and 
much interest surrounds his diverse cul-
tural experiences in early life.
Undoubtedly such early international 
experiences have enhanced the capacity for 
cultural understanding, but the question 
remains are global leaders born or nurtured?
Our current work in this field and our 
experience with a number of organisa-
tions  has identified that whilst not eve-
ryone shares the same opportunities for 
global exposure at an early age, global 
competencies can be developed. 
Identifying Global Competencies
Before any development can occur however, 
we need to have a thorough understanding 
of individual’s current global competen-
cies. One way to assist an organisation to 
identify current global competencies of 
their employees is the use of a psychometric 
assessment tool such as the Global Compe-
tence Inventory (GCI). As experts quali-
fied to use this tool we recommend that 
organisations use such an assessment as 
part of their global leadership development 
programme to identify existing strengths 
and areas for individual development. Our 
work both in the UK and the Middle East 
uses the assessment tool to gain a greater 
understanding of individual employees' 
existing global competencies and to high-
light specific developmental needs. Not 
only does the assessment enable diagnostic 
assessment, it also provides valuable met-
rics to assist organisations in the evaluation 
of programmes and informs the design of 
future programmes.   
Measuring Global 
Competencies
The GCI measures an individual’s personal 
competencies in 3 domains: Perception 
Management, Relationship Management 
and Self-Management. Collectively these 
domains enable an organisation to predict 
how an individual is likely to perform their 
work in a different culture or within a cul-
turally diverse team environment. 
Nurturing Global Leaders: Using 
Competency Based Assessment 
Techniques To Develop Employees
InternatIonal Hr advIser Summer
nurturing global leaders20
Taking each domain in turn provides a 
more detailed understanding of the tool 
itself and enables us to consider what spe-
cific qualities enable an individual to work 
effectively in diverse cultural settings. 
The first domain evaluates Perception 
Management and identifies how employ-
ees perceive the world around them. More 
importantly this recognises their attitude 
and behaviour towards working with peo-
ple from different cultures. In particular 
the tool measures 5 dimensions:
Non-judgmentalness - not rushing to •	
judge others or situations
Inquisitiveness - desire to explore new •	
situations
Tolerance of ambiguity - how  we man-•	
age uncertainty
Cosmopolitanism - interest in global issues•	
Interest flexibility -  embracing new •	
interests.
The next domain Relationship Manage-
ment assesses an employee’s ability to 
interact and manage interpersonal rela-
tionships in a cross-cultural context.  Spe-
cifically this domain measures how well 
an individual is interested in forming 
and developing relationships with others 
from different cultural backgrounds.  The 
dimensions include:
Relationship interest - awareness and •	
interest in people from other cultures
Interpersonal engagement - desire to •	
engage with people from different cultures
Emotional sensitivity - ability to empa-•	
thise with other people
Self-awareness - understanding your •	
own values 
Social flexibility - adapting behaviour •	
to fit in.
The final domain explores Self- Manage-
ment which explores how you adapt to 
your global work environment whilst also 
maintaining a clear sense of self- identity.
Optimism - positive outlook•	
Self-confidence – belief in your own •	
ability
Self-identity - your ability to uphold •	
your own beliefs and values
Emotional Resilience - how your deal •	
with setbacks 
Non-stress tendency - your ability to remain •	
calm when facing stressful situations
Stress Management - your coping •	
mechanism to deal with stress.
The information generated from the 
assessment provides a full report of an 
individual’s global competencies high-
lighting their current strengths and 
opportunities for further development. 
In particular the assessment provides the 
basis to implement individualised career 
planning for the global workforce.
University of Portsmouth 
Female Leadership 
Programmes
We are currently using the tools in the UK 
and a number of Middle East countries to 
develop female global leaders of the future 
in Science, Engineering and Technology 
(SET) fields, providing opportunities 
to address the current lack of women in 
these professions.  As well as utilising the 
GCI assessment, workshops are run for 
employee’s to provide additional support 
to develop global competencies.  This is 
facilitated with one-to-one coaching ses-
sions to bridge the gap between current 
and future performance. The individual 
feedback and one-to-one coaching is a 
valuable part of the assessment process as 
it provides an opportunity for individu-
als to explore their areas of strength and 
identify any areas that could be developed 
further. These individual sessions then 
enable the organisation to evaluate the 
collective developmental needs of their 
employees and devise a programme for 
Global Leadership Development.    
Developing Global Leaders
The life cycle diagram above highlights 
the overall process we use to develop 
effective global leadership programmes. 
In the first instance current competencies 
are identified utilising an assessment. It is 
important as with any development pro-
gramme to provide the necessary support-
ing activities that form the overall HR 
strategy.  Therefore we assess on-going 
support provided to the individual. These 
will include a range of approaches such as 
executive coaching, mentoring and action 
learning, facilitated by a range of expe-
riential and reflective practice. As with 
any employee, engagement activities it is 
essential to review and evaluate the out-
comes for the individual.
Expatriate Assignment 
Selection
In addition to the global development pro-
grammes being undertaken, one area that 
global organisations are increasingly using 
such assessments is in the selection of expa-
triates. It is particularly important to iden-
tify employees that exhibit knowledge and 
empathy of other cultures, as well as man-
aging inter-cultural communications if they 
are to succeed as an expat. It is essential to 
understand  in advance of any assignment 
how well the expatriate is likely to adjust to 
a new culture and develop meaningful busi-
ness relationships. Expatriation remains a 
key strategy in the internationalisation of 
operations.  Developing business in overseas 
territories to expand current markets as well 
as transfer knowledge to overseas staff relies 
upon successful international assignments. 
Whilst the use of expensive long term expa-
triation has seen a decline, mainly due to 
cost, the use of expatriates overall shows no 
signs of reducing.  Therefore, when a costly 
expatriation is considered, it is essential to 
ensure the individual is the best possible 
candidate for the assignment both techni-
cally as well as culturally.
Selection 
As well as for expatriate selection, we are 
also now increasingly seeing such global 
competency assessment tools used by 
many  global organisations as part of their 
wider resourcing strategy and used as part 
Summer InternatIonal Hr advIser
21nurturing global leaders
Dr.  Sarah 
Turnbull
Sarah Turn-
bull is a Senior 
Lecturer and 
an Associate of 
the Centre for 
Organisation 
Research and 
Development (CORD) at The Univer-
sity of Portsmouth.  Sarah has extensive 
experience working in the Middle East 
including: Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, 
Qatar, Syria, and lived in the United 
Arab Emirates for 8 years. 
Sarah is currently working with 
early career female scientists in the 
UK and Middle East to develop glo-
bal leadership competencies using a 
psychometric instrument that enables 
organisations to assess effective HR 
policies and practices for the selection, 
development, training and reintegra-
tion of globally mobile personnel.  
Sarah’s research seeks to highlight the 
barriers to women working within the 
Sciences and develop strategies for the 
individual and organisation to enhance 
career development opportunities.
For further information please 
contact: sarah.turnbull@port.ac.uk
of their selection process for new employees. 
This reflects the growing significance 
being attributed to the development of a 
global workforce and the value attributed 
to hiring individuals that already have the 
qualities to perform in the workplace in 
environments outside their own cultures.
Summary
Global organisations are placing increas-
ing emphasis on the development of 
global management skills and effective 
intercultural behaviour amongst employ-
ees. The ability to recruit, select and 
develop employees to operate effectively 
in increasingly diverse and challenging 
global environments is a focus for many 
organisations. Many organisations are 
using psychometric assessment tools to 
assist them in the identification of global 
competencies of individual employees. 
Those that are successful in identifying 
the qualities that are necessary amongst 
employees and are able to develop the 
personal competencies to manage in 
and amongst different cultures will gain 
competitive advantage in the global mar-
ketplace. It seems that nurturing global 
leaders is no longer a ‘nice to’ but a pre-
requisite for global success.      
*http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSI-
NESS/06/11/ghosn.profile/#cnnSTCText
Dr.  L i z a 
Howe-Walsh
Liza Howe-
Walsh is a Sen-
ior Lecturer and 
an Associate 
of the Centre 
for Organisa-
tion Research 
and Development (CORD) at The 
University of Portsmouth.  Liza has 
extensive international HR manage-
ment and consultancy experience, 
with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a 
Global Mobility Solutions Manager for 
Europe, Middle East and Africa.  She 
has been developing senior manage-
ment and executives in global leader-
ship for over a decade internationally.   
She is a leading authority on inter-
national HR management and prac-
tice and has researched the area of 
repatriation and International HR 
Management extensively.   
Her main research interests include 
expatriation and global leadership 
development.  Liza is currently work-
ing with early career female scientists 
to aid individual development plans 
in the UK and Middle East.  
Email: Liza.howe-walsh@port.ac.uk


Nurturing global leaders: using competency based assessment techniques to develop employees

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Portsmouth University Research Portal (Pure)